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.
Episode 228: The returning past memories? Playing the game
Sailor Moon smiled widely. "Fighter! Maker! Healer!" Sapphire glowered at them.
"More senshi?" she whispered. Her aqua eyes looked upset. She sneered at them. "You wanna fight?"
Maker shook her head, the brown ponytail swinging. "How come you guys aren't fighting her?" Sailor Chibi Moon shrugged.
"Our powers don't work," she said. Fighter looked at the tiny soldier for a second. Her blue eyes seemed to be regarding her. Shaking it off, she turned her attention back towards Sapphire.
"Well, let me try," Fighter said, with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Star Serious Laser!"
"Star Gentle Uterus!"
"Star Sensitive Inferno!"
The three attacks combined into one and went straight for Sailor Sapphire. Sapphire glared at the oncoming attack. She turned back to the planet senshi. "None of those chalices held the taboo talisman. I'll see you later." She disappeared in a flash of blue lights.
The attack disappeared as the spirit chalices floated back into the owners' bodies. The people began to stir. Sailor Moon looked up at Sailor Star Fighter with wide blue eyes.
"You guys!" she cried, her smile large. "Thank you so much."
"I guess we need to fill you in on some things," Healer joked. She brushed a white strand of hair from her face. "And you need to tell us some things too."
"The sailor senshi?" Hajime whispered, sitting up. She looked over at them. "You saved us. How can we ever thank you?"
"It's out duty as the planet and starlight senshi," Sailor Moon said. "We protect this planet and save this galaxy." The others nodded in agreement before running to the rink exit. The Starlights followed them outside.
In the dark shadows, Capricorn stared out over the reviving people. "So, the chalice wasn't in any of these people. I thought for sure Hajime would have it." Scorpio nodded.
"We should go and try to find Kei-chan," she said. "She's probably worried sick."
"Or just plain sick," Capricorn said with a laugh. "She ate seven chili dogs and drank three milkshakes. I hope she doesn't get too sick." Scorpio laughed as the two senshi of the revelation walked out the exit door.
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It was late now. The sun was setting out over city of Tokyo, casting red and orange light all over the city. The sun was halfway visible as glowing silver stars appeared in the sky. The shadows cast a warm look over the city. The sailor senshi had gathered on top of the building where they had said good-bye to the Starlights over a year ago.
"Why'd you guys come back?" Mako asked, looking over at the three young men. "I mean, you don't think we can handle the zodiac senshi ourselves?"
"No, that's not it," Seiya said, a sigh in his voice. "It's just that those guys are strong and they don't play fair. Oddly enough, Sailor Emerald and Sailor Sapphire didn't attack our planet."
Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Maybe they could've been a trump card or something."
"Iie," Yaten whispered, his snappy green eyes dark. "Everyone was used in that battle. They left our planet in utter ruin and now have come to your solar system." Minako shrugged.
"Well, we just beat them up like we always do," she said, tugging a loose strand of blonde hair. "I mean, we've never lost and don't plan to lose any time soon." Hogoshi glared at Minako spitefully.
"If you don't recall, remember what happened in the last battle we fought?" she hissed. Usagi stared wide-eyed at Hogoshi, who looked more angry than sad as she usually did. Seiya held up his hand to stop her.
"Wait a second," he said, staring at her. "I should have asked earlier. Who are you and," he looked at Chibiusa, "you? What happened in the last battle you fought? Start filling us in."
"My name is Arakino Hogoshi a.k.a. Sailor Destiny," Hogoshi said, pointing to herself.
"And I'm Tsukino Chibiusa," Chibiusa said eagerly, her pink ponytails bouncing enthusiastically. "I'm Usagi and Mamo-chan's 30th century daughter and Super Sailor Chibi Moon."
"Odango-atama's daughter?" Seiya said, his eyes getting larger. He began laughing. He kneeled down and kissed Chibiusa's hand sweetly. "Nice to meet you, Miss Chibi-Usagi." Chibiusa giggled and tugged Usagi's hand.
"He's cute," she said, a pink flush spreading through her cheeks. Usagi gasped.
"Seiya-kun? Cute?" she yelled. She got a weird look on her face. Seiya didn't even falter as he winked at Usagi. Usagi blushed as she began jumping up and down. "Seiya-kun is NOT cute!"
"Chill, Usa-ko," Mamoru said, holding his girlfriend tightly. She was throwing a fit.
"I thought you were the legendary soldier of love and justice," Seiya chuckled, teasing Usagi slightly. "You had taken care of the light of hope, remember? Remember Chibi Chibi Moon?" Usagi stopped jumping as she remembered the minute red-haired infant soldier.
"Yeah, I do," she whispered. "I saved the world. But I couldn't have done that if it hadn't been for my friends."
