Revised Version
Act 4 "Trust in your heart! The deadly House of Mirrors!"
"Weakling!"
"Miserable!"
"Useless!"
Chibi Usa closed her fists tightly around her blanket as her mind struggled with an unseen demon. Her eyes were tightly shut and her breaths hard and quick. Chibi Usa tossed and turned as she dreamed. The same nightmare had once again came to haunt her.
In her dreams Chibi Usa was running; running with all her might down an endless path to nowhere.
"Stupid brat! You'll never be like your mother!" hurled a voice.
"To think that you thought you could become a senshi!" laughed another.
Chibi Usa gasped for air as she ran, her cheeks flush and wet with tears. "Stop!" Chibi Usa cried, but her own voice was buried by the accusing voices.
"Thinking that a high priest like Helios would fall for a spore like yourself! How very selfish and pathetic!"
Chibi Usa shook her head violently from side to side as she ran when she slipped and fell onto the cold dimension-less ground.
The voices proceeded to laugh as Chibi Usa, hurt and tearful, sobbed.
"Poor child…" came the voice, repeating its soothing words "Such pain…come, I will ease them for you…" once again a pair of arms appeared, this time from behind Chibi Usa. Chibi Usa only continued to cry, ignoring the voice and the looming arms as they closed in around her.
"Maiden, wake up!"
Chibi Us suddenly jerked her eyes open only to find herself in her room. "Helios…was that you!" Chibi Usa looked around frantically, searching for any sign of the white-clad youth. Her search proved fruitless as she sat back down on the bed, her blankets in disarray from tossing and turning.
"He's not here… It was a dream…"Chibi Usa said heart-brokenly. She wiped her reddened eyes and breathed in the cool night air. Turning to look at the clock, the round metal case of the clock reflected the silvery light of the moon. It ticked quietly as the minute hand ticked past six while the hour hand stood motionlessly on the number two marker.
Greatly disappointed, Chibi Usa lied back down and looked out her window. Her eyes were now as red as her ruby colored iris; red from constant tears.
A lone shooting star skimmed across the night sky while the leaves rustled gently in the night breeze. The light of the stars reflected in the wide eyes of the pink princess.
Helios, was that you that I heard…or was I dreaming? Chibi Usa closed her eyes, her brows dropped in sorrow.
Usagi yawned as she walked into the kitchen. "Oh! I can't believe my professors gave me so much to read! Why did I ever decide to study world politics and economic! What was I thinking?" The future utopian ruler scratched her head as she sat down on a chair and inhaled the smell of the delicious breakfast set before her.
It was not the traditional breakfast that the Tsukino family usually ate. Instead of rice and tempora there were American styled bacons, eggs and pancakes. A mountain of toasts and an assortment of jams were placed in the middle of the dinning table. Droplets of dew slid off the face of clean glass mugs as fresh orange juice reflected the early morning sun.
"Mmm! This smells so good! What's so special about today that you have prepared so many goodies Mom?" Usagi asked as she began munching on a pancake. Ikuko smiled as she cooked while Kenji read the daily newspaper and Shingo ate.
"Today's Chibi Usa-chan's first day of school. It's been a while since she's been with us so I'm preparing a special meal for her." Just then Ikuko noticed Chibi Usa coming towards the dining room. "Good morning Chibi Usa-chan…" Ikuko started cheerfully but stopped when she noticed the heavy shadows under Chibi Usa's usually brilliant eyes. Chibi Usa smiled wearily and returned the greeting before sitting down in a chair.
Ikuko walked up with Chibi Usa's plate and placed it in front of her. "Here you go Chibi Usa-chan, go ahead and eat up now. There's plenty for seconds." Chibi Usa didn't reply, only listlessly stabbed her fork into a stripe of bacon. Ikuko watched as Chibi Usa ate. She could tell from her slow chewing motion that something wasn't right.
"Chibi Usa-chan are you all right? You don't look so well…" Ikuko asked with concern.
Kenji folded his newspaper and agreed by saying "If you're not feeling well you can wait a few days and go back to school."
Chibi Usa put down her fork and shook her head. She smiled at her family, trying to convince them other wise about her condition. "I'm all right. It's just that I didn't sleep well last night that's all."
"Maybe you should try one of Mom's remedies. One of those will put you down faster then that Russian ballet she took us to!" Shingo offered his younger "cousin".
Ikuko glared at her son and crossed her arms. "Was that suppose to be a complement?"
Shingo laughed sheepishly and pushed away his empty plate. "I'd better get going Mom. See you after school!"
Chibi Usa also got up to leave. Meanwhile, Usagi was enjoying her fourth piece of toast after having consumed five pancakes, three eggs, two glasses of juice and countless strips of bacons.
"I'll need to be going too Ikuko-mama." Chibi Usa smiled as she left the dinning room. Ikuko sighed and watched as her future granddaughter went to get her school bag.
