(I wouldn't have written this chapter if it hadn't been for some inspiration from a review someone wrote me. I'm sure you know who you are, and I thank you.)
Pain ripped through his body so early in the morning that the sun hadn't quite risen yet and the room was dark. His chest, his legs and his arm around the wrist hurt with an intense pain and he gasped for breath eyes clenched shut. After what must have been an hour or two the pain lessened and he could breathe again. His head was light and dizzily he swung his sore legs over the edge of his bed and tried to stand up. The first time he failed but holding on to a chair he'd dragged over from his desk, he was able use it as a walker and slowly move into the bathroom.
There were no bruises, no marks of any sort but the pain was very real and almost crippling. He had no clue what was causing this, no idea what-so-ever but he did know who to ask. Pulling a faintly pink communicator from his pocket he pressed the blue button and waited for a few moments. Ami was up, thankfully, and at his request she informed him that she would be right over. With his walker Mamoru made it to the door to unlock it then to the couch to rest. He didn't get up when Ami knocked just yelled that the door was open.
The young Sailor Mercury walked in the room wearing her fuku and carrying her computer showing just how seriously she'd taken Mamoru's call. Dark blue hair and dangling silver and blue earrings framed her face her hair barely to her chin now and the earrings her own and not part of the uniform. Her eyes were clouded, her face red from exertion and Mamoru realized he had woken her up.
"I'm sorry about this." He told her but they both knew he had no one else to call. Who in their right mind would believe that he was having such extreme pain for no reason at all? No doctor would, and as a doctor to be, Mamoru knew that better than anyone. Ami shrugged and pulled on her ear calling up the visor that covered her eyes. Data quickly formed on the computer screen and she typed away with two fingers the buttons so small she could barely hit the right ones.
"Well according to this you've nothing wrong with you, but your endorphin count is extremely high. Your immune system is acting like you've been in injured badly but there is no damage to any of your tissues or bones. I suggest some pain medication, narcotics for the pain if you have any, but other than that there isn't much I can do. Call work, take the day off." She snapped her computer shut and the visor disappeared.
"Can I make you some tea or something?" She asked leaning over him and checking his eyes which had deep circles around them. Mamoru, used to her scrutiny, shook his head and managed to get up on his own to feet to see her to the balcony. In her fuku it would look less strange than if she were to walk down the hall.
"No, no please don't bother. I'm sure you have work to do, how's the internship going by the way?" He leaned on the doorframes and walls rather heavily but Ami didn't try to help him and finally they reached the sliding glass door. Mamoru had to take a small rest before opening it.
"About as well as one could expect. I'm only in my first year, they didn't expect me to finish high school in six months so me being so young throws them off. I'm sure you have an easier time of it being somewhat the expected age for such a course." She tucked the strands of hair hanging by her ear back so she could get a better look at him in the morning light.
Being a scout had kept him fit but he looked malnourished and under fed. She was certain that he wasn't eating well, if at all, none of them were really but they all knew that they had to go on, something in the notes Usagi had written them seemed to suggest hope for the future. It seemed that Mamoru had forgotten it.
"That's true enough, but I'm going into pediatrics not neurology. I'm expected to learn how to tell if a child has chicken pox or measles not find brain tumors and aneurisms. Anyway I'm sure you'll do just fine, you always have." A cool breeze came in through the open door and Mamoru rocked back on his feet almost being pushed over. That alone would have made Ami say something.
"You know Mamoru, if there's any hope... any chance of us finding the princess again we need you in this world, not another." Ami told him in a voice barely over a whisper. Mamoru's eyes grew wide with shock at hearing someone talk about her in front of him. Everyone had avoided it ever since that fateful day. "See you at the concert." She said before taking a running leap off the balcony.
Mamoru continued to stand there, the wind trying to knock him over while he thought about the words. They were so familiar, so... He turned abruptly and walked as though with no pain to the dresser to pull out a scrap of paper. Holding it carefully he made his way back to his bed eyes running over the writing for what must have been the millionth time.
-Till the next lifetime-
It meant something very important; Usako wouldn't have written those words if they meant nothing. Something else in his memory made him think of a time when he'd been sitting on his couch with Usagi talking about Beryl and the scouts dying. With startling clarity he remembered how she was sitting with his head in her lap. She'd been twirling his hair in her fingers and he'd been paying more attention to the feeling than her words but they'd struck him as odd and a little frightening.