For the first time, Taiki spoke up. "You put Chaos away for good. You saved the galaxy. However, compared to what you're going against now, Chaos was just a rookie. But, what was the last battle you were in?"
"It was a year ago," Usagi started. "A couple of weeks after you guys had left. Rei-chan had this ominous premonition. Two asteroids were heading towards Earth and the outer planets were completely covered with the darkness from the tails of the asteroids. Anyway, that was just the beginning. Three new evil sailors showed up. MagicStar, DreamStar…"
"…and Sailor Destiny," Hogoshi muttered bitterly. "I had been sleeping since the Silver Millennium. My soul was gone. My sisters convinced me that if I had the four souls of the outer senshi, I could get my soul back. My memories were clouded so I didn't know. I know now that my 'sisters' had some sort of hidden fury against the outers and wanted revenge. So, one by one, I took their souls. But after taking Sailor Neptune's, my memory returned. Uranus was sick and we needed Sailor Saturn. We brought her and the others to the Dark Moon where the inners and I fought against my 'sisters'…" Hogoshi stopped and lowered her head.
"We couldn't win," Chibiusa continued. "The outers…Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Pu, and Hotaru-chan…used a forbidden power. If they use it, they'd die. By the time the Sailor Twins were destroyed, Uranus, Neptune, and Saturn were already dead." Tears began pouring from the sorrowful red eyes. "Pu told us what happened before she died too…" Chibiusa couldn't help it as tears poured down her cheeks.
"It's been exactly one year," Ami said. "But those feelings are more powerful then ever. It's like that raw emotion has come back to haunt us."
Taiki shook his head and looked towards the ground. "That story doesn't make any sense." Usagi looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
"I understand what he's saying," Yaten agreed, tapping his cheek thoughtfully. "How on earth could Hogoshi-san live without a soul?" There was silence as everyone took that comment to heart.
"Your soul is your life," Seiya said. "Without one, you can't live. I think the situation is: Hogoshi-san, your 'sisters' tricked you. You had a soul all along, I think. They just wanted revenge and made up a reason to go with it." Hogoshi's jaw dropped as she let the realization deepen. Her green eyes widened.
"Still, there is a chance of a hyperspace gate opening when you took their souls," Taiki said quickly, noticing the look on Hogoshi's face. "If you took souls into your body when you already had one, that creates a distortion in space, especially since all the souls were the immortal ones of the senshi. A hyperactive gate where the souls were taken might have appeared."
"A hyperspace gate?" Rei asked, raising an eyebrow cynically. "What's that?"
"It's created when two or more of a very powerful energy are combined," Yaten explained. "The force, as slight as it may seem, rips a space gate in the air. It's called a hyperspace gate since the energy around it is abnormally high."
"Nani?" Usagi gasped, her blue eyes growing wider. "What the heck is that? I lost you when Taiki said 'still, there is a chance'. Where do these gates lead to?" Seiya shrugged.
"I'm not sure," he said, wiping a black wisp of hair from his face. "No one has ever gone through a hyperspace gate before. I don't want to find out what lies on the other side of it."
"Well, that's what we're going to do!" Usagi piped up, stepping away from Mamoru. Her blue eyes were serious as she looked up at Seiya. "We are going to go through the gate and find out what's on the other side. It has to be something good." Ami shook her head vigorously.
"No!" she said, her face etched in concern. "We'd need a pretty strong shield to keep from getting sucked into the hyperspace gate. It would be most powerful where Destiny collected the last soul. Where was it?"
"The Dark Moon," Hogoshi replied, raising her head. "Saturn gave her soul to me for courage, I guess. But, the Dark Moon was literally destroyed when we transported out of there." Tears filled in her eyes. "Destroyed with their bodies still in there."
"So, we're going to transport to the ruins of the Dark Moon," Mako said, smiling. "We find their bodies, return their souls, and suddenly, we have the outer soldiers back." Then she frowned. "Too easy."
"You're right. The hyperspace gate is dangerous to travel through without a time key. It's located in the fourth dimension, Time."
Minako's eyes widened to their maximum extent. She looked around at the others, who also wore shocked expressions on their face. Hogoshi looked at her brooch for a second. Wasn't it glowing for just a brief second?
"Did you guys here that?" Minako asked. "That sounded a lot like Sailor Pluto." Rei put her index finger and middle fingers together and brought them to ears.
"Yeah, I can feel some very weird vibrations here," she whispered, her face deep in thought. She closed her eyes. "Setsuna-san…are you there…"
"Traveling through such a dangerous area is a death sentence. The hyperspace gate hasn't been opened in centuries upon centuries. To go through would be risking your life without a barrier and a time key."
"Pu!"
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"That was too weird," Bunny whispered. Atlantica, Zephyr, and Skylar sat around her, looking a bit upset at the news. The four young women were sitting in the dark room that was lines in mirrors. "I had two flashbacks when I went after the ice arena. And it had the same girl in both of them. She looked like one of the sailor senshi I was fighting against. The sailor leader." Zephyr shook her head.