"I can tell something's wrong. But why won't she tell us?" Ikuko asked herself.
Usagi heard the comment and her eyes dropped. She's still feeling bad about her crystal Usagi looked up and saw the kitchen clock at 7:15. She gasped and wiped her mouth, crying, "Oh no! I'm going to be late! The others are going to kill me!"
Chibi Usa was coming down the stairs, her bag in hand, when Usagi stormed pass her and raced into her own room. "Usagi what's wrong?" She asked as Usagi scrambled downstairs to put on her jacket.
Usagi struggled with her shoes as she rushed toward the door "It's something my university's doing…Bye!" with that, Usagi slammed out the door, leaving a bewildered Chibi Usa behind. She turned to look questioningly at Ikuko who only smiled and shrugged. Chibi Usa got her things and waved Ikuko and Kenji good bye before walking out onto the street.
Once she was outside she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Chibi Usa casually walked toward Usagi's former junior high school, her navy-blue sailor collar and shirt rippled in sync with the girl's footsteps. The white shirt and pinkish-red bow were neatly ironed and tied. Chibi Usa still wore her brooch but not with the same pride and grace the jeweled piece once carried as it sat upon its owner's chest.
May be I should tell the others about the dream…if I do maybe I won't feel so pint up inside. Chibi Usa paused briefly and gripped her hands tightly around the handle of her dark brown school bag, her red eyes flashed.
But they don't understand, they'll only pity me and that's something that I DON'T want! Maybe I should just go back…but then I would be abandoning the other and with this new enemy I'd be a coward!
Suddenly a thought came to her. Could it be that the new enemy is fooling around with my powers? Chibi Usa stopped, her eyes wide as she contemplated the possibility. We don't know who the enemies are or what powers they hold… may be that's why I can't transform. But then how can I know for sure? It might just be that I could no longer weld the Silver Crystal!
"Chibi Usa-chan!"
Hearing her name called, Chibi Usa snapped out of her internal deliberation. She turned around to find a girl with purple hair tied in a white, cloth-covered bun racing toward her. The girl, dressed in the same school uniform as her, was smiling radiantly as she approached Chibi Usa.
"Momo-chan!"
The purple-haired girl laughed and took Chibi Usa's hands in her own.
"It's been forever since I last saw you! We all thought that you weren't gonna come back to Japan after your trip!"
Chibi Usa blinked, stumped. "Trip? What trip?"
Momo giggled. "We came looking for you soon after you left. Your older cousin Usagi told us that you went back home to live with your parents and might not be coming back! When I heard were you were coming back to attend junior high here I was so surprised!"
Chibi Usa smiled and scratch her head. "That's true I guess…" she turned to look at Momo as they started walking toward school. "So how have you been Momo-chan? How's Kyusuke-kun and everyone else?"
Momo blushed and replied coyly "Well…Kyusuke and I are dating!" Chibi Usa paused and stared unbelievingly at her friend.
"No way! You two were always arguing and you always said that he was too rude and boisterous to get a girl interested in him."
Momo blushed harder and twirled her thumbs. "I don't know what it is neither. But a few months ago he asked me if I would go to the summer festival with him and to his and my surprise as well I agreed." Momo turned to look down at the road, her eyes twinkled and her cheek flushed a cheery pink. "When I thought about it, in my heart I had always liked him, it's just I never knew it."
At this point, Momo's face was red so she quickly changing the subject, and turned to look at Chibi Usa. "So Chibi Usa-chan, did you spot any cute boy while you were away? I'm sure there's a lot of guys after you!"
Chibi Usa laughed weakly "Uh, no…not really…"
"So does that mean that you have a boyfriend then? What does he look like?" Momo smiled expectantly.
At this, Chibi Usa paused and shook her head sadly. "…No I don't, but there was this one person…"
"Who is it? Do I know him? Does he live around here?"
Chibi Usa shook her head and smiled at her inquisitive friend, her face truly bright and glowing for the first time in a while. "No, I meet him when I was little. He was...uh…" Chibi Usa's eyes darted around, trying to make up a reasonable fabrication to hide her dream friend's true identity. "Uh, he moved away you see…and it's been so long I don't remember his name…" she answered haltingly.
Momo raised an eyebrow suspiciously at her friend. Chibi Usa felt squeamish under Momo's intense stare but the purple-haired girl decided to let it go and continued with her questions.
"So did he look like? Was he cute?"
Chibi Usa grinned bashfully and nodded. "He had beautiful golden eyes and the gentlest smile. His hair was white like the purest snow and..." Chibi Usa stopped when she realized her face was now boiling red.
Momo eyed Chibi Usa smugly and nudged her friend with her elbow. "It's strange that you would remember so much about what he looked like but you can't remember his name Chibi Usa-chan"
Chibi Usa smiled guiltily. "I guess so…"
Momo brushed her question aside and continued with the next one. "So what's his personality like then?"
