Chapter 9: Powers of the Priestess
Author's Comments
Sorry I didn't answer in the last chapter, but in response to White Eternity's question, Usagi got the scars from the battle with Galaxia. Also I can assure everyone Chibi-Usa won't be the product of anyone cheating on anyone else. I already have how she will be conceived worked out in my head. The problem is just putting all my thoughts on paper or in this case on the computer, and as I said before, the story is going have a happy ending or at least that's what I'm aiming for, but we will see what happens as I write more. Just know that the story will be sad for awhile.
--------------
The next morning Usagi woke to find herself once again in Rei's bed. She began to look around the room, but her friend was no where to be found.
"Rei..." she said sadly to herself.
Slowly she got up and walked to a mirror hanging on the bedroom wall. She looked in it only to find her eyes were all red and puffy. They were also very sore from all the tears she had shed.
"I must have cried myself to sleep," Usagi thought as memories of yesterday came flooding back.
Usagi still couldn't believe it was true. She had to have given birth to Chibi-Usa in the future, she just knew it, but how could she now? How could Chibi-Usa possibly be born if this were her true destiny? She was confused at all this and it was making her head ache just as her eyes did. She brought her hand to her forehead and began to rub her temple.
Suddenly Usagi dropped her hand and yelled, "No, this can't be how it's supposed to be!"
The blonde leaned against the wall as she slid down to the floor to think.
She asked herself, "But why does my destiny seem to be this way? Surely there must be an explanation, but what? Is it a lie?"
Usagi leaned her head against the wall as tears began to roll down her face. She couldn't think of a reason for anyone to lie to her even with her friends not being truthful with her to begin with. She knew they had good intentions and were simply trying to protect her from the pain that would resurface once the truth was made know, the pain she was feeling now. Then suddenly a thought crossed her mind.
"What if this simply a scheme of a new enemy?" the pig-tailed woman said silently. "It has to be, but how can I be sure."
Suddenly Usagi began to perk up as she wiped the tears from her face. Then she smiled and softly said, "Rei."
With that Usagi stood up and slowly slid the door open. She peaked down the hall only to find no one. "I wonder where Rei is," she asked herself and walked off in search of her dark headed friend.
Meanwhile at the Tsukino home, Mamoru awoke to find himself sitting in a chair leaning against the counter. He had sat by he phone all night until he had fallen asleep. He quickly checked the messages on the answering machine, but there were none. Mamoru stood up and began to look through the house hoping Usagi had made it home while he slept. He began going to room to room slowly eliminating them in the search for his wife. However, behind each door he opened he found a quiet and empty room. Finally he made his way to the last room in the house, their bedroom. As he slowly opened the door, he hoped that beyond all odds he would find his wife on the other side, but it was empty as well.
"Where are you Usako?" he said worriedly.
Back at the temple, Usagi slowly entered a room to find her friend in her priestess garb meditating by the fire.
"Perfect," Usagi thought. "I find her where I need her to be. I can't get any luckier than this. How am I going to get her attention though? It's nearly impossible when she's meditating."
Just then Rei broke out of her trance on her own.
"I stand corrected, I just became luckier. Since she came out of it on her own I don't have to do anything other than convince her to help me, which shouldn't be too hard to do," the blonde thought as she began walking towards her friend.
Suddenly the priestess sensed someone nearby. She turned around only to find Usagi standing behind her. "Usagi," she said.
"Hey Rei," the pig-tailed girl said sweetly as a small smile came to her lips.
"Are you feeling better?" Rei asked.
"Yeah a little, but I've been thinking," Usagi replied.
"About what?" the priestess asked curiously.
"Well I've come up with a hunch." Usagi replied. "I just need you to confirm it."
"A hunch? Confirm what?" the black haired woman said with a puzzled look on her face.
"Well you see I was thinking that this couldn't be the way things are supposed to be. Someone might be trying to change destiny so then maybe this is really some scheme of some new enemy." the blonde told her friend enthusiastically.
"Usagi, I doubt that's the case," Rei said softly as she averted her gaze from her friend's eyes. She knew Usagi was trying to flee from the truth once more. Rei didn't want to be apart of it, but she didn't want to further hurt her friends already aching heart.
"Rei, please do this for me," Usagi begged.
The priestess looked back up at her friend and saw hope lingering behind those two big blue puppy dog eyes, a hope that this might all be a lie. Rei wanted to believe it too because she would have given anything to change the past, even if she knew it was beyond her abilities.
"Alright, Usagi, I'll do it." the priestess said and with that she turned her concentration back to the fire.
Rei closed her eyes and held her hands out in front of her. She began to bend her fingers into many different shapes and symbols while she quietly chanted to herself. Usagi sat watching waiting patiently for the news she most desperatly needed to hear. Moments later, Rei's eyes fluttered open and a melancholy expression appeared on her face.
She turned to her friend and sadly said, "I'm sorry Usagi, I sense nothing."
"No," Usagi cried. "I don't believe you! It can't be true!"
The blonde turned and ran from the room with tears streaming down her face. Usagi ran to the exit and where she found her shoes laying waiting. She quickly slid them and ran out the temple.
"Usagi!" Rei called after her friend as she appeared in the doorway, but it was too late, she was gone.
At the Tsukino residence, Mamoru continued with his watch at the phone, still hoping someone would call soon with news of Usagi. Suddenly his spirits soared as the phone began to ring.
Mamoru quickly jumped up and grabbed the phone almost dropping it in the process. "Hello," he said as he brought the phone up to his ear.
"Mamoru..." a woman on the other end said.
"Rei? Is that you?" he asked.
"Yes, it's me," the priestess replied sadly.
"What's wrong?" Mamoru asked.
"Its Usagi," Rei began.
"Usagi!" he said suddenly. "Do you know where she is?"
"She spent the night here," she told him.
Mamoru let out a sigh of relief as he said, "I was so worried about her since she never made it home last night."
I'm sorry, I should have called sooner." she said.
"Its ok now that I know she is safe." he said. "Is she alright?"
"I don't think so. She has run off and I don't know where she is heading. She knows now Mamoru. She has remembered, she's remembered everything," Rei said sadly. "She isn't taking it every well either. She refuses to believe the truth and is still grasping for straws."
"Oh no, my poor Usako," Mamoru said in a gloomy voice. "What caused her to remember?"
"I don't know, she didn't say." Rei repiled. "I had found her passed out on the top of the steps of the temple. When she awoke, she didn't stay awake for long, and she didn't stay around long enough this moring for me to find out."
"I'm coming over," Mamoru told her. "At least I know where she has been. I can start searching for her from there."
"I'll help. I'm worried about her too." she said.
"Thanks," he told her. "I'll be there shortly, but first I have to call Minako."
"Ok, I'll be waiting," Rei said as she hung up the phone.