"Well, I'm going out for it next," she said, getting to her feet. Skylar stood up as well. "I'm going to try a concert hall that's been opened for a couple of years now." Skylar's eyes shone.
"Can I come Zephyr-mama?" she begged, her violet eyes glowing. Zephyr smiled a bit.
"Sure, but this is my mission so don't do anything important," she said. Skylar nodded and the two senshi left the room.
"God, this so damn frustrating," Bunny suddenly called out, banging her fist onto the seat. Her eyes welled up in anger. "That girl was in my past, I know it. In the first flashback, she looked at me with such love. And in the second flashback, she looked so sad and there was this confusion in her eyes. I don't get it. I think that girl was…Sailor Moon."
Atlantica raised a delicate eyebrow. "Do you think she's the key to our past?" Bunny didn't respond. Her eyes looked so desolate. Atlantica looked at the sorrowful eyes and her heart nearly broke. That anguish she felt rose within her throat.
Leaning over a bit, she wrapped her arms around Bunny's neck, closed her eyes, and kissed her gently on the cheek. Bunny's aqua eyes snapped open. Atlantica pulled away, her cheeks flushed rose. Bunny touched her cheek softly.
"Why'd you do that?" she asked, her voice gentle. Atlantica shrugged her shoulders as Bunny broke away from her grasp. The two girls looked at each other for a split second as a memory flashed through their minds.
A woman dressed in gold stood in front of them. Victory flashed across her face. "You're going to die, but there is still a way."
A tall blonde soldier looked at her skeptically. "I'll be glad to here it."
"If you have these bracelets that contain my power, you can live even if you don't have your star seed. What are you going to do?"
A green-haired soldier scoffed at the offer. "If I have to take your orders, it's better to die."
A tiny purple clad soldier agreed. "Yeah, who's going to be a servant to you?"
The blonde soldier looked a bit interested through. "Interesting. If I can get that bracelet, I can live?"
The golden woman nodded.
The blonde looked back at a wavy green-haired soldier. "If I can be with you, I don't mind selling my soul to the devil."
"Okay."
The other senshi couldn't believe it as their allies stood up.
"I'm with you until I die."
"Let's be together in hell."
Bunny looked at Atlantica in shock. "What the hell was that?" she gasped. Atlantica didn't look any better. Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to remember what was in her vision. But it was gone, leaving no traces whatsoever in her mind.
Bunny buried her face in her hands. "God, why can't I remember anything? I've noticed that through all flashbacks that none of the zodiac senshi appeared."
"Well, maybe they weren't in our past," Atlantica muttered. Her turquoise eyes were dark as she looked up at Bunny. "Maybe they tricked us." Bunny shrugged.
"I wouldn't toss away trust that easily," she replied, rising to her feet. "Besides, I'm all for getting my memories back. But how to get them back is a whole 'nother story. If worse come to worse, we might have to ask Miss Eternal Sailor Moon."
"Why ask that brat?" Atlantica argued, looking a bit cross. "If you don't recall, she was the one fighting against us."
"Yeah, but I received some flashbacks when I was in her presence," Bunny said. She looked out the door and then back to the mirror that led to the outside world. Goosebumps ran up her arm. It was the same mirror where she saw that soldier staring at her. She hadn't told anybody, but she felt as if she should tell Atlantica.
"Before I left to go looking for that talisman," Bunny whispered, her aqua eyes dark and a bit hazy, "there was someone else in that mirror. But it wasn't me."
"Maybe you were seeing things."
"No, I'm positive I wasn't…you know what? Forget I said anything."
Atlantica shook her head. "Oh, no you don't. You are not going to not tell me. Speak up." Grabbing Bunny's wrist, she made her face the mirror. "Now what happened?"
Bunny took a deep breath as she looked at the image in the mirror. There was that empty expression again. Those dead looking eyes and that pale face looked too much like that of a ghost. Bunny stared at those aqua colored eyes. That image…she didn't know who it was. But it couldn't possibly be her.
Reaching out to touch the glass, Bunny shook her head. Her hand touched the frozen and reflective glass gently. Pushing a bit harder, her hand went through the mirror, causing silver ripples to spread through the surface of the mirror. Raising her eyes, she looked at the image. It wasn't her.
Atlantica gasped as she stared at the figure in the mirror. It wasn't the Bunny she knew. It was someone else wearing a navy blue sailor suit. Those eyes weren't as dead and to Atlantica's own surprise, realized she could actually read those eyes. They were so haunting.
Bunny stared at the image. "Who are you?" she mouthed. Bunny's eyes widened as the figure moved her own hand away. The figure had a mind of her own?