Chibi Usa closed her eyes and thought about the wonderful time she and Helios had been together. She remembered how he had refused to tell her anything about him and later, how after she had refused the temptations of a Lemure, he had finally began to open himself to her.
"He was quite unapproachable when I first meet him. But when I got to know him I discovered he was actually a very gentle and wise person." She continued as the white clouds sailed across the blue sky.
Lost in reminiscence, Chibi Usa smiled dreamily as she looked back to the happy times they've shared together. Each night the two of them would converse in secrecy and Helios would pass on his wisdom to her, even though at times she was perplexed by what he said.
"We would talk all the time and he would tell me fascinating things that I never knew before, but" Chibi Usa eyes dropped. The image of their farewell loomed darkly in her mind. "He left and I haven't seen him in years. It seemed he was so much a part of me by then that when I think about him life feels empty somehow…"
Chibi Usa paused for a moment before beginning once more, her voice was in a much more somber tone, "Lately I began to think about him more then usual. I don't even know if he remembers me…and yet I urgently want to talk to him." Chibi Usa felt her heart sank. The grip on her book bag tightened "When I think of him my heart…I just don't know why…I feel confused, I don't know what to do."
Momo looked at her friend, suddenly feeling a vast distance between herself and the girl standing next to her. A girl she had known since grade school. A friend who was, and always will be, very dear to her.
"Chibi Usa-chan…"she began but didn't know what to say. Chibi Usa remained silent; she only looked forlornly down at the ground as their black shoes clicked on the pavement.
Heavy silence befell the two girls as they walked with out saying a word for a few blocks. As they walked past a lamppost, Momo spotted a flyer advertising the newly opened amusement park. An idea suddenly passed through Momo's mind. She turned and said cheerfully at her downhearted friend, "Hey Chibi Usa-chan, how about we visit the amusement park after school today?"
Chibi Usa looked up and said inquisitively. "Amusement park?"
Momo nodded and pointed to the flyer. "A new amusement park opened not too long ago. Today after school, I'll meet you by the gates and we'll go together. It's my treat!"
Chibi Usa smiled and nodded in agreement, appreciating her friend's effort.
In room, the cloaked queen paced across the floor. She threw her cloak open agitatedly, revealing the black floor length gown she wore underneath.
"Metallum Girls!" the masked figure summoned angrily. The four women immediately appeared behind her; each kneeled down on one knee.
"You called for us, Mistress Bellona-sama?" said Oro
Bellona walked up to the four and stood imperiously before them. In a tight, intimidating voice she hissed, "You have failed again!"
The four women gulped, Argent spoke up. "Mistress, please gave us another chance! It was the Sailor Senshi's fault! They kept interrupting our mission."
"Excuses!" Bellona hissed. She stretched out her withered right hand and a basketball-size sphere appeared. The glass-like substance of the container reflected the modicum of light coming in from the ceiling. Inside the container was a bluish mist that moved and shifted like a cloud of gas. The air around the ball glowed an eerie purplish shade.
"This is the energy you've gathered so far. It is not nearly enough to revive the crystal! Excuses will not get us anywhere! If the senshis interfere then find ways to avoid them or simply eliminate them!" Bellona's hand dropped and the ball vanished.
The four Metallum Girls nodded and said in unison "Your wish is our command Mistress!"
Back at the dressing room, the four depressed and harassed women lounged around their makeup stands.
"Why does she always have to yell at us like that?" complained Argent. "It's not like we're not trying our best!"
Oro sighed and said tiredly, "At this rate Mistress won't be happy with us and God knows what she'll do to punish us!"
Argent turned to look at Rame, who's silently tending to her plants. "Rame, what do you think?" Rame didn't answer, only went on to working on her plants. Argent scuffed and said under her breath, "How rude!" She then turned to look at Eisen who had fallen asleep over her makeup stand. "Eisen, Eisen…WAKE UP"
Eisen grumbled slightly, but only shifted her head and turned the other way.
Enraged, Argent walked over and smacked Eisen across the head. "Wake up you lazy bum!"
Eisen rubbed her head sleepily. "What! Jeez, after I get yelled at by one pissed off person another one comes along!"
Oro walked up to the two, "Eisen, this is important. We'll be in serious trouble if we don't do something to please Bellona-sama soon."
Eisen turned around, her eyes narrowed unpleasantly "Like what?"
Argent intercepted before Oro could continue. "You're the only one who hasn't taken a mission yet, that's what! Get you lazy self out there and do something!"
Eisen glared at Argent. "How? I can't exactly make the target disappear so the annoying senshis can't find them!"
Oro's eyes suddenly lit up, a grin quickly appeared on her lips. "Or may be you can…"
The two other women looked at her. "How?" they asked at the same time.
