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 230: Identity revealing! Memories of the past revived
"It was a total bust," Sapphire mumbled beneath her breath. "I still can't believe we did a thing like that."
The zodiac and crystal senshi were meeting in the back courtyard of the floating palace. Each one of them was restless in their own way. Aries kept staring at the crystal senshi with a hint of resentment in her eyes. Sagittarius just looked at her with worry every so often.
"Why would you care whether you took Serenity's chalice or not?" Libra asked scornfully. Her golden eyes flickered. "It's not that you care for her, is it?" There was spite on that question. Emerald just stared at Libra blankly. Then, as always, her gaze wandered over to Sailor Pisces, who was resting against a black marble pillar.
"I doubt you all trust us," she said, standing up. Her blue eyes were a bit hesitant though. "After all, it seems obvious that you guys know that we've received a bit of our memories before the incident. It also seems very likely that we shouldn't trust you."
"Why shouldn't you trust us?" Cancer asked, her blue eyes glowing. "We did make sure you woke up after the accident and we did make sure that you guys tried to remember your memories." Bunny shook her head.
"I just have this feeling that this is not who or where we're supposed to be," she said, her voice darker than usual. "It just doesn't feel right. I don't feel anything when I'm around you seven and that bothers me. Yes, I do feel something when I'm around Sailor Moon slash Usagi. Does that bother you at all?" Her voice had rose several decibels. Emerald put a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes, it does bother us!" Aquarius shouted back, her pale blue hair flying. Her green eyes were burning. "She is our enemy! We don't agree with her and for sure, we don't care about her."
"Listen to yourself, Aquarius," Sapphire hissed back. "The 'we' in that sentence does not refer to me. I do have some problems attacking innocent people! I don't see why, though we've never done anything to them, we have to do something that puts their lives in danger. I know I feel like I'm supposed to be willing to go through sacrifices to complete my mission, but not now! I'm too confused to put up with your bull now, so just leave me alone!" Sapphire turned back and stormed out of the courtyard. Emerald stood up and just stared at the zodiac senshi.
"I suspect she's right," Emerald said with a sigh. Her blue eyes were troubled. "I don't trust you guys. I'm asking Sailor Moon." Pisces stood up in horror.
"Why?" she screeched, grabbing Emerald's arm. "Didn't you hear what Aquarius just told you?" Emerald just sighed. Everything was just so confusing, she just didn't want to think about it. Taking a deep sigh, she fled from the courtyard after Sapphire.
Topaz just folded her hands on her lap and was silent. She didn't really want to get caught up in the conversation. She was still upset about her attack on Usagi. It was bothering her, though she didn't know why. Aquarius was right. Usagi (or Sailor Moon) was her enemy. She shouldn't care about her so much.
Then why did she?
"I don't know my feelings," Topaz said slowly. The braided odangos on her heads were pulling at her scalp, giving her a constant headache. She wanted desperately to take them out. "I don't know whether to agree with Sapphire or you, Aquarius. I guess I'll just leave my thoughts to myself until someone decides to tell me the truth. The entire truth." With that, she stood up and walked away from the courtyard.
Ruby stood up as well. "If you wanted us to hear you scold us on our actions, you should have known better than to get into an argument with Sapphire. That grinds her nerves." With that, she spun around, her long green ponytail flying. She left swiftly from the courtyard.
Aries grinned. Her violet eyes were dark though. "Great. They're mad at us." Virgo shrugged.
"What's so great about that?" she asked sourly. "I don't think the purpose of the meeting was too get them to mad at us. We just wanted them to 'fess up. It seems like we didn't succeed."
"You're quite wrong," a voice suddenly rang out through the darkness. The zodiac senshi looked around for the source of the voice, but found no person. "Those four have minds of their own."
"Oh yeah?" Cancer snapped. She stood up, looking around hesitantly. The voice sounded vaguely familiar. "I bet you you're wrong. The princess gave them their lives with those four glowing spheres. They belong to her." The voice laughed sharply.