"I'm the sleeping you," the figure said, her voice as haunting as her eyes. "The part of you that's missing. I'm your memories, your life, your past."
"Oh really?" Atlantica asked skeptically. She raised a delicate eyebrow. "Exactly what do you mean by that? Who are you really?"
"I wish I could tell you that," the figure said, turning the gaze to Atlantica. "But it's not up to me. You have to tell the princess."
"What can the zodiac princess do for us?" Bunny sneered. "She's practically ignored us since we got here."
"Not that princess," the figure said, her image starting to waver. "You must ask…"
"Hey, wait!"
"…Serenity…" Bunny's original image returned as the old figure disappeared. Atlantica shook her head.
"Well, I believe you now," she said. Her blue eyes were thoughtful. "So, we have to ask Miss Sailor Moon about our past. Things are getting stranger and stranger."
"I agree."
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A figure wearing a red-clad zodiac senshi outfit stood near the doorframe of the room, out of sight. Her violet eyes narrowed. A taller figure stood next to her, wearing a green sailor outfit.
"They're asking for a swift death," Aries said, her voice quiet as she walked away from the room. "Didn't Aquarius say that if they recalled past memories they'd die?"
"I guess she was wrong," Sagittarius muttered. She looked at Bunny and Atlantica with an evil look in her eyes. "But they're going to go to Sailor Moon for help. That absolutely cannot happen."
"Just don't go and get the princess upset when trying to do this," Aries snapped, upset that her friend talked to her as if she had no mind of her own. "She'll try to kill them if you do!"
"I know," Sagittarius muttered as she stared back at the two sailor senshi in the black room. "I know."
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"Seiya-chan, exactly what are you guys doing here again?" Usagi asked, a bit bored. The senshi had gone to a sports center that was open until midnight. She watched Seiya and Mamoru play one-on-one in the basketball court. She yawned loudly.
Seiya turned back to Usagi. "What? Didn't I tell you? We're helping you guys fight those zodiac senshi." Mamoru took the opportunity to make a basket behind Seiya's back. Seiya spun around, his black ponytail flying. "Hey! That wasn't fair!"
"You shouldn't have been talking to Usa-ko," Mamoru laughed, making Seiya a bit embarrassed. Usagi noticed him blush and wondered a bit. Just over a year ago, Seiya had had a crush on Usagi. Since Mamoru was killed by Galaxia, Seiya thought he had a chance. He even flirted with her when Mamoru had returned. But, that was a year ago…
"Seiya-chan, do you remember Haruka-san and the others?" Usagi asked, bored again. She wished she hadn't agreed to stay with Mamoru. Her friends had gone to the tennis court or swimming pool with Taiki and Yaten. Seiya looked back at Usagi.
"Why would you ask something like that?"
"No reason. I was just wondering what your first impression of them was. I don't think you liked Haruka-san," Usagi said slowly. Then she gasped. She hadn't meant to say that last part aloud. Seiya's eyes widened.
"Why do you say that?" Seiya replied. Even Mamoru had stopped playing basketball to stare at Usagi. Usagi blushed.
"I-I didn't mean it like that, Seiya-chan," she said, her voice small. "I really didn't. It's just that…"
"You miss them?"
Usagi spun around at the new speaker. Taiki and Yaten had walked up and were staring at her oddly. Surprised by the sudden response, Usagi could only nod.
"It wasn't that anyway," Seiya muttered. He looked a bit upset. "First impression type of thing was going on. I thought she was your boyfriend. 'Cause I thought she was a guy." Mamoru stared at Usagi for a second, then at Seiya.
"You thought Haruka-san was Usa-ko's boyfriend?" he asked, dumbfounded. He chuckled to himself. "Well, there's a new one for me. You never told me about that one."
"Well, there's a whole lot you don't know," Usagi said quietly. Yaten frowned.
"Do we need to get into this now?" he asked, his green eyes snappy. "I mean, we came here to take a break from being senshi and…forget it."
"Baka-Yaten!" Seiya snapped. "If you're going to say something, say it!"
"I agree," a cool voice said from behind them. The five young people turned around, only to see a tall young woman standing behind them. She smiled. "It's a waste of time to try and make people talk, so just say what's on your mind and get it over with." Usagi stared at the young woman. Her forest green was long, to her knees, and was pulled back with a black bow into a braided pigtail. Her crimson eyes were dark and brooding and even her smile was a bit haunting.
"Who are you, miss?" Taiki asked politely. The girl's smile disappeared.
"Who am I?" she asked incredulously. She lifted a delicate green eyebrow. "My name is Kae Zephyr. And, may I ask your names?"
"Tsukino Usagi."
"Chiba Mamoru."
"Kou Yaten."
"Kou Seiya."
Taiki remained silent, staring at the beautiful young woman intensely. His violet eyes gleamed as she stared back at him. There was a moment of silence.