Oro grinned, "Eisen, you look rather bored. How about something fun to do then?" Eisen nodded enthusiastically "Well, you can lure the target in an isolated area and seal off the exits so no one can interfere while you do your work. I believe you can find many fun ways to do that."
Eisen smiled, "Now that's the kind of job I like to do!" She jumped up from her set, and then landing effortlessly on the center of the Tokyo map. Eisen looked at the map below her before focusing on a red dot in front of her.
Pictures began to appear on the mirrors while the others waited. Soon, a picture of a purple-headed Chinese girl appeared on the mirrors.
"So it's a kid huh?" Eisen back stepped into her closet and appeared in a biker outfit, complete with torn jeans, black leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses.
"This ought to be fun!" Eisen smirked before she disappeared.
The bell in the center of the school tower rung, signaling the end of the school day. The great mass of students began pouring out, rushing out the gate in a deluge. Some were talking to their friends while others were reading as they walked. Amidst the exodus was a pink-haired teenager waiting patently beside the school wall, her facing looking out to the street.
"Chibi Usa-chan!" Chibi Usa turned to see Momo running toward her.
"Hi Momo-chan," She waved back and walked to join her friend.
After they've walked and talked for a while a loud thundering noise grabbed their attention and Momo looked up to see the outlines of a fairs wheel and a roller coaster in the distance.
"Hey! We're almost there!" Momo took Chibi Usa's hand, and much to the pink one's surprise, raced down the road toward the amusement park.
After paying their fare they entered the park and discovered that the noise they heard came from the people riding the roller coaster. The children's screams were that of terror and delight as they zoomed up and down the winding sloops. Both Chibi Usa and Momo eyes were filled with wonder as they walked by the shops selling sweets and the booths filled with all kinds of delightful activities.
Chibi Usa temporarily forgot about her problem, her worries tossed behind her as she became a little girl once more, lost in a sea of festivities and sweets. However, not everyone was having fun. Eisen walked through the amusement park, her jet-black biker jacket extremely out of place in a world of bright colors and happy crowds.
Eisen huffed as she watched little kids, many of whom just off from school, shooting balloons full of water in a nearby booth. With her sunglasses hanging at the tip of her nose, she watched as one little boy slowly but steadily fill a balloon with water. Determination and pride was written clearly on the boy's face and it disgusted Eisen. She looked straight at the boy and a glint flashed in her eyes.
She snapped her finger and just as the balloon was about to be filled the water gun suddenly jammed and the steady stream of water stopped. Slowly the balloon withered away before the boy's eyes. The little boy first stared in disbelieve as his hard work ended with a wet deflated balloon.
"Waaahhhh!"
The little boy cried as the owner tried to figure out what was wrong with the gun, which now seemed to work just fine. Eisen smirked in satisfaction as she walked away, leaving the little boy with tears as his only reward.
Now that's amusement! she chuckled to herself.
When she came around a large tent she spotted Chibi Usa and Momo, each enjoying an ice cream cone. Eisen dodged behind the tent and watched the pair stop before a road sign, one leading to the park exit and the other to the House of Mirrors.
Chibi Usa looked at her watch, "It's getting late, we should go home soon."
Momo whimpered, pleaded with puppy-dog eyes, "Please Chibi Usa-chan! One more? I heard the House of Mirror is really cool, please?"
Chibi Usa sweat-dropped and relented, "All right then."
Eisen watched as the two girls made their way toward the House of Mirrors "House of Mirrors huh…?" Eisen took off her sunglasses and tucked them into a pocket.
"This could be fun after all..."
On the side of the stone path were a dozen shops and vendors, all with the same red colored tents. A large white banner hung across the path supported by two bamboo poles with the words "Fund-raiser for Tokyo University's Freshmen Class" written in big print across it.
As Chibi Usa and Momo walk down a nearby path, they didn't notice a familiar voice shouting nearby.
"Give me a break Rei-chan! The smoke's killing me!" Usagi complained as she fanned a small clay grill. Rei, Minako, Ami and Makoto meanwhile were selling the grilled fish that they had prepared.
"Usagi this is a fund-raiser for the university. So stop complaining!" shouted Rei, her hands on her hip.
"But why do I have to do the fanning?"
"Because that's the only job you can do without spilling something or giving out the wrong amount of change!"
Usagi moaned and continued to fan the fire, grumbling under her breath as she coughed and wheezed from the black smoke.
Ami handed a customer their order and bowed politely "Thank you. Enjoy!"
Minako was in the back of the booth, helping Makoto prepare the fishes. "Wow Mako-chan, you really out done your self this time! The grilled fish is a big hit!"
Makoto smiled and blushed, "Oh it's nothing really! Just something I threw together."
Ami looked back at the blond and the brown-haired girls "I think we should close soon, it's getting late."
