Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all it's characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, I am only borrowing them. The same goes for Ranma ½ and it's characters, which belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
This fic is set in an alternate universe, where things appear to be the same on the surface, but the reality is quite different.
Chapter 5 - "Changes and Dreams"
"WHAT?!?!" Usagi winced from the volume of the combined shout of everyone present. It was a Senshi-only meeting, so neither Mamoru nor the advisors were there. All the Senshi except Setsuna were present.
"What do you mean by 'I'm not going to be attending Juban High anymore' Usagi?" Rei demanded.
"My parents have decided that the only way to improve my grades is to transfer me to another school. Starting tomorrow morning, I'll be attending Furinkan High in the Nermia District."
"You seem to be taking this rather well, koneko-chan." Haruka observed in the silence that followed.
"There's nothing I can do to change things, so why bother wailing or pitching a fit about it?"
"..."
"U-Usagi?" stuttered Rei "What's changed you so much?" Usagi sighed, then answered.
"I have fully recovered my memories of the Silver Millennium. I can remember my entire life as Bara, Princess Serenity. I also remember the times I spent as Kei, training as a warrior and mage."
"If you trained as a warrior, why are you so ... klutzy?" asked Minako.
"I was klutzy because Princess Serenity was. I died as Serenity and was reincarnated as Serenity. Kei was buried under layers of mental conditioning, because Queen Serenity would have been livid about my training as a warrior. Only Endymion and our instructor knew that Kei and Bara were the same person."
"Then how come Mamoru-san never spoke to any of us about this?" inquired Ami.
"Because he has his own conditioning. Until his is broken, he can only talk to me about it, and only when we're alone. It was to risky otherwise."
"Usagi."
"Yes, Michiru-san?"
"Let me make sure I have this right. During the Silver Millennium, you led two lives, princess and warrior, and you only recently remembered this?"
"I regained my full memories this morning. I've been remembering fragments in my dreams for months, they started a few months after Galaxia. I've been training in secret for about 6 months now, and since the conditioning has been broken, I will be able to use everything I remember."
"So, does this mean a non-clumsy, fighting-capable Sailor Moon?" asked Makoto.
"No."
"What? But..." Everyone chorused.
"Silence." The command in Usagi's voice caused everyone to immediately go quiet. "If you will be quiet, I will explain. Understand?" Everyone nodded. "Sailor Moon was never meant to exist. She was created because of my knowing on a subconscious level that I was a warrior. I was never intended to be a Senshi. Sailor Moon is no more. I have come into my power, and accepted my duty as was destined. I will still fight with you, but I tell you now, I lead."
"If you're not Sailor Moon, who will we be following?" asked Hotaru. Usagi simply smiled and stood.
"I'll show you." She closed her eyes, a silver light washed over her form. As it faded, Serenity half-spread her wings and smiled at her Senshi.
"You will be following me." She spoke softly, yet powerfully. "I am Serenity, guardian of the cosmos. " As she spoke, all of the Senshi kneeled and bowed their heads to her. "Rise my Senshi. My sisters. My friends. We have much to discuss." Another wash of silver light, and Usagi stood there.
"I think it's easier for you to talk to me like this, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is. When you're transformed, your power is almost overwhelming. It's so ... bright." said Rei.
"That's one of the things we need to talk about. You see, I don't exactly transform anymore. I just, well, drop a mask basically. I am Serenity, even when I look like this. All I'm doing now is using a glamour spell to alter my appearance and hide my power." Usagi paused, then sighed. "Pretty soon, I'll have to teach you all how to do it. Over the past three years, our bodies have slowly started to change. At this point, only one of us even qualifies as a human anymore. That's you Hotaru, but your changes are accelerating to catch up with the rest of us. You're going to start growing again too. You probably won't stop until you're the equivalent of 16 or so. All of you still look fairly human, and you always will. For you, the glamour spell will be more to hide your power. Once the change is complete, even a normal person would be able to tell that you were very different. You might end up with wings, I don't know. None of my race had wings, I'm not sure why I do now."
"We're turning into aliens?!?" exclaimed Minako.
"Not quite. Every Senshi was a member of her planet's race. You are simply changing into a member of your planet's race again, and only then will you be able to fully unlock your power. There shouldn't be any major physical changes, mostly you'll just feel stronger and more powerful. You will know when the change is about to finish, and I strongly suggest you find an isolated place for that to happen. There may be rather spectacular magical manifestations as you fully come into your power."
"Like what?" asked Makoto.
"Well, you might cause lightning to come out of a clear sky, or be struck be it but not hurt. Rei may suddenly be bathed in flame. Ami could cause any nearby water, including water pipes, to freeze. Michiru may cause the sea to surge. Any of these could happen, or none of them, or other things entirely."
"Oh." Said Makoto. Everyone was quiet for a moment, thinking about the possible events.
"Rei-chan? Have you had any success with that fire reading?" asked Usagi after a minute.
"huh? Oh. Yes, I have. I know who you are looking for. I know that you will meet her soon, and that you will recognize her for who she is. You will need to lay everything out for her and hold nothing back. She will accept it, after you prove to her the truth of your words. She is not a warrior, but of warrior blood, and has talent. That's all I know."
"Thank you." Usagi rose, and stretched a bit. "I have to go now, I need to finish getting everything ready for transferring to Furinkan." She walked to the door, and paused. "By the way, thanks for loaning me some of your manga Rei-chan!" She dashed out the door, leaving the Senshi stunned behind her.
"Usagi! Get back here!" Rei shouted as she leapt up and began to chase Usagi around the temple courtyard, swinging a broom and yelling the whole time.
"Well, it's good to see that koneko-chan hasn't completely changed." drawled Haruka after a minute or so.
"Usagi is Usagi. No matter how powerful she is, she is still Usagi." Minako said quietly. "She's still a 17 year old girl, and just as we do, has hopes and dreams outside of her power. We all need to remember those dreams and cherish them." The rest of the Senshi looked thoughtful, then nodded in agreement.
'Dreams outside of our powers? Yes, even I have them, faded as they are. Maybe, just maybe, I can realize some of them now that my princess has finally grown into her power. Maybe now, I will finally be able to rest.' thought Sailor Pluto, from her vantage point at the Gates of Time and Space where she had watched the whole meeting. 'Now I have the hope of being able to put down my burden at last.'
I am deeply sorry that this chapter took so long. I think this is the third re-write of it, and I'm still not entirely satisfied with it. Next chapter Usagi will finally go to Furinkan, I promise. Please review, they give me the impetus I need to write more. Oh, and just as a reminder, this IS an Alternate Universe (AU) fic, so my versions of the characters are NOT the canon versions, they are just based on them, and I changed them as I saw fit. Until next time.
Shadows Dark
