Sailor Moon
"Reflections of a Red Rose"
By: NeoMoon
Rated: PG-13
Chapter Twenty-Three:
Again Rei stood on the earth of bone, again the sky was red as blood, slowly she walked toward
what she knew was her goal, what she knew was her death. The ground moved to fast, and although
her feet moved she knew it was not because of her that this happened. Soon she found herself
standing before the black haired man who sat on the throne of skulls, his hands resting on the
blood stained sword between his legs. A wind rose around them, howling, whispering. She wanted
to back away to run, but she knew it was only a dream, so she stood her ground and waited. The
earth shook; bone, and rock trembled around her, as the many crosses of bone rose up behind the
throne of bone.
They all hung their, her friends, all of them lifeless, their blood slowly falling away from
their limp forms, all but one. Usa looked at her, her dark red eyes pleading as she struggled
against the ropes that bound her, her mouth opened and closed, in screams of anguish, yet Rei
could not here her; the world had grown silent.
The wind died, leaving stillness that was maddening, Rei watched in silence, her body frozen, an
unwilling spectator in the final scenes of a play.
Laughter rose in the silence, first soft and low, then louder, and louder, growing more cold and
malevolent with each cord. Rei looked on as a woman appeared, her slim body leaning against the
bone cross that held Usagi, her long red hair flowing in a nonexistent wind. Her bright green
eyes focused on Rei, and she smiled, her full lips parting, like an animal ready for the kill.
Slowly the woman pushed herself away from the cross of bone, and walked to the throne of skulls,
to the black haired man. Her body moved with perfect grace, her hips swaying, her bared breast
moving with the rhythm of them, a perfect seduction.
The woman's hand slender and long, slid against the throne, then up the man's arm, over his cheek
and finally rested. She leaned over and looked at Rei, her smile growing large, more feral, and
noise finally entered a world of silences. "Blood runs deep." The woman spoke, every word like
a lovers caress.
Rei found the strength to back away, slowly she moved, as she watched the woman, the crosses of
bone, all of it. "Blood runs deep." Spoke the wind, but it was not the wind. As Rei looked up
she could see the lifeless bodies of her friends, staring back at her, there's eyes bloated a
white, their mouths hanging open. Again their voices came. "Blood runs deep." They chanted
over and over.
Rei covered her ears, hoping that the voice would be blocked out but they only got louder.
Finally she screamed.
Usa cursed under her breath as Mamoru finished telling her what had happened. She stopped pacing
the room and looked at both him and Chi. "I can't believe you two just let her go!" She yelled,
quickly looking at her hand to make sure she was all there.
Chi jumped out of her chair and looked squarely at her. "Yeah like you did any better!"
Usa stared at the girl a moment, could she in her eyes that she was just as worried as her.
Shaking her head Usa slumped against a nearby wall and grabbed her cigarettes out of her pocket.
"Not in here." Mamoru said, his voice horse.
Usa nodded and headed for the balcony door, before she opened it she looked back at him and
smiled. "Do me a favor though don't remember this, it's had enough for me to find these things
in future, not to mention smoke them." Her smile grew mischievous and she quickly jumped out
onto the balcony.
Chi waited for Usa to close the balcony door before turning to look at her brother, a large smile
on her face. "That's some daughter you two raised."
Mamoru shook his head and looked out the balcony door, a soft smile on his face. "I really
wonder who raised who sometimes."
Chi laughed, drawing her brother's attention back to her. "So what do we do now?" She asked,
her voice serious. "Should we grow after her?"
Mamoru shook his head, and stood. "I really don't know." He said, his voice solemn as he walked
in the kitchen. "Beer?"
Chi looked out at the balcony window staring after Usa, as she stood alone over looking the city.
"No thanks." She said, not realizing what he had said for a moment the turned around her eyes
wide. "No you don't Mamo . . ." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the large smile on his
face, a large glass of iced tea in both hands. "Actually I think I would have rathered the
beer."
Mamoru laughed and set the glass of iced tea in front of her.
Usa tilted her head back as smoke slowly rose from between her pale lips. She sighed her eyes
closing as she let her body slump over the balcony railing, her head pounding from the strain of
keeping everything in focus. Why did they always do this? She thought as she opened her eyes
and looked at the city below and around her, it looked like a poor copy of the stars above. She
slowly took another drag of her cigarette; letting the smoke roll down her throat, and easing the
pain she felt spreading through her body. "How much longer?" She whispered. "How much longer
can I keep myself here?" She turned and looked at Mamoru and his sister, both of them seemed to
be happy. "Damn you mother." She whispered to the night as she turned back to over look the
city.