I think I know you, Taiki thought. I have the strangest feeling that I've met you somewhere, sometime, before this moment. Before…I've seen those crimson eyes somewhere before…somewhere…
, Taiki thought."So, who are you?" Zephyr asked again. She walked up to him so that her face was just inches from his. Both eyes were regarding each other. Taiki felt an odd sensation coming from her. A weak aura, that seemed to be suspended in air, hung around her.
"Kou Taiki," Taiki whispered softly. "Nice to meet you again, Zephyr." Usagi's eyebrows shot towards the ceiling.
"Again?" she asked, flabbergasted. She looked over at the brown-haired young man. "You've met Zephyr-san before?"
"Well, I haven't met him, for sure," Zephyr said softly. She stared back at Taiki and he felt that shivering again as a ghostly feeling spread through him.
"Taiki-san, protect the princess for now. Protect her…"
Taiki's head snapped up as the voice echoed through his mind. Surprised, he stared at the retreating figure. He felt Seiya and Yaten's presence at his side. Seiya cocked an eyebrow at the taller young man.
"So?"
"So what?" Yaten groaned, smacking his own forehead in exasperation.
"So, what is with you getting all weird when that bi shoujo walked up?" Yaten asked. "I mean, it's not like you to go off in la-la land for no reason and then pretend you hadn't." Taiki shook his head, unflustered by his friends' comments.
"Like you said Yaten-chan, we're here to have fun and not discuss serious business," he said calmly.
Recognizing his own words, Yaten had nothing to say and blushed. Seiya grinned at his friend's embarrassment.
"See, Yaten-chan?" he said, patting the white-haired young man on the back. "Taiki-chan does know what he's talking about."
"Hey, Seiya-kun!" Mamoru called, coming over to the three. "Is the game still on? You suddenly took off when I was winning." Yaten noticed the flush that spread up Seiya's neck. He laughed.
"Smooth talk your way out of this, Seiya-chan," Yaten said as he began to walk off. There was silence.
"Thought so."
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Usagi yawned loudly as she peered down at her watch. 8:00. Today had been so tiring. First, all that excitement of being reunited with Mamo-chan and then going to that skating rink and meeting Bunny. Then there was that battle against Sailor Sapphire. Plus, seeing the Sailor Starlights again and going to the sports center. She needed a nice long nap.
"I'm going to go see what Chibiusa-chan and the others are doing," Usagi murmured, her voice so low that she was sure that neither Mamoru nor Seiya heard her. Taiki and Yaten were already gone.
Walking around the brightly lit sports arena, Usagi found herself wondering about Yomicha and the others. She had met so many people today, it wasn't even funny. Yeah, she needed a nap.
Yawning loudly, she stretched as she continued walking around in search of her friends. They had to be around here somewhere. She saw some blue up ahead. Mats, maybe? She needed a nice nap. Just the tiniest bit of winks.
Usagi was over delighted as she saw that the blue was in fact mats! She grinned happily as she stretched on the adamantine mats. Using her arm as a pillow, she was glad that those mats were in a dark corner. Nice and private…
Usagi was drifting in and out of sleep as she closed her eyes. She caught a glimpse at her clock. 8:45. Forty-five minutes had passed since she had last seen Mamoru. Odd, that they hadn't come looking for her yet.
She felt a presence at her side and, through blurred, sleep vision, saw a tall, medium-skinned figure standing over her. A smaller, pale girl was standing next to her. Through her disoriented hearing, she heard them speak to each other.
"What's she doing here?"
"Let her be," the taller one said, her voice too familiar. "She was the girl with the others earlier. She doesn't look like one with a spirit chalice anyway."
Too confused on why spirit chalice sounded familiar, Usagi drifted off to sleep. But that presence was still there.
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"Kei-chan!" Yomicha called. She saw the violet-haired girl leaning over a railing, her red eyes deep in thought. Selene was sitting next to her. Yomicha jogged slowly up to her, Megumi trailing her. Smiling, she leaned on the railing next to Kei. "You seem to be in deep thought. What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Kei said, her voice barely above a whisper. Yomicha shook her head. Megumi looked up at them, sensing a serious discussion about to take place.
"Oh no," Yomicha said, shaking her finger in Kei's face. Grabbing Kei's shoulders and spinning her so that she could face her, Yomicha's expression went from light to serious. "Do not lie to me."
How can she always tell when I'm lying? Kei thought, staring at Yomicha's slate-colored eyes. Baka, you idiot! Because she's been with you in previous upon previous lifetimes. That's not fair! She's lived for many millennia and knows how I feel and I'm restricted to my limited knowledge of them. I don't really even know them. Hell, I don't even know their birthdays!
