Hey everyone! Thank you SOOO much to Neonlights, Tess D., and clar who reviewed! I'm wondering where all you people are who read the first book and begged me to write the sequel…hm… Oh, well, all is forgiven!
Neonlights: Thanks SOOO much for reviewing! I know I just said that, but hey! The whole essay thing? That sounds like something I would do, and it DID make me feel special! Special-ness! I totally admire your very constant updating on your story. I'll try to update more frequently on mine, too, for the sake of all!
Tess D.: I'm totally loving your story, and I'm soooo grateful that you came and reviewed my newest contribution to the net. Hope you like it! And you're heart has just begun to wrench, but don't worry, the whole thing won't be all angst. I'm by nature a very happy-ending, optimistic, happily-ever-after type person. There will be some humor too, and some rooomance!
clar: Thanks so much for reviewing! I was out of town for a week, so the next chapter was put on hold due to the lack of computer where I went. LOL! So here it is, sorry to keep you waiting! Thanks again for the review!
I'm just glad to know that some people are reading this story lol.
Standard Disclaimers apply!
I hate the whole losing-of-formatting with Microsoft Word… I'll be experimenting with other word processors, so I can keep formatting like italics, underlining, bold. If anyone has any recommendations, I'm totally open for some guidance!
Well, more action and a little romance in this chapter! Enjoy!
-Moon Pie
Chapter Two: The AwakeningThe ancient story came to Usagi again that night. She was not spared a single, bloody detail.
I'm sorry, he mouthed. I love you. Then, the hand fell limply to the surface of the moon, already stained red.
Tears fell freely from the crystal blue eyes of the heartbroken princess. She moved to close the eyes of her prince, but couldn't bear to. It was too final. Besides, the look in his eyes held love. Eternal love. For her. And in a moment, she would need the expression in his eyes for encouragement.
She bent down slowly, and kissed his lips gently. They were still warm.
Then, she closed her eyes for a moment, and clenched her jaw. Her face hardened with anger and resolve. Again, she became aware of the screams and explosions around her.
And the witch. The murderer.
The princess stood, and opened her eyes.
For a moment, all was quiet. All screams, cries for help, explosions, and running feet… everything… stopped.
The princess was radiating anger. But despite everything, she remained calm and poised like the princess she was. She primly brushed her tears aside with a finger, and folded her hands in front of her.
The witch took this the wrong way.
"Are you giving up, Princess?"
She did not blink.
"I vowed never to run from you."
The witch grinned. The orange light from the fires around them flickered off of her fangs.
"Well, then," the witch sneered, "Behold the powerless princess of the Silver Millennium!"
The princess closed her eyes. Her own words were thrown back at her. Her power came from love. The Crystal was linked to her heart. And her heart was utterly exhausted. So, yes… the princess was powerless.
"All this suffering, all of the war and pain and death… all of this is my fault,"she realized aloud. "Because I could not defeat her two years ago, she's back. Because I couldn't break Metallia's spells, the Senshi and the Generals are dead. And because I was too weak to protect myself, my prince died. I am… a failure. I am the cause of everything. I do deserve to die."
All was silent between the witch and the princess for a moment.
"Let me end your suffering, Princess. Surrender to me, and I will make your death painless."
For the last time, Serenity's eyes lit with fire.
"I am still the Princess of the Silver Millennium! And heir to the throne of the Moon Kingdom! I will never be defeated by the likes of you! You will not have the honor of defeating me! Not in this lifetime OR the next!!"
She knelt down, and deftly yanked the prince's sword from its sheath. She positioned the tip at her heart.
"Everyone! Mark my words!" she yelled, not caring who heard and who did not. "I, Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, will right all the wrongs done today when I return! You will all be avenged in the name of the Moon! Peace will come to us! Never, never give up hope!"
She lowered her voice to a whisper, and glared at her enemy. "Until we meet again, Beryl, farewell."
Then, she looked into her lover's eyes, still open, and still filled with love, even in death, Princess Serenity uttered her last words.
"Mother, I die with honor, because I cannot live with honor. Endymion, I love you until the stars fall from the sky. Soon, we will meet again."
Then, with a sharp intake a breath, she plunged her lover's sword right through her broken heart.