"Oh, yes. She did," the voice sounded softer this time, but there was a hint of resentment in it. "But she did not give them their minds. Their memories are still in there, but the evil is concealing them." A figure suddenly shimmered into the midst of the zodiac senshi. Her sailor fuku resembled the zodiac's, but it was in shades of silver and gold. Her long hair was golden-blonde with silver streaks in it. Her eyes were deep blue and innocent. She smiled at the seven senshi. "Hello, my sailor senshi."
"Sailor Leo!" Sagittarius screeched. She stood up immediately. "What are you doing here?"
Leo smiled softly, touching her soft blonde hair gently. "I've come to help you, my dear." Cancer glared at her, rising to her feet, ignoring the fact that she was several inches shorter than the blonde.
"What do you want from us?" she asked, folding her arms. Leo laughed, a gorgeous, tinkling sound. She walked toward Sailor Cancer, her smile gleaming brightly.
"I know some very important things about this battle that you don't," she said sweetly. She looked at them all. "You see, I've gotten a bit more powerful since we've last met." Libra looked at her with an insulting scowl on her face.
"Last time we met, you nearly killed us all with that infatuation with that sailor soldier. Or have you forgotten?" Leo's face fell and the other senshi could almost see the pain in her eyes. Almost.
"Libra, you are a fool," Leo whispered dangerously, the face of the sailor soldier in question appearing in her mind's eye. "You are not the dictator of destiny. What's wrong with my feelings towards her, hmmm?" Libra rolled her eyes.
"Everything," she spat out. The other senshi could feel the intense moment and Cancer took a deep breath.
"Ohcomeonyoutwowereallydon'thavetimeforthismesscan'tyoujustkissandmakeuporsomething wehavemoreimportantthingsonourmindsatthemoment," Cancer said in one breath. The other senshi turned to her in amazement. The girl blushed.
"Cancer is right. Act your appropriate age," Virgo said between loud smacks of gum. Aries briefly smacked Virgo upside the head. Virgo pretended to be choking on her gum, clutching her throat in agony.
"If you're trying to be serious, it's not going to work with that piece of gum in your mouth," Aries hissed. Virgo just glared at her and blew a huge bubble. Aries, of course, popped it and Virgo's face was covered in pink goo.
"Arieeees!" Virgo shrieked, pulling the stuff from her face. Leo laughed a bit before bursting out into a row of ladylike giggles.
"So, what new powers do you have?" Sagittarius asked, standing up to stretch. She looked over at the silver and gold soldier. Her brown eyes flickered for a second. "Anything quiet interesting?" Leo smiled, touching a golden brooch that was on a silver bow on her chest. There was a glowing silver and gold light that flashed around the soldier's body. It dimmed suddenly as the other senshi looked up.
Staring back at them was Sailor Moon.
Cancer's mouth dropped to a perfect O. Her eyes began bugging out. "S-S-Sailor Leo?" Sailor Moon laughed a bit.
"Of course not," Sailor Moon said wickedly, a crooked smile appearing on her face. She struck her pose. "Watashi wa sailor fuku bishoujo senshi, Sailor Moon! Tsukini kamatte, oshiotte yo!" Then she laughed. "That's kinds fun, saying all that crap."
Aries rolled her eyes. "Sailor Leo, you are too much. How did you do that?" Sailor Moon just put her hands on her hips.
"Easy, easy," she said. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's quite fun turning into other people." Pisces cupped her chin in her hand. She had just recently cut her hair into medium-length, looking quiet serious.
"Let's see what you can do Sailor Leo," she said quietly. "Use one of Sailor Moon's attacks. If you know any, of course." Sailor Moon/Sailor Leo smiled as she concentrated.
"Starlight Honeymoon Therapy Kiss!" she shouted as a parody moon staff appeared in her hands. Pink and silver hearts flew from the base, but dissolved immediately so not to hurt anybody. Sailor Moon/Sailor Leo smirked.
"How's that?" she asked. The seven senshi applauded. Aquarius stepped forward.
"Okay, you can turn into Sailor Moon and do a bit of her tricks," she said. There was an evil glint in her eyes. "There's a senshi for each planet. We've seen most of our counterparts. But time as washed away our vivid memories. Tell us, who does…" she stopped and looked at the others, "…who does Sailor Neptune look like?" Sailor Moon/Sailor Leo took a deep breath.