Minako nodded "Sure. As soon as we finish this batch we'll clean up."
Rei also nodded when she saw a pink tail out of the corner of her eye. She turned to get a better look and spotted Chibi Usa and Momo walking down a nearby path. "Hey, isn't that Chibi Usa-chan and Momo-chan?"
The other girls, all except Usagi, came and watched as the two teenagers disappear around a bend.
"That's them all right. I think they're headed towards the House of Mirrors," said Rei. Makoto nodded "Let's hurry up. Maybe we can catch up with them and walk them home later on." The girls nodded while Usagi continue to cough and grumble.
The front of the House of Mirrors was rectangular panels of reflective glass, forming a circle. The top of the building was painted a garnet red, producing a contrast with the green trees and grasses in the background.
Chibi Usa and Momo entered the House of Mirrors. The room was dim and the tall mirrors seem to protrude like jagged rocks from the smooth blue tiled floor. The atmosphere in the building as chilling and send a shiver down Chibi Usa's spine as she walked passed distorted images.
"It's kind of scary in here…" Chibi Usa whispered as Momo walked ahead. Her voice bounced off the endless sea of mirrors and rippled eerily back to them. Momo nodded but kept on walking.
Eisen, now dressed in her normal costume, was standing on the rafters, a thick grin on her face. Her crimson red eyes followed the two girls as they past unsuspectingly under her.
Chibi Usa turn to look at a mirror. The fun-house mirror distorted her image. Her reflection was disproportional and would have seemed amusing if not for the depressing atomosphere of the place. Unbeknownst to Chibi Usa, while she stopped to look at the image a mirror soundlessly appeared and blocked off the path Momo had walked down. Another mirror disappeared to reveal another path in the forest of reflections.
By the time Chibi Usa looked up Momo was nowhere in sight and Chibi Usa instinctively knew something was wrong. "Momo-chan? Momo-chan where are you!" Chibi Usa shouted at the top of her lungs as she walked down what she thought was the same path they had gone down before. However, Momo had been directed far away from her.
"Chibi Usa-chan?" Momo turned but saw that there was no one behind her. She gulped and stiffened, "Mmmm…May be I shouldn't have come here. Now we're lost and how am I gonna find her in this maze?"
Eisen watched from the rafters as the two girls strayed ever further away from each other. "Hehe! Now the fun begins!" she snickered. Eisen took out her whip and jumped off the rafters. She swung the whip so that it wrapped securely around the steel beam, allowing her to gracefully glide down into the labyrinth of mirror. Once she landed she walked to a mirror, untangled the whip and snapped it in the air. The thunderous crack of the whip caused the mirror to quiver as if there was an earthquake.
Suddenly one of the mirrors began to violently contort and wrapped itself into a tight ball. The ball then began to melt like sand forming the shape of a beautiful woman. Its body was completely made of fragile looking glass. It wore a white dress, decorated with panels of mirrors that glistened like diamonds. In the low light of the room the woman looked like the surface of a placid lake. When it moved, the dress waved mythically, creating a captivating shimmering effect as she curtsied to Eisen, it's eyes cold and unmoving.
"What is your wish my lady?" the newly hatched monster asked in a charming yet icy voice.
Eisen smiled proudly at her own handy work, anticipation written all over her face. "I want you to collect the energy of the purple-haired girl. She and her friend are lost in the maze of mirrors right now. But before you suck her energy dry make sure to have a little fun with her, and keep her friend from bumping into us while we work. You got all that Temptress Mirage?"
Temptress Mirage bowed its glassy head respectively. "I understand. It shall be done as you've said Mistress." The monster stepped back and with a twirl of its magnificent dress disappeared into the gloom.
Meanwhile Momo was still fishing around for Chibi Usa. She shouted and called her name but received no replies. Frustrated, Momo clutched her fist, "How big is this place?" She sighed and was about to continue walking when a glimmer in the darkness caught her eye. "Chibi Usa?" Momo asked hopefully. She walked closer and called once more but received no reply. Then the glimmer appeared once again. But this time it was closer. Scared and curious at the same time, Momo inched toward the place where she saw the strange sight.
"Hello there…" a woman's voice echoed from the darkness.
Momo held her breath and asked tentatively, "Who…who's there…?"
The voice replied with a soft chuckle, ignoring the question "Would you like to see something amazing Momo?"
Momo gasped "How did you know my name?" the voice giggled as a response.
"Because I know all there is to know and something's that no one knows for I can see the future…" The voice grew louder and more enchanting then ever "…and I can show you yours…"
"Momo! Oh it's no use!" Chibi Usa stopped and looked around her. All she saw was mirrors, mirrors, and more mirrors. Worry was written all across the young princess' face as she tried to find her lost friend. Where could she be? Chibi Usa thought to herself. Tired and weary, she leaned against one of the curved mirrors as she tried to rest her sore limbs.