"It's as though I'd gone through one lifetime with the scouts and now it was time for another. Each time we've died and been reborn or returned to our lives it isn't just continuing where we left off. Each time we're different, we're new. It's a new lifetime and one I can share with everyone around me. I think that's why we keep finding each other." She'd sighed softly and Mamoru noted that she had a certain look about her, the one where she was thinking thoughts much to mature for her, ahead of her time. But still they had always been Usako's.
If each time she'd died and returned to him she'd started a new life then that meant that if she'd died on the airplane, or if she'd used the crystal to save it, she would have started another life or still would. How many times now had the crystal returned her, them all, to where they belonged?
Something in Mamoru's eyes brightened just a bit and he looked over the scrap of paper then put it back on his dresser next to the sparkling and brilliant scepter. The gems on it seemed to wink at him in a way that reminded him of her eyes and how they always sparkled when they shared something. She hadn't meant that they'd meet after he died, she'd meant that they'd meet again when she returned to life. It would happen, she had said so.
Mamoru looked at himself in the mirror over his dresser and critically noticed his appearance and scrutinizing every detail. He knew that he was not the man who had pushed Usako away because of a dream. Now he was a man haunted by the dream of what they could have been together and what he'd lost. No longer! Mamoru swore to himself right then and there that he would change. He had to take care of himself, he had to do all he could so that when his beloved returned to him he would be worth of the gift she'd offered and he'd turned down.
Ami had been wise in her words and she spread them to the rest of the senshi keeping them going despite their losses and troubles. As she'd hoped they banded together keeping each other's spirits alive. Hope for the hopeless, dreams for those without sleep.
"Damn girl." Mrs. Holleywell exclaimed using the slang voice to go with it. She looked over her desk at Serena who was happily on her own two feet and back in school for the first time in months. Mrs. Holleywell sat behind the desk in one of her usual outfits, this one a black dress with black leather boots and a choker and earrings to match. Serena was in a summer sweater of a soft baby blue with white pants and a pair of blue canvas shoes.
"It's good to be back." Serena said in the way of a response. Although she and the others had been practicing their songs for the contest, now only two days away, she hadn't been to any of her classes and she missed this one especially.
"I thought you were going to be out for months and miss the competition." The teacher said standing up so she could make sure that indeed her student was in one whole peace. Serena smiled and pretended to do a little circle just for her before chuckling.
"I'm a quick healer, have been for as long as I remember. I just wanted to stop in and make sure that your coming to the competition on Thursday." She hoisted her book bag on her shoulder when it started slipping. Mrs. Holleywell nodded emphatically. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides I hear that they're going to announce something special after they've picked a winner." Her eyes lit up with some secret but Serena knew she wasn't going to share. She went to run a hand through her hair, like she always had, but stopped short just before she got to it. Her scalp, more tender than ever was re-growing hair but it was only an inch or two long. She'd cut the rest to match but was mad because she'd been trying to grow it a little longer for the contest.
"I can't believe all this happened to you Serena." The woman said thoughtfully noticing the gesture and looking for herself at Serena's head. "First the amnesia and then this, whoever wanted to get you sure as hell did." She waved at Serena herself who nodded.
"That they did. But they didn't stop me, nor will they. We're gunna win the competition you just wait." She said with as much energy as she could muster.
"That's the spirit girl." Her teacher grinned as Serena left knowing that one day that girl would make something of herself.
"What do you mean not working, we just unloaded it!" Amanda's voice was rather high pitched drawing the attention of those around her including Serena's from where she'd been talking to the equipment crew. She climbed on the stage behind her foster sister where Adam and Alex were trying to show her something. An amp, their newest, lay on its side the back panel obviously crushed and the speaker cone along with the wires that lead to the controls were badly mangled.
"Someone trashed it." Alex said in a low tone meant only for them, but of course someone heard it and soon there were whispers all over the place. Serena stared at amp for a moment then went over to some of their other equipment, mainly to check out her keyboard. She didn't need to touch it, there was some fluid dripping from the casing and the thing was plugged in. Power and liquid don't mix. She moved on to the rest of the electronic equipment.
"It's all destroyed." She announced. "Every last bit of it. And the songs were recorded in the synth." She felt the weight of complete defeat try and settle on her heart as she turned to the others. A small wind ruffled her hair and blew over the stage chilling her despite the warm sunny day and the equipment crew that were standing there were not sure what to say.
