THE SECOND MOBIUS
Book Two of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars
by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)
May 2000 – September 2000
Revised - Winter 2001
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.
Love all, trust a few,
Do wrong to none. Be able for thine enemy
Rather in power than use, and keep thy friend
Under thy own life's key.
- All's Well That End's Well, 1.3.63-6
Episode 219: Times of trouble gone? Memories of the past
"Oh my god!" Usagi yelled, jumping on Hogoshi's back. Her wide blue eyes were bugging out. "That's a perfect score! You're so good at Sailor V, Hogoshi-chan!" Hogoshi shrugged, beating up the little monsters on the arcade game.
"I've been practicing," she said. She looked around the video arcade with restless eyes. Nearly all the guys in there were staring at her. From her flowing brown hair to her whimsical green eyes, she was sure to attract the attention from any guy. "I've a natural ability for these things."
"Sure!" Usagi said, pretending to be sarcastic. She looked at the game screen. "And I always get 100% on my tests." Hogoshi rolled her eyes. As of lately, Usagi was maintaining a B-average. She was a very different person from when they first met.
"Sorry we're late!" Minako called. She was bustling through the door with three other girls wearing Juuban High School uniforms. Except for Rei, who still attended a private school. The blonde rushed up to them. "There was a REALLY cute guy and…"
"You stopped to check him out, right?" Hogoshi interrupted, seeing the twinkle in Minako's eyes. "Grow up, Mina-P. We're in the second year of high school now. You should start worrying about courting someone." Minako's face dropped.
"C-c-courting?" she asked, her voice in shock. "Me? Married?" Seeing that Minako didn't get the joke, Hogoshi clucked her tongue and turned back to the arcade game.
"Guess what!?" Usagi said, turning to her four friends. It was something really important. Her sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks told it all. Ami cocked her head to the side.
"What?" she asked, although she could pretty much guess the answer. Usagi was practically bursting with delight.
"Mamo-chan is coming home on Tuesday!" she squealed. The four other girls yelped with happiness for Usagi, who was nearly dancing around the arcade with happiness. "He told me on the phone. He's getting in at 3:00. I'm going to be there to see him." Hogoshi frowned.
"Who's Mamo-chan?" she asked, the words sounding foreign on her lips. Usagi's smile never disappeared.
"My boyfriend and future husband!" she cried, jumping up and down. "I haven't seen him in an entire year. He left right after Seiya-chan and the others went back home." Hogoshi's frown never left.
"Seiya-chan? The others?" she asked, her brow furrowed. She looked at Usagi with dark green eyes. "Who in the world are they?"
"Friends! Seiya-chan, Taiki-chan, and Yaten-chan!" Mako replied. She twirled a strand of dark brown hair. Her green eyes sparkled. "Haven't seen them in over a year either." Not liking where this conversation was going, Hogoshi turned back to the arcade screen. In brilliant yellow letters, it said: GAME OVER.
Shrugging, she grabbed her school bag off the floor. She wore the same gray outfit as Rei did. She walked calmly towards the door. Turning around, she waved a little to Usagi and the others. "See you later."
Hogoshi walked calmly out of the Crown Game Center. She was very happy for Usagi, who was finally going to be reunited with her boyfriend for after a year. It was interesting to hear about old friends they had once. But it reminded her too much of what happened a year ago. So painful, grief filled her heart like a terrible disease that could never be cured.
She remembered the trail she took. She had always used the same one whenever she felt depressed. She intentionally passed the graveyard and looked somberly at the crumbling tombstones. It was so silent there. Nothing lived. It was all dead. Thinking about the events that took place a year ago, tears pinched at her eyes. They weren't even given a proper burial...
"Why'd you guys leave me alone?" Hogoshi whispered, walking slowly into the graveyard. Tears spilled down her cheeks. When people realized that those four had disappeared, it took them so long. They never found the bodies. They had been announced missing. The mystery was shallow to her. So shallow and so cruel.