Suddenly the ground below her began to shake. Chibi Usa jumped up and saw that the mirrors around her were vibrating violently from the trimmer. Strangely none of the mirrors shattered or broke.
"What's going on! Is this an earthquake?"
The vibrating mirrors around her suddenly stretched and elongated, climbing like moving walls to form a dome above her head. The mirrors were packed closely together, forming an enclosed cell around the bewildered girl. Chibi Usa rushed to the wall of mirror and pound on it with her fist, but the glass wall didn't budge.
Scared, confused, and utterly infuriated, Chibi Usa could only shout and scream. "Let me out! Momo-chan! MOMO-CHAN!"
"Where is this?" asked Momo as she walked in the direction of the voice.
"We're here…" it replied. There in front of her were two large mirrors, both of them shimmering brightly in the gloom.
"This must be the glimmer I saw earlier…" Momo concluded. Suddenly the two mirrors moved apart, revealing a wondrous crystal world before the spellbound Momo. "Wow! This must be part of the new attraction! I've never seen anything like this before, no wonder people say it's really neat!" Momo gasped in awe as she entered what looked like a crystal palace.
The walls were decorated with reflective mirrors, reflecting the bright light through out the room in a dazzling display of rainbow colored lights. Standing in front of Momo was a large wall-sized mirror. Its borders were decorated in exquisite patterns and design. The silver leaves and swirls curved gracefully around the mirror's placid surface.
Then the voice reappeared and seemed to surround Momo as it spoke gentle into her ears "Now, look into the mirror, child. It shall tell you what you desire…" Momo turned her violet eyes to the mirror and looked hard. Slowly the flat surface of the mirror began to ripple and shimmer.
Momo's eyes widened, amazed by the transformation of the mirror. She looked at the seemingly harmless mirror and concentrated on the mirror.
"Ah…so you're Momo…" said the mirror. Momo nodded her head. "I see…you want to become a successful businesswoman, hmm?" once again Momo nodded. The mirror suddenly chuckled "Well then…come closer and look into me my dear…" Momo stepped tentatively toward the mirror, still a bit unsure about what's happening.
Images of an adult Momo surfaced in the mirror. The adult Momo was smiling and was dressed in fine clothing and jewelry, standing in what looks like a large executive office. Momo gasped at the strange wonder. Hoping to get a better look she stepped closer to the mirror until her hands were touching the cold glassy surface. The image of herself reflected in Momo's eyes. She stood unblinkingly as she saw her future live an ideal life, with a handsome husband and successful career. However Momo had been lured into a trap. As her eyes were glued to the mirror, a pair of glassy tentacles began to stretch out form the mirror. Slowly they wrapped themselves around Momo's waist and began pulling her in. Momo never uttered a sound, her mind too entrenched with delight and fascination.
Makoto looked at her watch as the other girls stood around her. "How long are they gonna be in there? It's been more then two hours!" exclaimed Usagi. Rei looked grimly at the House of Mirrors, her eyes narrowed when a sudden chill ran up her spin.
"Something's not right. I felt a dark presence in that building just now. We need to go get Chibi Usa-chan and Momo-chan out of there right now!" The other girls turned to look at her.
Minako glanced at the fun house and nodded "It's been too long. My gut instincts also tells me that something's wrong."
The others nodded "Right. Let's go in and check just in case." Suggested Ami.
When they walked up to the door of the building they were surprised to find that there was no door.
"Where did the door go!" cried Usagi.
Rei looked around and after she returned said "This is the front of the building, but I can't find another door or any sort of opening."
Ami took out her computer and punched in some numbers. As the computer beeped it produced a string of data. Ami scanned over the enigmatic codes and nodded "Just as I thought. There's a source of negative energy inside. I'm pretty sure it's our enemy who's behind this."
"In that case," said Makoto, as she took out her henshin stick "We'll just have to make a door!"
After the senshis transformed, Sailor Jupiter stepped up to the wall while the others backed away.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"
The mass of leaves neatly created a large door-sized hole in the wall. The five senshis entered the building and saw before them an end less sea of oddly shaped mirrors. They walked along the path and noticed that the lighting was extremely dim. As they walked they came up to a large doomed shaped glass structure.
"Help! Momo-chan! Some body help me!" cried Chibi Usa from inside the doom as she pounded away at her cell.
"Chibi Usa is that you!" cried Sailor Moon.
Hearing Sailor Moon's voice Chibi Usa responded by pounding harder on the mirror "It's me! They've got Momo-chan!"
"Chibi Usa-chan step back!" cried Mercury. "Mercury, Aqua Rhapsody!"
The splash of icy water froze a section of the doom. Chibi Usa slammed through the brittle material and stepped out into the open. Before anyone has a chance to ask if she was all right, Chibi Usa grabbed Sailor Moon's arms and cried frantically, "Sailor Moon, they've got Momo-chan! You guys have to help her!"