"Sailor Neptune?" she asked, closing her eyes. "Let me wrack my memories. Yes, I remember now." She closed her eyes and was about to transform.
"Minna!" Ruby yelled, cutting off Sailor Moon/Sailor Leo's concentration. She was standing over by the courtyard entrance, waving frantically at them. "The princess would like to speak to you! Something about a new senshi! She's really mad! You better get in here on the double!"
"Oh, man!" Leo grumbled. "She is not going to be that pleased to see me." Libra smirked.
"Not very likely," she said crisply. "But while you're here, we can fill you in with what's been going on here lately." Leo stared at her for a second before her Sailor Moon façade flickered and disappeared.
"Okay. Let's go."
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"They are royally ticked at us," Kei groaned, leaning back against the cough. Her red eyes were uneasy. "We shouldn't have bad-mouthed them like that. Seeing that Usagi was in trouble and all."
"Yeah, yeah," Yomicha grumbled, looking up at the ceiling. She rested her head on the back of the wall and crossed her arms. "We've been doing this battle for nearly a month now and still no sign of the talisman. If we don't find it soon…"
"We can't think about it all the time," Megumi said slowly as she walked into the living room. Her green eyes were troubled as she sat down on the step that separated the living room from the balcony area. She put her head on her knees and began rocking back and forth. "We can't, we can't. If we think about too much, it'll remind us of what really happened. What you and I are guilty of."
Kei looked up and then out the window. "Daddy called today. He said that he might be returning in two weeks or so. He told me to blame the extra week on his co-worker, Misha. Something about smart-mouthing at the director." Yomicha stared at Kei for awhile. For a moment, their eyes locked, but Kei tore her glance away.
"Are you still mad at me?" Yomicha asked spitefully. Kei looked away, a look of disgust on her face. Yomicha swallowed to keep her annoyance in tack. "How on earth could you still be mad at me for something that happened millennia ago, huh? If I ever hurt you, I'm sorry. But if you don't talk to me, how can I know what's wrong?" Kei turned to her, her eyes raging.
"Why must you always know what's wrong with me?" she nearly screamed. "Can't I have my own private life without you butting in all the time? Why can't you just leave me alone to think, give me some space? Just because you've been performing this sacrifice so long and you have all these memories, doesn't mean that I'm the freshman of all this crap! I do have feelings about this you know! Why do you feel that you can change everything with one word?" Yomicha felt the color drain from her face as the reality of those words hit her. Megumi looked up at her friend in horror as Yomicha grasped the wall suddenly.
The truth, Megumi thought in absolute horror. Those terrible memories are coming back. What we had to do...the ultimate sacrifice...
, Megumi thought in absolute horror.Kei was angrier now then she had ever been in her life. "Why did you change everything from how it used to be? I don't care what you say, you know what really happened back then! You know it, Yomicha-chan! Why can't you come out and say it? Why can't you just say that you murdered so many helpless people who never did a thing to you? Why can't you just say that you took the sword, and pierced those people straight through and through, just for the sake of a destiny that will put all sailor senshi in hell? Why can't you just realize how many people you hurt in that process because the blood is on your hands? Can't you remember those agonizing screams that filled your deaf ears? It really happened, Yomicha-chan." Her voice had become as icy as steel now. "And no matter how many good acts you think you've accomplished, there's no forgiveness from trying to be a god and changing the rules of Fate. And you know it, Yomicha. All of it is your fault." Her words were much worse than Megumi had expected. Much worse. She looked at Yomicha in stricken alarm.
Yomicha had gone paler than she had ever seen in her entire life. Each word Kei had said descended upon her hit her life a sledgehammer. There was an awful ripping in her heart and for a second, she couldn't breathe. Her vision blurred from burning, salty tears. She was shaking like a wet dog and looked as if she would vomit any minute.
Kei stared at Yomicha angrily, breathing hard. Her memories were too clear, but…the state Yomicha was in began to scare her and shock her. She almost couldn't believe what she had just done to her. To Yomicha. She loved this person with her whole heart. How on earth could she have hurt her so much?