Kei thought, staring at Yomicha's slate-colored eyes."Don't be so serious!" Megumi piped up. Her green eyes shone like emeralds. "You know how Sailor Venus says, 'all work and no play makes lousy Jack!'" She giggled at the obfuscated cliché. Kei rolled her eyes. Well, even if Megumi had lived for many millennia, she was, of course, only eight.
"How old are you Yomicha-chan?" Kei suddenly asked, looking at the silver-haired girl quizzically. "I mean, well, I mean…"
"You mean before I became Senshi De...I mean, Sailor Capricorn?" Yomicha supplied. She looked a bit downcast. "Nineteen. Once I became Sailor Capricorn, I didn't age anymore. So I look nineteen, but I'm actually…" She seemed to be thinking for a second.
"1,102 lifetimes?" Megumi provided, smiling. Yomicha nodded, returning the smile. "The longest one being a thousand and three years long?"
"That's accurate, I think," Yomicha said. Kei's mouth dropped. The senshi had been around that long? Yomicha gently tapped Kei on the hand. Her mouth snapped shut.
"Tell me about yourselves, then," Kei murmured as she heard the tinkling of a bell. Selene. "Tell me about previous revelations. What's your favorite food? How about your favorite color? Anything interesting happen in your past lives? Have any of the revelations ever failed? And what about the planet princess?" Megumi stared at Kei, wide-eyed.
"Kei-chan!" Selene snapped. She jumped up onto the railing that Kei and Yomicha were leaning on. "Don't be rude! If they had wanted to tell you those things, they would!" Yomicha shook her head sadly.
"No, it's all right," she said, her slate-blue eyes misty and dark. "She might as well know the real meaning and truth behind the 'sacrifice'." Turning to look at Kei, she continued, "You are ready to know, right?" Megumi noticed the sudden intense look on Kei's face and stared up at Yomicha. She's actually going to do this, Megumi thought.
"Yes, I think I am," Kei whispered. Selene shook her head. She was going to regret this part for the rest of her life.
"Well, where do I start off?" Yomicha asked. Kei's eyes shone.
"Tell me about the planet princess," she replied. "Their personalities, likes and dislikes, loves and losses. Confess their truth, Yomicha." Yomicha managed a small smile. At least this could postpone the truth a little ways.
"Princess Serenity, she was always a handful. Each time we were reborn, it proved to be more exciting. Although she's a crybaby, a klutz, and a ditz, she always seemed to have that regal air to cover it up. You had to love her, even if you thought you hated her. She could whine, that's for sure, but she has a huge heart. She doesn't care about what happened in your past, as long as you could be friends at that moment." Kei smiled. Sounded like that girl she had met a couple of days ago. What was her name? Usagi?
"And the others?" Kei replied.
"Well, then there's Prince Endymion. He was Princess Serenity's fiancé. He is kind-hearted and sweet, though I didn't get to meet him much. He lived on his own planet, like each of the planet princesses did. But when times of trouble came, the planet princesses would power up into the sailor senshi to protect the moon princess, Serenity. It was a beautiful serene time, each lifetime more exquisite than the last."
"What about the others?" Kei continued, her red eyes gleaming. "The planet princess?"
"Well, there's Princess Mercury. She's the genius of the planet princesses. She is a bit on the quiet side and rather kind and sweet. I was rather fond of her. She's the one you go to if you need help with a problem. She's always a bit depressed though."
"Then there's the princess of Mars," Megumi interrupted. "She is a psychic and can always predict the future and can always sense evil forces. She cares for Princess Serenity the most, although it doesn't seem so. She's a bit stubborn, but that's because she's an Aries. Figures, seeing about Sailor Aries, her counterpart." Kei's eyes shot up.
"Counterpart?"
"No, not now," Yomicha snapped. "I don't want to remember that yet. Not them. Anyway, I thought you wanted to know about the planet princesses." Kei sighed as she nodded. Yomicha smiled grimly.
"Next, there's Princess Jupiter," she continued, her voice shaking slightly. "She's very protective of Serenity and is a good fighter. She may appear to tough, but that's just an outward appearance. She is very sweet and kind." Megumi giggled.
"And she's a excellent cook!" she said sweetly. Yomicha laughed along with Kei. Leave it to Megumi to ease up the tension between the two older girls. "And of course, we can't forget Princess Venus. She's very beautiful, seeing that her planet is the planet of love and beauty. She is a good actor too, you can never tell whether she's acting or seriously solemn."
"Yeah, Princess Venus was the leader of the sailor team back then," Yomicha grinned. "And that should be it." Kei nodded. But, something was bothering her. She felt something tugging in the back of her mind.
"Wait!" Kei said, looking at Yomicha fiercely. "What about the outer soldiers? They were princesses back then too, right? Why'd you skip them?"