Sailor Mars placed her hand on Chibi Usa's shoulder and said reassuringly "Don't worry we'll get her out. Do you know where she is?"
Chibi Usa shook her head "I lost her after I stopped to look at a mirror and then when I tried to find her this wall of mirrors enclosed me. I was stuck here until you guys arrived."
Sailor Moon turned to Mercury "Mercury, do you think you can get a reading on Momo-chan's whereabouts?"
Mercury nodded, her computer resting on her palm. "Already on it."
The computer produced a blue print of the building with a red dot near the center of the structure. "She's some where around there, right where the negative energy is the strongest." Said Mercury.
Sailor Moon nodded in response, then turned to Chibi Usa "Chibi Usa, you'll have to wait outside until we bring Momo-chan back."
"But why! Momo-chan's my friend!"
Sailor Moon nodded "I know that, but if you stay here you might get hurt and I don't want that to happen to anyone, especially you. Do you understand?" stunned, Chibi Usa looked shamefully at her feet. Sailor Moon smiled and said in a brighter tone "Don't worry, we'll get her out. Just you watch!"
Chibi Usa gave a faint smile and nodded "Don't get lost baka…and be careful…" surprisingly Sailor Moon only smiled as Chibi Usa turned and ran toward the exit.
Sailor Moon watched as the girl disappeared from sight. Someday you'll be able to join us again…I'm sure of it!
A discreet cough from behind snapped Sailor Moon out of her thoughts. "Come on Sailor Moon we've still got a job to do," smiled Mars. Sailor Moon nodded as she joined the other senshis.
As they walked the light seemed to grow dimmer. Mercury walked ahead as a guide when she suddenly stopped "We're here."
The other senshis looked around "I don't see anything" said Jupiter. Mars stepped in front of the group and placed her hands on two strangely large mirrors. She gave the two a gentle push when suddenly the mirror moved, revealing the glass room.
Sailor Moon gulped before entering the strange realm. Looking around, all they saw were mirrors, but not the beautiful palace Momo saw. On the side were broken and jagged pieces of mirror, lying around like a forest of sharp points and cut-off reflections.
"Look!" shouted Jupiter. The senshis saw, to their horror, the large mirror that Momo had been looking into. Momo was now completely inside the mirror, her eyes still open in an ghostly stare as her body stood frozen in place.
The senshis rushed over and shouted at the mirror "Momo-chan! Momo-chan! Wake up!" cried Sailor Moon.
"It's no use, she's under my spell now." Said the voice that had lured Momo to the place where she rests now. Temptress Mirage stepped out from a tall broken mirror to face the senshis who tightened their formation.
Another voice chuckled from above. "Leave the kid be, after all, she's living in her own wishful little world right now. Why take her back to reality?" Sailor Moon sprung around and saw Eisen standing in midair.
"Who are you?" demanded Venus.
Eisen laughed heartily "Me? Well, let's just say that I'm the master of this little game." Sailor Moon looked bewildered at Eisen who gently landed on the ground, not far from where the mirror containing Momo stood.
"Master? Game?"
Eisen grinned, her red eyes flashed with a sinister amusement. "I tricked this little mouse to follow the cheese through this maze of mirror. Now that she took the bait, the mirror while be sucking the brat dry!"
Mars stepped in front of Sailor Moon, anger clearly written on her face.
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
The flaming red arrow shot at Eisen, who only shifted her body slightly as the arrow slipped past her and into one of the mirrors, which absorbed the arrow.
"What!" Mars gasped when she saw her attack disappear inside a piece of broken glass.
Eisen yawned, "I'm getting bored. Time to go back and get some rest." she looked at Temptress Mirage "Finish your job and get rid of these senshis." Eisen turned and grinned once more at the stunned senshis, "Later!"
The senshis watched as Eisen disappear into a red closet. They then turned to face Temptress Mirage who was waiting patiently for them. The monster smiled, "I do hope you like your own reflections my dears, because soon none of you won't have anything left to look at!" it raised its hands into the air, palms flat.
Pieces of broken glass from the floor began floating into the air. Temptress Mirage concentrated as she brought her palms together. The glass shards went flying toward the senshis who rushed to dodge them.
A piece flew by Sailor Venus' hair, cutting off a lock of blonde hair. "Watch out, they're sharp!" Venus warned her comrades.
Sailor Jupiter did a midair flip and avoided the shards that were coming towards her. As she landed, she unleashed her attack straight at Temptress Mirage.
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!"
The ball of thunder struck true and the glass woman was blasted into little pieces of glass. Jupiter smiled in triumph "Nailed it!"
But she was soon proven wrong when Temptress Mirages voice ranged from the darkened room. "Do you really think you can get rid of me that easily?"