Lights flashed around Usagi, her eyes, her head pounded from music that was to loud. She crossed
her legs, sick of how all the men kept look at her, their eyes looking glazed and weird, she felt
so afraid here. Why had Minako brought her here?
The beat of the music changed, but it all seemed to flow together, she never understood how
people could listen to this kind of music, all it did was annoy her and give her headaches.
She looked out over the dance floor, watching as Minako flowed with the music and the mass of
people that seemed to overflow from the floor. Minako looked over at her, and smiled, her hand
appearing over the crowd telling Usagi to join her.
Usagi smiled but shook her head, that many people, that close to her scared her. Minako looked
as if she were about to freak at her, but with a forced smile she pushed her way out of the crowd
and made her way over to her, dropping in the seat in front of her.
"Usagi-chan!" Minako said in an exacerbated voice. "Come on! How you going to relax if you
don't dance?" She finished motion with her arms as she said dance.
Usagi gave a small laugh at the weirdness of her friend's motion then shock her head. "I - I'm
fine." She said, the floor looking suddenly interesting to her. "I think that I just need to be
away for - for awhile." She shook her head, looking up at her friend for the first time that
night. "Minako it was so scary." She sobbed, doing her best not cry, and failing. "I - I
killed her."
Minako moved closer, and slipped her arm over her friend's shoulder, giving her a tight squeeze.
"Usagi it was just a bad dream." She said, looking down at her friend, giving her another
squeeze then stood up, bringing Usagi up with her.
Usagi didn't fight as Minako dragged her out onto the dance floor, placing her right in front of
her, and began to dance. Usagi stood there, letting herself be pushed and banged by the others
on the floor, looking at Minako with wide eyes as her friend dance seductively in front of her.
"Minako!" She hissed. "We're both girls!"
Minako smiled at her and stepped closer to Usagi till she could feel her friend's breath on her
cheek. "Minako!" She hissed again, but her friend ignored her, getting every closer, they're
bodies touching. Without knowing it Usagi started to move in rhythm to Minako.
Rei screamed.
She tore out of sheets she didn't remember being under, she jumped away from a bed that was not
her own, her eyes wild, searching like an animal for it's prey to the answer to where she was.
Finally a voice spoke up behind her. "You're awake, I'm glad."
Rei turned, her anger almost instantly turning into shock. "You - You're . . ." Her voice
trailed off as her mind tried to put together a puzzle that had none of the right pieces.
The woman who stood before her smiled; Her long silver blonde hair flowing behind her in a wind
that did not exist. "I am sorry Princess Mars, Rei. I didn't mean to startle you." The woman's
smile grew a bit mischievous. "But it is a great feeling not to be on the receiving end for
once."
Rei relax with the woman's words. "I don't care what anybody says." She said, as her hands went
to rest on her hips. "You're still Usagi, you're Highness."
Neo Queen Serenity laughed, at her words, and crossed to sit on the bed Rei had just tore herself
away from. "I'm not really who you think I am." She said as she motioned for Rei to sit beside
her.
Oh then who are you? Rei thought, her eyes growing wide when she got an answer.
"I'm just a figment of your imagination." The Queen said, her smile still sweet and innocent,
just like Usagi's. "You had a rough ride."
Rei slid her hand through her hair as she dropped into the bed next to the Queen, and sighed.
"Then you know about the dreams."
"You are dense aren't you?" The Queen said sounding more like Usagi then ever before. "I know
because I'm part of you. The only reason I appear like this is because it brings you peace."
Rei looked up and nodded, it did make sense, kind of.
"What happened then?" She asked, her voice shaking, afraid that she might not want the answer.
"Why am I here, talking to you?"
Neo Queen Serenity rested her hand on Rei's knee, her smile putting her at ease. "You're here
because you got to scare."
Rei shook her head, not understanding.
The Queen sighed. "You retreated from your body, you, what makes you." She said poking Rei's
chest. "Retreated to your core, the place where you are you're strongest."
Rei nodded, she could remember her Grandfather talking about something like that, it made perfect
sense. "So then I'm safe?"
The Queen shook her head; her smile fading her cheerfully eyes disappearing being replaced with
fear and sorrow. "No, you're body will die if you don't go back soon."