"Oh, the outer princesses," Megumi mumbled. Her infantile eyes became dark then. "I love Princess Pluto. She's my planet counterpart. She was quiet and melancholy, you know, because she was the guardian of time and all. She had been a bit soft-spoken, but Pluto was very kind." Casting a look at Yomicha, she whispered, "At least, to me she was."
Kei cast a look at Yomicha. Her slate-blue eyes were dark and brooding. "Yomicha-chan?"
"Nothing, nothing," Yomicha said with false cheerfulness in her voice. There was a sigh in there too. "It's just that Princess Pluto never liked me much. I…" Yomicha trailed off. "Anyway, there's also Princess Saturn. She's my planet counterpart. She is sweet, kind, and shy. You'd never guess that that small girl holds within her the power of destruction."
"And?"
"Then there's Princess Uranus," Megumi continued for Yomicha. "She's fast, ruthless, strong, and cold. At least, that's how she is now. She used to be completely different, a real flirt. She can be very sarcastic sometimes and only Serenity could bring out the sisterly, protective side of her."
"Then, last, but not least, is the princess of Neptune," Yomicha finished. "She is very loving, and the most elegant of all the senshi. I don't know much about her, although I do know that she hates me as much Uranus and Pluto do."
"Why do they hate you?" Kei asked. She looked over at Megumi. "Do they hate you too?" Megumi shook her head.
"No, just MichiMichi-chan," Megumi said, touching the older girl's arm gently. Kei felt sorry for Yomicha for a second. But, she still didn't know why those three hated her.
Deciding that the subject was too stressful, Kei turned back to the railing. Maybe she ought to let the subject drop. Casting a look at the two girls who were thousands of years older than her, Kei sighed.
For now, she'd keep quiet.
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Odango-atama," a voice whispered. Usagi looked up in surprise and realized with absolute frustration that she was dreaming. Looking around, she saw that she was surrounded by fluffy pink clouds. She was wearing her princess dress from the Silver Millennium, wings sprouting from her back."Fool!" a voice yelled from the mist. Usagi spun around and saw two figures walk from the light. "You idiot! You are so selfish and spoiled." Usagi's eyes widened. Her mouth dropped when she saw the two figures were Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune.
"Haruka-san! Michiru-san!" Usagi cried in delight as she began moving toward them. Her blue eyes sparkled from tears. "I thought I'd never see you again!" Uranus scowled.
"Leave us alone, baka," she growled. Her aqua eyes were a cold as steel. "It's better to be dead then to be in your presence." Usagi gasped and stopped in her tracks. What?
baka"She's right," Neptune agreed, her eyes harsh. "You left us to die. All you cared about was yourself. You never gave a thought about how we felt." Usagi was close to tears by then as each word hit her like a sledgehammer. Why were they saying such mean things to her?
There was movement behind her. Usagi spun around and saw Sailor Pluto and Sailor Saturn standing. "Saturn? Pluto?"
"Help us, princess," Saturn whispered, her huge violet eyes frightened. "Please." Pluto snickered at the response.
"She doesn't care about us," she stated, as a blood red vapor appeared around her. "She never did. We never really had a princess. It was all a lie. She could never be a good mother to Small Lady, never a good queen to her people, and never a good wife to Endymion-sama."
"She's right, Usagi," Saturn realized, her eyes turning icy. "She's right. You aren't worthy of anything or anyone. You only care about yourself. You've never helped your friends."
Uranus nodded. "You are spoiled, selfish, and a brat. You've always been shallow."
"You never cared," Neptune added.
"We hate you," they all whispered in unison. Usagi couldn't even say anything. Tears were running down her face. It wasn't true. She loved all of her friends. Spinning around, she faced Uranus.
"How could you say that?" she whispered. The soldier of the heaven's expression didn't even change. Walking right up to Usagi, she slapped her smartly across the face. Usagi's cheek stung from the force as she collapsed to the ground.
"Like that," Uranus sneered. The pink clouds slowly turned black as the evil began to take over. Usagi was shaking and tears were spilling down her face.
"I'm sorry Haruka-chan," she sobbed as the vision began to fade. The glare she had been receiving from the outers disappeared. "I'm so sorry…"
Usagi woke up with a jolt of shock. Sweat poured down her face. It took her a few moments to gather her bearings. She looked around her. She was in the dark corner of the sports center, on top of a hard blue mat. It was deathly quiet and, in alarm, the petite blonde looked at her watch. 11:00? How on earth did it get so late?
Climbing off the blue mat, she looked around nervously. The mats were in a secluded, built in corner. It had turned right off the main hallway. The view was blocked by other mats, piled taller than her. Usagi peeked out from behind the mats. The lights were still on…
"Hello?" Usagi called, her voice echoing back to her in eerie vibration. "Minna-chan? Anyone? Is anyone here?" There was no answer and Usagi briefly scolded herself for falling asleep.