Usagi opened her eyes, only to find them wet and sticky with her tears. Before she knew what she was doing, she sat up from her bed, and found herself tangled in the covers. Without a word, she slowly unwound them from around her body, and went to her desk. She never sat at her desk to do work. But now, she felt compelled to write down the dreams of the past two nights. None of her other dreams had ever been so clear and so disturbing.
Ten minutes later, the compelling urge to write it down was gone, and she was herself again.
Usagi shook her head furiously, then slapped her cheeks gently. "I need help."
She tossed a glance at the clock. 11:57.
"I also need some food! I MISSED A MEAL!"
She flew down the stairs, dust flying up behind her.
"Usagi! How nice! Up before supper!" Her mother remarked cheerfully.
"Morning, Mom," she muttered, searching for food.
"Morning? Not anymore. You missed breakfast, Usagi, so you're on your own! I'm incredibly busy doing valuable homemaker things!" She was buzzing around with a vacuum. "And your friend, Naru called, Usagi. Something about a jewelry sale at her mother's store."
"SHOPPING?!?!" Usagi screeched, the remains of lunch flying from her mouth. "Why didn't you wake me up?!"
"I was going to, Usagi…but…" Mrs. Tsukino blushed slightly. "I'm a little worried about you. You haven't been getting enough sleep. So I let you sleep in."
Usagi's face softened for a moment. "Oh. Arigatou, Mom. I've just been having weird dreams lately."
Mrs. Tsukino's hands moved in a constant circle, her fingers curled around a wooden spoon. Now, she was preparing the dough for some homemade bread. She looked thoughtful. A kerchief held lavender hair back, but a strand fell from it, brushing her cheek.
"You did look like you were having a vivid dream when I checked up on you. But you looked like you were… enjoying it."
Usagi frowned. The only dream she remembered was the horrible one about the blond haired princess committing suicide. And despite all her efforts to escape that dream, she was unable to wake herself up. Like she was forced to watch everything.
Perhaps she'd had a more pleasant one earlier that morning and the next one made her forget it. Well, darn. A nice dream for once, and she couldn't remember it.
"Anyway, I'm going to go the jewelry store and see if Naru is still there. Ja!"
"Be back for supper, Usagi!" Mrs. Tsukino called after her.
------------------------
Usagi took off running. Naru's mother's shop had some of the coolest jewelry around. But it was usually out of Usagi's delicate price range. But a sale!
She turned a corner imaging all the pretty things she would buy. She was paying little attention to her surroundings, and therefore, found herself smacked into a very strong, very male chest.
"Shimatta," she muttered, hoping the man couldn't hear her pounding heart.
She stepped back slowly, her face hot. "Gomen nasai, sir." She looked up into his face.
Then, she looked into her lover's eyes, still open, and still filled with love, even in death.
"Whoa!" Usagi wobbled as dizziness overcame her. The handsome face and eerily familiar blue eyes swam before her eyes.
"Easy, Odango!" came an amused voice. Strong hands held her arms firmly, steadying her. "Daijoubou?"
It was the guy she'd thrown her test paper at, she recalled vaguely, remembering the voice. The one she had burned so her mother couldn't see it. Her eyes were closed as she massaged her temples, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
"Hai, hai. I'm fine. Arigatou…" she whispered.
When she gazed into his concerned eyes, she felt an enormous weight fall onto her shoulders. She felt failure. Enormous failure. Something about his pale, smooth skin, broad shoulders, midnight hair, and endless eyes made her ashamed to be alive.
And shame, for some reason, made her angry. Shame was unacceptable. So, she reacted in the only way she knew how.
"Why don't you watch where you're going?!" she yelled fiercely.
Chiba Mamoru looked down at the wobbling young woman before him. Something about her… she appeared thin and fragile, and he felt the strong urge to protect her. When he grabbed her to steady her, her skin felt so familiar. His hands knew every curve of her tiny frame.
She finally looked up at him. Her eyes drew him in as only the princess's could…He shook the image away, focusing on the woman before him. Her face was contorted with some raw emotion.
Shame.
She'd only run into him. It was no big deal, he thought, amazed at the crude, bitter humiliation twisting her gorgeous eyes.
Apparently, embarrassment translated into anger for this young woman.