"Yomicha…" she whispered pleadingly, trying to look in the girl's eyes. But Yomicha wouldn't even make eye contact. Tears were spilling down her face swiftly and silently. Kei's own eyes filled with tears. Where those short flashbacks had come from, she wasn't sure, but she did know that Yomicha knew about them in much more detail then she did.
Making a sound like wounded puppy, Yomicha fled from the room. Megumi stood to go after her. It had never bothered her this much. Never, in any of their previous lifetimes, had she felt this severe about it...about changing the destiny of all the sailor soldiers.
Kei turned to Megumi. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just so angry with what she did." Megumi didn't even look at her in return.
"That Yomicha in your memories," Megumi hissed scornfully, "is not the Yomicha you know now. Admit it. She's changed, Kei-chan. She used to be the most powerful of all the senshi. Two words and the entire world would have been destroyed. And it happened. It happened to this planet. Everyone was wiped out because she knew that our destiny had to change or else there would be nothing but battles and death. She tried desperately to forget about it, Kei, because it hurts her to think about the cost of lives innocent people had to pay for unborn generations. She was struggling to forget. She didn't want to remember what she had done because in the end, all the sailor senshi will have to pay the price for something she did millennia ago."
Kei looked away, ashamed. Her memories weren't that vivid, but she could make things out enough to know what was happening. Megumi walked right up to Kei and looked her straight in the eye.
"Kei-chan, you hurt her more than you know. You hurt her worse than you could have stabbing a sword through her chest. And I think she would rather prefer a sword and death than those horrible memories of the things she did when she was that sailor soldier you remember. Do you understand me?"
"Hai," Kei whispered slowly, looking at the door Yomicha had rushed out of. Tears spilled down her eyes. "I do, Megumi-chan." In her heart, she said, I'm sorry Yomicha. I'm so sorry.
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Usagi stretched a bit. It was finally good to escape some of her friends for a while. They had made such a fuss over her since she had been brought back. It was nice for a while. Then it got annoying.
"They aren't trying to be annoying," Luna suddenly said. She had joined her owner on the walk. She had been told about the incident after Usagi came home. "They're just glad you're all right." Usagi sniffed.
"Well, can't they give me a little space. Even Rei-chan was being nice to me. And that scared me!" Luna rolled her eyes.
"You are pathetic, Usagi-chan."
"You can't say that to me, Luna," Usagi muttered, picking the cat up by the scruff of her neck. "I'm a princess and I will punish you in the name of the moon if you do!" Luna got a huge sweatdrop and facefaulted.
"I give up," she mumbled. Usagi flashed a victory sign with her fingers.
"Usagi-chan!" a familiar voice yelled from down the street. Usagi looked up in alarm, praying that it wasn't one of her friends.
It was, but not any of her senshi friends.
"Hey, Naru-chan!" Usagi yelled in delight. The red-haired girl wrapped her in a hug. "Hi, Naru-chan! How are you doing? Wow, it's been such a long time since I've been able to talk to you." Naru smiled.
"You were all depressed in this recent year and were very quiet," she said, her red locks bouncing enthusiastically. "Are you ever gonna tell me what happened?"
"Nani?" Usagi pretended to be confused. "What are you talking about Naru-chan? I haven't been depressed at all. Just tired." Naru suddenly became serious all of a sudden. She grasped Usagi's hands in hers.
"Usagi-chan, we've been friends ever since grade school," she said, her voice sounding a faint familiar. Usagi shook off the weird feeling and continued listening. "I've always told you that if you had any problems, you could come to me about them. You haven't been doing that, but if you have really good reasons, then I won't push you. But if you need to talk to someone besides your new friends, then I'm always here for you."
Usagi stared at Naru for a second before her eyes filled up with tears. It wasn't fair to keep secrets from Naru. But she had sworn by Luna that she'd never reveal her identity to anyone. But Naru was right. She had been her best friend since grade school. It wasn't right to pull away because she had three years ago found out she was the reincarnation of a princess from the Silver Millennium.