Rei's eyes grew wide, the shock and fear settling in all at once. She looked at the Queen her
mouth hanging open. "How - How do I get back?" She choked out as a large lump filled her
throat.
The Queen stood and walked away from the bed. "That only you know. Hurry Rei." She said her
voice and body fading.
"Wait!" Rei screamed, but it was to late, she was alone.
Ami looked at red wine that swirled into the glass, then over at her Mother who was holding her
glass up for the waiter. She looked over at her daughter, and raised the glass in a silent
salute, Ami followed suite.
As the two slowly drank the sweet wine, Ami's mother looked at her and broke the silence. "We go
home tomorrow." She said then took another sip of the wine before continuing. "Do you have any
plans?"
Ami looked up from her own fuller wine glass. "I was going to see my friends, I keep getting
this weird feeling." She shook her head, and looked back down at her glass, her finger tracing
the rim. "I really can't explain it."
Her mother laughed drawing her attention. "That my dear is what is called a doctor's gut." Her
mother smiled, and leaned into the table, putting her free hand on her cheek, as if she was about
to tell her daughter a huge secret. "And you have one. You know something's wrong, and it nags
at you, right?"
Ami only nodded, surprised that her mother so readily understood.
"After dinner." Her mother continued, putting down the glass of wine and pushing it away. "You
call make sure you're friends are fine, I'll bet ten yen that there is a problem."
Usagi and Minako pushed there way through the mass of dancers, making they're way back to there
chairs, when Usagi stopped, her eyes growing wide. "Oh my god." She whispered, staring at the
red haired woman that was walking towards them, her arms extended in greeting a large happy smile
on her pale face.
Usagi started to back away, but Minako grabbed her arm. She looked over to see her friend
looking at her through sad eyes. "I'm sorry Usagi, it's the only way." She whispered, her voice
creaking.
Usagi struggled against her friends grip but Minako just keep holding her, her grip getting
tighter and more painful with every second. Finally she screamed.
The red haired woman's eyes grew wide, and she motioned for Minako to let go. Minako did but
stayed close.
"Pleasure, Princess." The red haired woman said, and mocked a courtesy.
Usagi took in a ragged breath, and prepared for the worst.
"Reflections of a Red Rose"
By: NeoMoon
Rated: PG-13
Chapter Twenty-Three:
Again Rei stood on the earth of bone, again the sky was red as blood, slowly she walked toward
what she knew was her goal, what she knew was her death. The ground moved to fast, and although
her feet moved she knew it was not because of her that this happened. Soon she found herself
standing before the black haired man who sat on the throne of skulls, his hands resting on the
blood stained sword between his legs. A wind rose around them, howling, whispering. She wanted
to back away to run, but she knew it was only a dream, so she stood her ground and waited. The
earth shook; bone, and rock trembled around her, as the many crosses of bone rose up behind the
throne of bone.
They all hung their, her friends, all of them lifeless, their blood slowly falling away from
their limp forms, all but one. Usa looked at her, her dark red eyes pleading as she struggled
against the ropes that bound her, her mouth opened and closed, in screams of anguish, yet Rei
could not here her; the world had grown silent.
The wind died, leaving stillness that was maddening, Rei watched in silence, her body frozen, an
unwilling spectator in the final scenes of a play.
Laughter rose in the silence, first soft and low, then louder, and louder, growing more cold and
malevolent with each cord. Rei looked on as a woman appeared, her slim body leaning against the
bone cross that held Usagi, her long red hair flowing in a nonexistent wind. Her bright green
eyes focused on Rei, and she smiled, her full lips parting, like an animal ready for the kill.
Slowly the woman pushed herself away from the cross of bone, and walked to the throne of skulls,
to the black haired man. Her body moved with perfect grace, her hips swaying, her bared breast
moving with the rhythm of them, a perfect seduction.
The woman's hand slender and long, slid against the throne, then up the man's arm, over his cheek
and finally rested. She leaned over and looked at Rei, her smile growing large, more feral, and
noise finally entered a world of silences. "Blood runs deep." The woman spoke, every word like
a lovers caress.
Rei found the strength to back away, slowly she moved, as she watched the woman, the crosses of
bone, all of it. "Blood runs deep." Spoke the wind, but it was not the wind. As Rei looked up
she could see the lifeless bodies of her friends, staring back at her, there's eyes bloated a
white, their mouths hanging open. Again their voices came. "Blood runs deep." They chanted
over and over.