"Why don't you watch where you're going?!" she yelled, stalking off.
Mamoru shook his head furiously. He'd heard that voice before. He'd heard that voice in exactly that same tone before.
"Behold! The powerless Princess of the Silver Millennium!" She cried. Her eyes flashed. "You underestimate me, Beryl. And I ran from you once. I'll never do it again, in this life or the next!"
He stumbled a little, disoriented. He bumped into a light post. Annoyed, he yelled back, "You ran into me, Odango Atama!"
The girl, though she was halfway around the street, turned a tossed him a smile, a last effort for truce.
"My name's Usagi, not Odango Atama." She told him, then turned and walked off, this time, with a little bounce in her step.
Mamoru shook his head slightly, confused. "Hm… strange girl. But I think I got past the gate…" he said to himself, smiling. "Usagi…"
Usagi quickly forgot about her second run-in with Baka, as she began to refer to him, when she saw three kids guffawing in an alley over something. She peered closer, and saw that they were torturing a poor, cute kitty!
"Hey, jerks! Lay off the cat!"
The kids, not older than eight or nine, shot her guilty looks and ran off. The cat cowered in the corner. Two band-aids were crisscrossed on her forehead.
"Hey, kitty, kitty," Usagi cooed. "I won't hurt you."
The cat calmed at the sound of her voice, and stopped shivering. Usagi carefully reached forward, and let the cat sniff her first. The cat sniffed her, and then, its eyes got wide, and it leapt in to her arms.
Usagi giggled. "How cute! Why the band-aids, kitty?" Usagi slowly peeled them off, revealing a tuft of yellow fur in the shape of a crescent moon, bright against her black fur.
"How beautiful…" Usagi whispered, gently caressing the mark with the tip of a single finger. The sight gave her the same bittersweet comfort she got from looking at the real moon.
Suddenly, she heard her name. "USAGI!"
And the cat was gone.
"Hai? Who is it?" Usagi called back, standing.
"It's Naru! Come quick! The jewelry shore is going crazy!"
"Sale?"
"Like crazy!"
The two girls took off running towards Naru's mom's store. When they got there, Usagi recoiled in shock. Women were screaming inside the store, throwing each other out of the way, kicking and grabbing hair, and Mrs. Osaka (don't know what her real last name is, so I made up one. LOL!) who was normally calm and quiet, was standing on top of a table, yelling into a megaphone.
"You will never see such low prices on such exquisite pieces, ladies! Snag them while you can!"
"Naru-chan… your mom has lost it." Usagi stated, looking on through the window.
Naru sighed. "I don't know what's up. She's never gone this crazy during a sale."
Usagi was silent for a moment as she took in the scene. Quiet, meek Mrs. Osaka gone wild, women freaking over jewelry, more than usual. She turned her eyes to the customers leaving the store. Two teenage girls stood admiring their rings for a moment, then, with Usagi looking on, they turned gray and fainted.
"Nani?" Usagi cried, running towards them. Just as she reached them, they woke up chanting.
"Find…Silver…Crystal…destroy… the sleeping…soldier…"
"What the…!" Usagi leapt backwards as the two girls began to get up, and walk like zombies toward her. "Naru! Look out!"
Naru wasn't looking. "U..Usagi… Look…"
Naru's mother was looking on, eyes glowing red and fangs had sprung from her mouth. Naru fainted.
"Sleeping…soldier…sleeping soldier…."
Usagi squealed when the first hypnotized customer tried to attack her, but by sheer instinct, her muscles moved on their own, deflecting the attack with skill she knew she did not have.
This freaked her out even more than the zombies.
"Help!!!!"
Mamoru staggered violently in his apartment, his homework falling to the floor. A sharp pain stabbed at his head, and he clutched at it, doubling over, and falling from his chair to his knees.
A deep dread filled his heart, and sheer panic sent his heart pounding. Before he knew what was happening, a rose was in his hand.
Usagi threw herself behind a tree, narrowing dodging a wayward customer. She heard a voice whisper her name.
"Usagi…"
Usagi looked around frantically, imagining her mother's face. She saw no one.
"Down here, Usagi!"
She looked down. Standing before her was the cat she'd rescued.
"No way."