"Naru-chan, the truth is…" Usagi began, looking at the store Osa-P across the street. "Come on, I'll tell you where it's private." Naru nodded, but Luna cocked her head to the side, clearly confused. But her owner was already walking across the street with Naru at her heels. She had no choice but to follow.
Usagi reached the opposite side of the street. She put her hands on her knees as she caught her breath. The light had started blinking when they weren't even halfway across and they had to run for it. She smiled at Naru as she felt a figure run past her.
With an annoyed look on her face, she turned to see who had rudely bumped into her. Her eyes widened a bit. "Y-Yomicha-san?" she asked. The silver-haired girl stopped running, but her back was still turned to Usagi. "Yomicha-san, are you okay? In a hurry or something?"
Yomicha turned to Usagi and Luna nearly gave away her identity by gasping at the girl's state. Her face was practically as white as snow, her eyes were huge and torn with tears and a grief that almost made Usagi cry. Naru was also a bit surprised by that state of the stranger.
"Yomicha-san, are you all right?" Usagi asked, touching her brooch slowly. Yomicha didn't even respond and Usagi saw her shaking a bit. Turning to Naru, she said, "Naru-chan, you go right inside. I'll catch up in a few." Naru, too confused on what was happening, just nodded and walked into her mother's store.
Usagi led Yomicha over to a bench near Osa-P. She took notice of the black and frail looking outfit Yomicha was wearing. Taking a deep breath, she sat as Yomicha simply sank into the bench next to her. She looked at the girl with large blue eyes. "Yomicha-san, what's wrong?"
No response. Yomicha just buried her hands in her face and began sobbing. Her shoulders shook with each muffled cry. Luna sat under the bench, looking up at Usagi or Yomicha every so often. I feel an odd power coming from this girl, Luna thought to herself.
Usagi put her arm around Yomicha, hoping to comfort her. The look of grief in her eyes had been so raw, it took most of Usagi's will to keep from crying herself.
"Yomicha-san," she said softly. The girl looked up for a second. "Please, tell me what's wrong. I won't pressure you, but I'd like to know how I can help. So please tell me, if you can."
"You can't help me," Yomicha whispered, turning away. Her voice was feral...almost to the point where Usagi wanted to cry. "No one can help me and I don't deserve the help anyway." The words Kei had said kept repeating in her head, like a broken record. But with this broken record, came countless memories.
"I'd like to help you anyway," Usagi said. Her blue eyes were honest and trusting. "Even if you think you don't deserve it." Yomicha stared at the girl's eyes and then down to a pink brooch on her chest.
"I-I-I can't tell you," Yomicha said, her voice suddenly choked in sobs. What she had said earlier during that battle made her heart sore. She had actually been debating whether to keep Usagi alive or not. Another life had almost been lost again due to her. "I'm sorry Usagi-chan," she suddenly said. Usagi looked surprised, but not scared.
"Sorry for what?" she asked gently. "Don't worry, I won't hold anything against you." Yomicha felt this urge to tell Usagi all about her problems, who she was, and everything. But her own duty kept her mouth shut.
Usagi was patient though. "Well, then. How about I tell you a secret?" Luna's ears perked up. What was Usagi planning on doing?
Yomicha just shrugged. "Do as you like. I don't deserve anything from anybody anymore. I've made too many mistakes in my past life to accept apologies and secrets." Luna heard this and got to her feet. Past life? What did she mean by that?
"Past life?" Usagi asked, keeping her voice low. There were few passersby, but she didn't want to risk anyone hearing her still. "What do you mean by that?" Yomicha took a deep breath and looked at Usagi. Too late to pull back now.
"Promise not to tell anyone," Yomicha pleaded, keeping her voice low as well. Usagi nodded and Luna got prepared to her a confession.
"I promise."
"Well, I'm kind of…a sailor senshi," Yomicha said. She held her breath, waiting for Usagi's reaction. Luna's mouth had dropped to the ground. A sailor soldier?