"You can share ours, we're on right before you." One of their fellow students, a girl by the name of Chalice, spoke up for their group. She was a plain girl with brown eyes and soft auburn hair but she'd always been nice and had a good singing voice. "You have a good half an hour before the show starts and probably another hour while the other bands play to reprogram a recording for the keyboard if you need to and your instruments except for the keyboard are okay right?" That thought inspired the boys to check out their guitars which were fine.
"Thank you very much..." Serena started to accept.
"No No NO!" Someone had finally dragged the equipment manager backstage and he had just heard the last bit of their discussion. The person who had fetched him was the one complaining, a taller boy with white blond hair and a deep tan almost the same shade as his eyes. He had a ferocious look about him that gave Serena the chills.
"The rules state that we must each have our own equipment, if you don't have equipment you just can't compete." As he spoke Serena's eyes widened then snapped to a slits where she peered at the boy but more listened. He had the southern accent and the melodic voice she'd heard before. He was undoubtedly one of the saboteurs as well.
"Well that is true, you do have to have your own..." The manager looked really unhappy to be put in this position as more students were showing up from their own rehearsals at other parts of the stage.
"We have back up equipment!" Amanda burst out startling them all just a bit. "It's at home but we can race home and get it we should be back in plenty of time." That caused a dark look from the young man but the equipment manager seemed to love the idea.
"That's wonderful. Two of you go and fetch it while the other two remain, but remember it all has to be ready for your turn, we'll put you last just to be sure." He made the change on the clipboard he'd been carrying and with the mean looking young man trying to make him change his mind they left.
"Adam and Amanda stay here, Alex and I will get the stuff." Serena took charge automatically pulling her keys out of her pocket. No one contested so she and Alex headed out. Getting out of the parking lot took almost longer than getting to the house and back in the van they'd switched to at home. They did manage to grab their older amps, Serena's first keyboard, and equalizer. In forty-five minutes they were back at the rear entrance of the stage unloading their stuff while the first band was warming up.
"That was him." Serena managed to tell the others as she'd told Alex in the car. "That guy with the manager was the one at the accident." They each turned to try and spot the guy but he was gone.
"We'll keep an eye on him but we have to get going or we'll never be ready in time." Adam said as he led the way to a slightly secluded place he had procured for them. They ran through their song helped along by some half written scores Amanda had found in one of her folders until they felt positive that they could play on stage without a problem. Serena didn't even feel the need to program the song into her keyboard, it'd be better without since she could play to the music.
Instead of stopping and waiting around like some of the other bands were doing, they continued to play some of their other favorite songs so that when the band before them went on stage, they felt more than ready to play.
All their practice and all their hard work suddenly seemed not enough as their names were called by the announcer and they made their way on stage to set up their equipment. Careful not to look at the crowd they made sure all the connections were set and the microphones were at the right level before Adam, their designated leader, announced them and motioned for Amanda to begin.
She did her countdown on the drumsticks and taking a deep breath they began the soft opening strains of their music that would seem to the audience to be good, but not quite enough. After a couple bars they dwindled down and stopped for a whole three seconds counting under their breath before they launched into their rock song. Forgetting about the crowd and even about the competition each one of them put their hearts into the music not caring what anyone thought or said. They played for the music itself and the feeling of singing something good. Serena barely realized that her small solo had come up before it was over and never had the opportunity to feel scared, something she would be grateful for later.
Almost before it had started they were done and an odd silence filled their ears as the music died away. It wasn't until the announcer walked out and tried to talk that they realized that it wasn't silence but the crowd roaring their approval. Amanda and Serena looked at each other amazed and the boys put their instruments on the stands and walked off with the girls.
The backstage manager told them not to go anywhere though and it was only moments before they were called back onstage the crowd still roaring.
"Now don't spoil the surprise for them." The announcer was trying to get the crowd to calm down while they made their way up front to stand slightly behind them.
"Let me introduce to you, the grand prize winners of an all expense paid trip to Japan where they will be the opening band for the Offspring's grand tour, The Copper Moons and the Silver Star!" The crowd went off their rockers and Serena and the others kept staring at each other. It wasn't until Amanda started jumping up and down screaming that it really sank in. They'd won!