The senshis looked around but saw no one. Suddenly the mirrors surrounding the senshis began to spew glass shards.
"Ahhh!" Taken by surprise, the senshis all suffered cuts on their arms and fuku.
"Hahaha! You fools! You can't escape me for as long as you are in this realm!" Temptress Mirage laughed victoriously while the senshis struggled to get up.
Mercury stood up first and called upon her powers, "Shabon Spray!"
The white mist quickly covered the entire room within second, one could hardly see anything in the mist. "Where are you! Where did they go?" the invisible voice of Temptress Mirage cried. Mean while, Mercury had taken the time to scan the room with her goggles. As Mercury turned to her right a beep alerted her that what she had found what she was after.
As the mist began to disappear Mercury pointed at an unbroken mirror in the corner of the room "There!"
Sailor Moon picked up her wand and pointed it at the mirror. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"
The monster's voice shrieked as it was blown into thousands of glass shards. Instantly the glass room disappeared, replaced by two ordinary rolls of fun house mirror. Momo lay unconscious on the ground. Jupiter checked her pause and smiled after she confirmed that Momo was all right.
Outside, Chibi Usa waited anxiously and ran to join the senshis when they appeared. Jupiter gently placed Momo on a nearby bench while Chibi Usa watched her friend worriedly.
After the girls have all detransformed, the group gathered around Momo when she began to stir.
"Chibi Usa-chan?"
Chibi Usa nodded at her friend "How do you feel?" Momo rubbed her head and saw the older girls standing around her. "What's going on? I thought I was in the House of Mirrors with Chibi Usa-chan, then we got lost and I saw this beautiful crystal palace and…"
Usagi cut Momo's narrative off with a gentle smile "Momo-chan, I think you may have fallen asleep while resting after you and Chibi Usa got separated. We were passing by when we found Chibi Usa trying to find you."
Momo looked at Chibi Usa who nodded. "That's strange…it didn't feel like a dream…" Momo tried to stand up but fell back down onto the bench. "I feel so tired, it's like my energy's been zapped or something."
Minako scratched her head and whispered "Well, that's not far from the truth…"
Perplexed, Momo looked at Chibi Usa for an answer. Chibi Usa kneeled down before the bench and held her friend's hand. "I think you've walked too much today so you were really tired." Chibi Usa stood up and looked at the setting sun "We should go home, after all, we have school tomorrow."
Momo sighed and nodded. Ami and Rei went to call a taxi while Chibi Usa helped Momo walk to the park exit. Before Momo got in the cab she hesitated and looked back at Chibi Usa.
"Chibi Usa-chan…"
"Yes?"
Momo walked back to face Chibi Usa, "About the guy you told me about…" Chibi Usa could feel herself blush at the mention of their previous conversation. Momo smiled, her eyes gentle and filled with sincerity, "I believe that if you look inside your heart you'll know your true feelings towards him...just like with me and Kyusuke. You may not know right now but the heart doesn't lie, it'll all come out in the end." Momo suddenly winked and give Chibi Usa a thumb-up "And when it does…go for it!"
Chibi Usa was a bit stunned by the short speech, but she laughed and hugged Momo. "Thanks Momo-chan…"
Momo smiled and hugged Chibi Usa back "I'll need to go now. Mom's gonna kill me for being home so late!" The two girls giggled as Momo stepped into the car.
"Remember what I said okay?"
Chibi Usa nodded "I will…" Momo smiled and waved at everyone as the taxi speed off down the street.
Later Usagi and Chibi Usa walked home, the other girls having all gone their own way. Chibi Usa looked at Usagi from the corner of her eyes and said meekly, "Thanks Usagi…"
Confused, Usagi looked back at Chibi Usa and asked with wide open eyes "For what?"
"For saving Momo-chan…when I couldn't…" Chibi Usa whispered.
Usagi laughed and scratched her head, slightly embarrassed. "That is our job as senshis I suppose…" Chibi Usa nodded slightly, but not in agreement. That was our job…until I'm no longer a senshi… Chibi Usa paused to look at the fading sun as it slipped below the horizon. Inside her heart, Chibi Usa felt herself sank with the waning sun.
Hi everybody! Sorry this particular act took so long to be posted, but I had my semester finals (not to mention SATs & Acts) so I had to study quite a bit, leaving little time for the fanfic and anything else in my life. As for Momo's dream, I pretty much guessed on that. I have no clue what so ever as to what she wants to be, so if it's something else other then being a businesswoman then I'm sorry for the inaccuracy. By the way, thank you to everybody who's supported this story and me, it's the ultimate inspirational boost to a work riddled author The next chapter will be out soon (I hope, because as of now I have a slight case of writer's block) so watch out!
PS For those of you who have been waiting so patiently for you-know-who to appear, watch out for the next act!