Usagi suddenly started laughing. Yomicha looked annoyed, but not surprised. Usagi saw the look and immediately cut her laughter into giggles. "What a coincidence." Before Luna could do anything to stop her, Usagi said, "I'm a sailor senshi too. Except I'm Sailor Moon. Which one are you?" Luna groaned. Yomicha heard the groan and looked under the bench.
"A cat!" she exclaimed. Then she recognized that moon insignia on Luna's forehead. "You're a cat from the moon. Luna, if I'm not mistaken? Princess Serenity's slightly miffed and strict guardian." Luna flinched at the description, but nodded. "Long time, no see Luna."
"What?" Luna asked, not bothering to hide her secret. After all, this person seemed to know her already. "I've never met you before in my life. What do you want?"
"My senshi alias is Sailor Capricorn," Yomicha said. Her slate blue eyes were dark for a second. "And I can't say I'm proud to be so, even if it is different from the name I had before."
"Sailor Capricorn?" Usagi repeated, looking at Yomicha a bit. "You're the one who saved Chibi Moon that day. I never did get a chance to thank you properly. So, uh, thank you."
"Of course," Yomicha said with a bowed head. "You're welcome, Princess." Usagi was caught off guard by the formality of her voice.
"Oh, you can call me Usagi," she said quickly, hoping that the silver-haired girl would. "Everyone else does." Yomicha shook her head.
"I'm afraid not, Princess," she said. "I've shown disrespect to you in the past and it ended up in a war. I think I'll just call you by your appropriate title." Slowly, she became quiet. Her eyes began to realize something. "If you're Serenity, then the others you hang around with most of the time…"
"Um, they're sailor senshi too."
"Not just sailor senshi," Yomicha continued. "Mizuno-san, the blue-haired girl is really Lady Mercury…"
"Lady Mercury?" Usagi asked. "I thought it was just Princess Mercury. I didn't ever hear 'lady' in front of the planet." Yomicha smiled.
"By the time you all were sixteen, your ladies-in-waiting began calling you by that title, showing you were older and more mature," Yomicha explained. "Since you're all seventeen now, 'lady' seems a lot more appropriate than 'princess'." She continued. "Lady Mars has to be that girl Hino-san, the features so exact. That brunette Kino-san is no other than Lady Jupiter and Lady Venus is that pretty blonde Aino-san. That young man, Mamoru-kun, is Prince Endymion."
"Isn't 'prince' a little too young?" Usagi inquired.
"Well, Sir Endymion sounded a bit stiff. You always called him Endy-chan. It was so cute. Those other five that were with you though, I've never seen them before in my life."
"Um, that would be Sailor Destiny, Sailor Chibi Moon, Sailor Star Fighter, Healer, and Maker," Usagi said. "Wouldn't they be Lady Destiny, Lady Chibi Moon, Lady Star Fi-"
"Not at all," Yomicha said with a smile. "Sailor Destiny isn't a princess. Just a sailor soldier."
"But…" Usagi began, but stopped. It was true. Back in the Silver Millennium, Hogoshi had stumbled across the outers and befriended them. They had never said anything about Hogoshi being a princess.
"Sailor Chibi Moon, I'm guessing your daughter?" Yomicha asked, a hint of amusement in her tone. Usagi nodded. "She would be, if according to the past, Princess Small Lady Serenity. They called her…"
"Small Lady, for short," Usagi said. Yomicha was surprised.
"How did you know?"
"Setsuna-san used to call her that all the time." Seeing the confused look on Yomicha's face, she blushed. "Setsuna-san was Sailor Pluto or, Lady Pluto." Yomicha nodded. Luna looked at the girl, amusement in her face.
"How do you know so much about the senshi?" she asked. "My memories were wiped out when the Silver Millennium was destroyed. Only a number have come back." Usagi grinned.
"Yeah, she doesn't remember things until they're too late," she said, knocking Luna on the head with her hand. "She didn't know I was the princess until we already knew! She's no help." Yomicha shook her head.
"Don't say that Princess. Luna has helped you many times before in your past lives. She is a great help to you."