Rei covered her ears, hoping that the voice would be blocked out but they only got louder.
Finally she screamed.
Usa cursed under her breath as Mamoru finished telling her what had happened. She stopped pacing
the room and looked at both him and Chi. "I can't believe you two just let her go!" She yelled,
quickly looking at her hand to make sure she was all there.
Chi jumped out of her chair and looked squarely at her. "Yeah like you did any better!"
Usa stared at the girl a moment, could she in her eyes that she was just as worried as her.
Shaking her head Usa slumped against a nearby wall and grabbed her cigarettes out of her pocket.
"Not in here." Mamoru said, his voice horse.
Usa nodded and headed for the balcony door, before she opened it she looked back at him and
smiled. "Do me a favor though don't remember this, it's had enough for me to find these things
in future, not to mention smoke them." Her smile grew mischievous and she quickly jumped out
onto the balcony.
Chi waited for Usa to close the balcony door before turning to look at her brother, a large smile
on her face. "That's some daughter you two raised."
Mamoru shook his head and looked out the balcony door, a soft smile on his face. "I really
wonder who raised who sometimes."
Chi laughed, drawing her brother's attention back to her. "So what do we do now?" She asked,
her voice serious. "Should we grow after her?"
Mamoru shook his head, and stood. "I really don't know." He said, his voice solemn as he walked
in the kitchen. "Beer?"
Chi looked out at the balcony window staring after Usa, as she stood alone over looking the city.
"No thanks." She said, not realizing what he had said for a moment the turned around her eyes
wide. "No you don't Mamo . . ." Her voice trailed off as she looked at the large smile on his
face, a large glass of iced tea in both hands. "Actually I think I would have rathered the
beer."
Mamoru laughed and set the glass of iced tea in front of her.
Usa tilted her head back as smoke slowly rose from between her pale lips. She sighed her eyes
closing as she let her body slump over the balcony railing, her head pounding from the strain of
keeping everything in focus. Why did they always do this? She thought as she opened her eyes
and looked at the city below and around her, it looked like a poor copy of the stars above. She
slowly took another drag of her cigarette; letting the smoke roll down her throat, and easing the
pain she felt spreading through her body. "How much longer?" She whispered. "How much longer
can I keep myself here?" She turned and looked at Mamoru and his sister, both of them seemed to
be happy. "Damn you mother." She whispered to the night as she turned back to over look the
city.
Lights flashed around Usagi, her eyes, her head pounded from music that was to loud. She crossed
her legs, sick of how all the men kept look at her, their eyes looking glazed and weird, she felt
so afraid here. Why had Minako brought her here?
The beat of the music changed, but it all seemed to flow together, she never understood how
people could listen to this kind of music, all it did was annoy her and give her headaches.
She looked out over the dance floor, watching as Minako flowed with the music and the mass of
people that seemed to overflow from the floor. Minako looked over at her, and smiled, her hand
appearing over the crowd telling Usagi to join her.
Usagi smiled but shook her head, that many people, that close to her scared her. Minako looked
as if she were about to freak at her, but with a forced smile she pushed her way out of the crowd
and made her way over to her, dropping in the seat in front of her.
"Usagi-chan!" Minako said in an exacerbated voice. "Come on! How you going to relax if you
don't dance?" She finished motion with her arms as she said dance.
Usagi gave a small laugh at the weirdness of her friend's motion then shock her head. "I - I'm
fine." She said, the floor looking suddenly interesting to her. "I think that I just need to be
away for - for awhile." She shook her head, looking up at her friend for the first time that
night. "Minako it was so scary." She sobbed, doing her best not cry, and failing. "I - I
killed her."
Minako moved closer, and slipped her arm over her friend's shoulder, giving her a tight squeeze.
"Usagi it was just a bad dream." She said, looking down at her friend, giving her another
squeeze then stood up, bringing Usagi up with her.
Usagi didn't fight as Minako dragged her out onto the dance floor, placing her right in front of
her, and began to dance. Usagi stood there, letting herself be pushed and banged by the others
on the floor, looking at Minako with wide eyes as her friend dance seductively in front of her.
"Minako!" She hissed. "We're both girls!"
Minako smiled at her and stepped closer to Usagi till she could feel her friend's breath on her
cheek. "Minako!" She hissed again, but her friend ignored her, getting every closer, they're
bodies touching. Without knowing it Usagi started to move in rhythm to Minako.