Hogoshi stared at all the tombstones, no expression on her face at all. She was still so young. So why did she feel as though she had been in depression all of her life instead of just a year?
Staring at the names of the tombstones, she felt sudden hatred against the world. She HATED it. Taking away innocent people so that life could continue. Hogoshi screamed out in fury and agony. She collapsed to her knees. Pounding her fist into the ground, she screamed again.
"How could you leave me!?" she cried, her voice heavy with grief and anger. Tears blurred her vision of the thick green grass. She stared at the tombstone in front of her. She didn't know the person and felt even angrier.
Slamming her fist into the tombstone, she heard a crack and saw that the tombstone had split in two. Her hand was bleeding from the force of the blow. She began weeping in agony again.
"Hogoshi-chan," a voice whispered quietly. Hogoshi looked around in surprise. She saw Rei and Usagi standing behind her. Embarrassed, Hogoshi wiped her eyes and stared at the two girls.
"Sorry," Hogoshi muttered, rising to her feet. She stared sullenly at the broken headstone. How could she explain that?
"You miss them, don't you?" Usagi asked, gently touching Hogoshi's arm. Her own eyes were a little teary. "We all miss them. But, it's been a year. They'd want you to get over their deaths." Hogoshi turned on the blonde girl. Digging her nails into her palms, it took all of her strength to keep from slapping the girl.
"Who are YOU to tell me I should get over it?" Hogoshi roared. Her green eyes blazed in fury. "They were my BEST friends and they were killed! They left me and they're NEVER coming back!" Usagi stared at the brunette with sad eyes.
"I didn't mean-"
"I don't CARE what you mean!" Hogoshi continued, her voice cold. "You have NEVER felt so alone before. But I have. So you can't say what you mean because you don't know!" With that, Hogoshi stormed away. Rei walked up to Usagi's side.
"It's okay," Rei said softly, holding the girl's shoulders firmly. "Let her be. We can't heal her feelings so just let her be alone for awhile." Usagi nodded and stared off at the retreating figure. How was she supposed to know? She wanted to help the grieving girl, but how could she? How?
"The time has come for the revelation to become a reality," a voice hissed through the darkness.
"Already?" another, lighter voice asked. It belonged to a tiny, dark red-haired girl. She stared at the first speaker quizzically. "It came much faster this time. Is there something wrong with time space gate?" The taller girl looked at a glowing orb in front of her. Her eyes were grim and so was the expression on her face.
"I'm afraid so, Scorpio," she said, her voice soft and silvery. She gently cradled the small ball in her arms. "The time space gate is not being watched by the sacred guardian. Odd."
The two sailor senshi had gathered in dark oblivion. They had always been locked away in that living hell for as long as they could remember. Nearly an entire millennium ago. The air was dead, carrying only the sweet, silent hum of the glass orb. It was the only light in the room.
"You're worried about them, aren't you?" Scorpio asked the soldier of discipline, Capricorn. Her green eyes had a hazy look in them. Capricorn shook her head, staring intensely at the tiny thing of a soldier.
"No," she whispered. Scorpio, who had known her longer than a lifetime possible, knew she was lying. Always fond of Sailor Pluto herself, the soldier of forgiveness knew that Capricorn was extremely worried over the sailor senshi of the Silver Millennium.
But anxiety of the other soldiers was the least bit of their worries.
Author's Note: (grins) I think of all the arcs I've written for CosmicStars, "The Second Mobius" is my overall favourite. It was the longest story I had ever written at the time, clocking in at 278 pages. (Now, just one of my new chapters is a fourth so long). I adored this one compared to "Reawakening".
A small little note: "The Second Mobius" was originally called "Elements for Eternity", but when the storyline changed, the title changed. And you've noticed that a year has passed between episode 218 and 219 – as if that really makes any sense. An entire year? Hey, there's a reason for this. I don't know what the reason is, but I'm sure it'll occur to you later during the arc.
See you in the next chapter.