"Well, this lifetime, she didn't help at all. All she does is nag on me and don't let me read manga or sleep late or pig out on food or have any fun!" Usagi began crying loudly, huge, ridiculous tears spilling down her face. "She. Is. So. MEAN!" Yomicha flinched. This Serenity wasn't as quiet and polite as the last one. Luna just sat, bristling. Obviously, she was used to Usagi's crying.
"Um, Princess. Calm down," Yomicha whispered.
"You're. So. MEEEEAN!"
"Um, Princess?"
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Skylar sighed. She was looking out over the ocean restlessly. Everybody was so tense lately. No one said anything or explained anything to her. It wasn't fair. She tried as hard as any other person, maybe even harder. She hadn't had enough flashbacks from Usagi to get any clue who or what she was before the accident.
So now she was here.
Sighing, Skylar leaned heavily on the railing, facing the Pacific Ocean. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her tense nerves. Bunny, Atlantica and Zephyr all seemed upset about this turn of events. She herself was getting quite bored with this little hunt for the talisman. It wasn't fun to start out with. Now, after killing Usagi, the game had turned from boring to austere. And it wasn't getting any better from there.
"Hey, lady," a voice suddenly said spoke up from behind her. Skylar turned around and saw a small pink-haired child standing with both hands behind her back. "Oh, you're not a lady. You barely look older than me."
"Oh, really?" Skylar asked, irritated. "Well, I'm fourteen. Now that you know that, go away."
"What's you name?"
"Skylar." The girl's eyes lit up.
"Oooh, that's such a pretty name," she swooned. "It's American, isn't it? My name is Chibiusa. Actually, my name is Usagi, but that's my…um… cousin's name and I'm smaller than her so they call me Chibiusa."
"Is that right?" Skylar inquired dryly. She turned back to the railing, trying to ignore the girl. "Well, you can leave now Chibiusa-chan." Chibiusa shook her head.
"Call me Chibiusa-chan," she said, standing next to the girl. "That's what all my friends call me." Skylar groaned. Who had announced that they were friends? "I've only seen you around once. You were talking to Usagi-chan in the park. Why'd you use her like that?" Skylar turned to Chibiusa in horror. Her violet eyes grew.
"You were spying on us?" Skylar hissed, glaring at the little girl angrily. "How dare you!" Chibiusa just shrugged, turning back to look at the oceanview.
"I'm sorry if that bothers you," she said. "My friends didn't want me to speak to you because they think you and the other three are evil. I thought so too at first, but then I remembered the old saying, 'you can't judge a book by its cover'. So, I decided I could get to know you. By the way you were looking, it looks like you needed a friend to talk to."
Skylar was silent for a moment as she considered an offer. "A friend? You'd be my friend, even if I'm evil?" Chibiusa nodded.
"I guess you already figured out I'm a sailor," she said with a sigh. "I'm Super Sailor Chibi Moon. Or, just Chibi Moon if you don't wanna get tongue-tied. I know I'm taking a big risk with trying to be friends with you, but some people say I get it from my mama." She shuddered in horror. "Did I just say that?" Skylar stared at the little girl before a smile appeared on her face. She giggled a bit.
"You're risking a lot by telling me this," she said. "But, if you can be honest and I can be a friend, I'll try to compromise."
"Well then! My first question is: why are you looking for a talisman, even if it means killing people in the process?" Skylar looked at the girl for a second before turning away. What really was the reason? Because the zodiac senshi had told them to? But then again, the zodiac senshi weren't really that honest, although it seemed so. Why were they doing it?
"Skylar-san?"
Skylar took a deep breath and stared at Chibiusa haughtily. "I guess I don't really need a friend as much as I thought. We're enemies and we don't become friends with each other. It was nice talking to you, but this is good-bye Chibiusa-chan." She began to walk away.
"Skylar-san, why do you walk away from your problems?" Chibiusa called after her. Skylar stopped for a second.
"I just want to know who I really am," she whispered. It was near silent, so Chibiusa heard the words well. Her red eyes widened to their maximum extent.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked. Skylar just shook her head and disappeared into thin air. Chibiusa just stared at the spot where the raven-haired girl had disappeared. Her eyes were wider than they ever had been.