Rei screamed.
She tore out of sheets she didn't remember being under, she jumped away from a bed that was not
her own, her eyes wild, searching like an animal for it's prey to the answer to where she was.
Finally a voice spoke up behind her. "You're awake, I'm glad."
Rei turned, her anger almost instantly turning into shock. "You - You're . . ." Her voice
trailed off as her mind tried to put together a puzzle that had none of the right pieces.
The woman who stood before her smiled; Her long silver blonde hair flowing behind her in a wind
that did not exist. "I am sorry Princess Mars, Rei. I didn't mean to startle you." The woman's
smile grew a bit mischievous. "But it is a great feeling not to be on the receiving end for
once."
Rei relax with the woman's words. "I don't care what anybody says." She said, as her hands went
to rest on her hips. "You're still Usagi, you're Highness."
Neo Queen Serenity laughed, at her words, and crossed to sit on the bed Rei had just tore herself
away from. "I'm not really who you think I am." She said as she motioned for Rei to sit beside
her.
Oh then who are you? Rei thought, her eyes growing wide when she got an answer.
"I'm just a figment of your imagination." The Queen said, her smile still sweet and innocent,
just like Usagi's. "You had a rough ride."
Rei slid her hand through her hair as she dropped into the bed next to the Queen, and sighed.
"Then you know about the dreams."
"You are dense aren't you?" The Queen said sounding more like Usagi then ever before. "I know
because I'm part of you. The only reason I appear like this is because it brings you peace."
Rei looked up and nodded, it did make sense, kind of.
"What happened then?" She asked, her voice shaking, afraid that she might not want the answer.
"Why am I here, talking to you?"
Neo Queen Serenity rested her hand on Rei's knee, her smile putting her at ease. "You're here
because you got to scare."
Rei shook her head, not understanding.
The Queen sighed. "You retreated from your body, you, what makes you." She said poking Rei's
chest. "Retreated to your core, the place where you are you're strongest."
Rei nodded, she could remember her Grandfather talking about something like that, it made perfect
sense. "So then I'm safe?"
The Queen shook her head; her smile fading her cheerfully eyes disappearing being replaced with
fear and sorrow. "No, you're body will die if you don't go back soon."
Rei's eyes grew wide, the shock and fear settling in all at once. She looked at the Queen her
mouth hanging open. "How - How do I get back?" She choked out as a large lump filled her
throat.
The Queen stood and walked away from the bed. "That only you know. Hurry Rei." She said her
voice and body fading.
"Wait!" Rei screamed, but it was to late, she was alone.
Ami looked at red wine that swirled into the glass, then over at her Mother who was holding her
glass up for the waiter. She looked over at her daughter, and raised the glass in a silent
salute, Ami followed suite.
As the two slowly drank the sweet wine, Ami's mother looked at her and broke the silence. "We go
home tomorrow." She said then took another sip of the wine before continuing. "Do you have any
plans?"
Ami looked up from her own fuller wine glass. "I was going to see my friends, I keep getting
this weird feeling." She shook her head, and looked back down at her glass, her finger tracing
the rim. "I really can't explain it."
Her mother laughed drawing her attention. "That my dear is what is called a doctor's gut." Her
mother smiled, and leaned into the table, putting her free hand on her cheek, as if she was about
to tell her daughter a huge secret. "And you have one. You know something's wrong, and it nags
at you, right?"
Ami only nodded, surprised that her mother so readily understood.
"After dinner." Her mother continued, putting down the glass of wine and pushing it away. "You
call make sure you're friends are fine, I'll bet ten yen that there is a problem."
Usagi and Minako pushed there way through the mass of dancers, making they're way back to there
chairs, when Usagi stopped, her eyes growing wide. "Oh my god." She whispered, staring at the
red haired woman that was walking towards them, her arms extended in greeting a large happy smile
on her pale face.
Usagi started to back away, but Minako grabbed her arm. She looked over to see her friend
looking at her through sad eyes. "I'm sorry Usagi, it's the only way." She whispered, her voice
creaking.
Usagi struggled against her friends grip but Minako just keep holding her, her grip getting
tighter and more painful with every second. Finally she screamed.
The red haired woman's eyes grew wide, and she motioned for Minako to let go. Minako did but
stayed close.
"Pleasure, Princess." The red haired woman said, and mocked a courtesy.
Usagi took in a ragged breath, and prepared for the worst.