A sports center is no place to take naps, she thought angrily as she began walking down the hall. I should have stayed with Mamo-chan, Seiya-chan or the others. Why did I have to go to sleep?
"Tsukino-san!" a voice yelled from a side hallway that led to the basketball court and track. A figure ran into the main hallway, looking a bit hassled. The crimson eyes met hers. Usagi wanted to gasp at those deep, timeless eyes, but couldn't. "Are you Tsukino-san? I don't remember."
"Y-y-yeah," Usagi agreed as the green-haired girl walked up to her. Cocking her head to the side, she frowned. "You're Zephyr, right? Are my friends looking for me?" Zephyr nodded.
"They are very anxious," she said, offering Usagi her arm. Usagi looked at Zephyr oddly.
"I was sleeping," Usagi explained, though her odd look was still there. "What time did they start looking for me?" Zephyr felt a bit strange as Usagi took her arm, resting her blonde head on her upper arm.
"About an hour ago," Zephyr said, a grim smile spreading across her face. "Um, they're in the basketball court. I need to go." Usagi had been smiling. Her smile disappeared.
"Why?" she asked, feeling that this girl should be with her. Her blue eyes grew innocent. "Stay with us for some ice cream or something. I'm sure Chibiusa-chan would like to meet you." Usagi wondered why she brought her future daughter into the conversation. Weird. Zephyr couldn't care less about that girl.
"Chibiusa…" Zephyr whispered, her voice distant. A memory flashed through her mind.
"HELLO!" a voice screamed from the front door. A verdant-haired young woman turned to the door as a tiny young girl bounded through the door.
"Hi, everyone! Hey, did you make some cupcakes? I smell cupcakes! Where is everyone? The door was unlocked. That was careless. Anyone can walk in and take your cupcakes." With that, the girl ran to the pan, grabbed a yellow frosted cupcake and ran back out the door, slamming it behind her.
Another girl walked into the room, her curly hair bouncing against her milky white face. "Who was slamming doors?" Then she noticed that one of her freshly made cupcakes was missing and laughed.
"A little too much sugar this morning."
"She's a growing girl. But, the sugar in her system can make her a bit too hyper."
"Zephyr-san," Usagi prodded gently. The garnet eyes flickered for a second. A smile crept onto the dark face.
"I'm all right," she whispered, letting go of Usagi's hand. She pulled away. "I'm fine. I just need to go." Usagi was a bit confused, but said good-bye anyway. Zephyr strode down the hall, towards the exit.
Usagi turned the other way and then realized something. "I forgot," she said, turning back to Zephyr. "Where's the…." Usagi looked around, but Zephyr was gone. "…basketball court?" Grumbling to herself, she walked down the opposite side of the hallway.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"You had a flashback too?" Skylar asked incredulously. Her violet eyes were huge. The four crystal senshi had gathered behind the bleachers of the basketball court. "Man, I'm the only one who hasn't had one yet." Bunny clucked her tongue as Zephyr shrugged.
"It wasn't much of one," she assured, seeing the disappointment in the girl's face. "But when Tsukino-san said 'Chibiusa' it was like I should know something about her."
"So, we've received flashbacks when we were in the presence of odango-atama, Eternal Sailor Moon, and with each other," Bunny observed. She tugged a blonde pigtail a bit. Atlantica looked at her friend nervously. Her friend was obviously worried about something…
"Bunny, we have to ask that girl," Atlantica whispered. "For some reason, I trust her. Even if she is our enemy. I think we should ask her for something."
"What about asking Usagi-chan?" Zephyr asked slowly. Seeing the sour looks on her allies faces, she frowned. "Or not." Skylar pouted, her white cheeks turning pink.
"Since none of them have met me," she said, "I think I should ask."
"Oh, no you don't," Bunny quickly said, placing a hand on the short girl's shoulder. Her aqua eyes were sharp. "You're our trump card. Besides, you need to be kept safe because of your stored power. We can't all be anywhere near limited power. You haven't used your power yet, so it's still powerful."
"No fair," Skylar said, but she didn't have any good reasons to argue against Bunny.
Atlanica sighed. "It's late, we should leave." Zephyr laughed.
"Without searching this place first?" she said. Her russet eyes glowed a bit. "I don't think so." Then she was silent, while considering something. "Isn't it weird, how Usagi pops up every place we attack? She appeared at the ice arena and now here." Bunny was quiet too.
"You're right," she agreed, looking out towards the basketball court, where Usagi was emerging from an exit door. Her friends ran over to her, all yelling different things. "Something about her…every time anyone of us is around her, we get a flashback. Same thing when we're with Sailor Moon and each other. Weird."
"Agreed," Skylar said slowly. "So, we might have to arrange a little kidnapping. Get the girl, get our memories." Her violet eyes darkened. "And take her soul chalice while we're at it."