The cat… smiled. Then, its mouthed moved and she said, "Yes, way. My name's Luna, and you, Usagi, are the sleeping soldier."
Despite her urge to laugh at the situation, something deep inside woke, and courage filled her, but she was still confused.
"I don't know what you mean…"
Luna's eyes bored into her own. "But you do know that I'm not lying."
Despite the return of the raw shame she'd felt earlier pressing down on her, Usagi found the courage to laugh. "It is hard not to believe a talking cat."
The cat's bright red eyes darted around. Other civilians had distracted the entranced customers and Naru's mother had revealed herself as a monster in disguise. A very ugly one.
"Listen carefully, Usagi. I cannot fully explain now, you will have to trust me. Take this…"
The cat flipped and revealed a stunning brooch. Usagi fingered it, eyes closed at the memories threatening to break loose against a wall she couldn't break.
"I think you know what to do…"
Usagi closed her eyes. Emotions filled her, threatening to burst. Fear. Confusion. Shame. Courage. Loss. Finality. Purpose.
"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!!" she shrieked, throwing her hand into the air.
Lights and feathers glimmered around her for a moment, and when her vision cleared, Usagi found herself in a strange, shorter version of a school uniform mixed with a sailor suit.
She also found herself in the line of fire for the former Mrs. Osaka clone's two feet long, razor sharp fingernails.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"
Usagi squealed, reality bringing her back from her daze, but her body knew what it was doing. She nimbly dodged, and turned a backhand spring that she'd never been able to master before, only to see the claws coming towards her again. This time, she knew she had too little time to escape, and braced herself.
But it didn't come. Instead, a ZAP sounded through the chaos of the streets. Usagi opened her clenched eyes and saw a red, steel-tipped rose between her and the monster. She looked up.
The princess reached up to lay a hand on the prince's worried but proud face. His midnight eyes were endless, and tears like comets fell from his face. "Falling in love with you was the great change that awakened my powers. Love is always behind my power. Your love. If it weren't for you, my prince, your world and mine would both be doomed."
Standing on a nearby lamppost, was a tall, dark, and handsome man, clad in a tuxedo, top hat, and masquerade mask. He began to speak.
"Five, I'm afraid, my lady."
"The sleeping soldier awakens! And how dare you try to use her own people against her! I, Tuxedo Mask, will not tolerate such a thing!"
He leapt from the lamppost, his cape flaring out behind him like fire. He yanked a cane from his tuxedo, and quickly distracted the monster into a duel.
Luna watched, raptly taking in this newcomer. She did not trust him.
I need to attack, thought Usagi frantically, or she might damage that extremely fine specimen saving my life at the moment!
She closed her eyes. The words bubbled up within her. "Moon Tiara ACTION!"
She found herself yanking off her tiara and hurling it at the enemy. It transformed into a burning disk, hot with white fire. The monster disappeared and the people slowly awakened back to normal. Naru began to stir, and her real mother staggered out of the store. Instinctively, Usagi back flipped into the bushes.
"Nice show, milady." The voice came.
She turned her eyes on her mysterious rescuer, basking in his unexplained importance to her.
Her mind was blank for a moment, but then she knew exactly what to say.
"You may call me Sailor Moon, my cape-clad rescuer. May I thank you in some tangible way?"
She couldn't comprehend how her mouth and vocal cords suddenly had a mind of their own, but she didn't regret it.
"But of course, Sailor Moon. I do not rescue pretty damsels for free." Tuxedo Mask leaned forward slowly, and gently pressed his lips against her cheek, dangerously close to the corner of her mouth. Usagi closed her eyes.
The Prince grinned mischievously. "Well, for saving the world, do I get a reward?"
The Princess smiled, sitting up slowly, eyes sparkling again. "Why, of course, love."
He just grinned bigger. "Good. Because I've been wanting to do this for a very long time."
And like falling star, he was gone before she could make her wish.
This chapter was a little long… Too long or just right?
Well, what do you think? How do you like this version of Usagi? I kind of like her; still the silly, sweet Usagi we love, but impressive and powerful just the same. What do you think? We're going to find out what Luna knows and what Usagi knows and what Mamoru knows in the next chapter, and we're going to meet the Scout of Ice! Please review!
-Moon Pie