She wants to know who she is?
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Usagi grabbed Yomicha's arm for a second. "Hang on, I need to tell Naru-chan I'm leaving," she said quickly. Yomicha just nodded and watched Usagi run back a block to Osa-P. She shook her head, chuckling to herself. That girl was always the same.
"Yomicha-san, who was that Selene you spoke of before?" Luna asked, her voice sounding a bit spiteful. "Has she changed much from the Silver Millennium?" Yomicha shrugged a bit.
"She's not my cat," she said, sighing a bit. "She's always been Kei's…I mean, Sailor Midnight's…cat. From what I know, Selene is still Selene." Luna shook her head.
"What do you think about this lifetime, Yomicha-san?" she asked, stooping on her haunches. Her face was full of concern as she tried to remember previous lifetimes.
Yomicha sighed again, this time, more deeply. "It's different. This is probably the least…the least…the least something of all the lifetimes. I can't very well find a word. In other lifetimes, the girls were considered princesses and lived like such too. And according to the princess, the next lifetime will be just like the past lifetimes. But this time around…the girls are just, well, ordinary."
"Ordinary indeed!" Luna exclaimed. "They've saved the world many times before and are incarnations of the princesses of the past. We've only visited our previous lifetime once."
"Yes, the one a thousand years ago," Yomicha grinned. She was a bit troubled though. "And in all other lifetimes, every single planet was inhabited. Now, it's just Earth. The moon is just a dead rock in the sky and Pluto has never even been seen by the human eye. It's quite different. I guess you could say I preferred other lifetimes other than this one. But…maybe this one will show us something. Maybe this lifetime is different for a reason." Luna shrugged, a very odd movement for a cat. Because of this, she didn't catch the sudden sorrowful look in the silver-haired girl's slate blue eyes.
"And you aren't a human." This caught Luna's attention as she looked up into Yomicha's face. But those eyes had years of wisdom in them. They knew how to hide a secret. And Luna was too polite to ask what Yomicha was talking about.
"I'm baaack!" Usagi yelled, storming down the street. She giggled a bit. "Naru-chan told me to come over later tonight to explain what I need to. Ah, well! Nothing lost is nothing gained!" Yomicha shook her head.
"It's 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'," she said with a smile. "Lady Jupiter would be very displeased if no one got her saying right." Usagi's blue eyes widened.
"You mean, she made up that phrase?" she gasped. Yomicha nodded as Usagi facefaulted. A large sweatdrop appeared over her head.
"Many phrases from this world are from the senshi and their court," Yomicha explained. She laughed a bit. "Heard the phrase, 'give me that thing before you put someone's eye out'? Well, let's just say Lady Mars was not all that happy the rest of the day." Usagi giggled a bit.
"Any others?"
"Um…yeah. But Lady Venus messed up most of the phrases. She liked getting on the others nerves by quoting them wrong." Usagi nodded. Sounded liken the Minako of the present. Except she wasn't trying to bug anyone by getting the phrases wrong.
"Would you like to meet them?" Usagi asked suddenly. Yomicha's eyes grew large.
"Well…I couldn't…it's, um, just…well…I kind of…" Yomicha stuttered. Her cheeks were a rosy colored as an apple. "I mean…oh, forget it. I'll come." Usagi cheered as she grabbed Yomicha by the arm and stormed down the street to the Hikawa Jinja.
Luna groaned. "Usagi-chan, wait for me!"
Usagi paid her no mind. She was lost in her own thoughts. Wow, I know someone who knows all about our past. She says we were different back then. I don't care! I have a new friend who won't be crying all over me like the others are. Luna is shocked. If there's a soldier for the constellation Capricorn, then I wonder if there's a sailor of the asteroid belt.
"Is there a sailor of the asteroid belt?" Usagi asked, taking a breath after running through another 'Don't Walk' sign. Yomicha was too busy gasping to answer. She took a deep breath and then wheezed out another breath. She glared at Usagi.
"There were four sailors of the asteroid belt," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Sailor Ceres, Sailor Pallas, Sailor Vesta, and Sailor Juno. But, they haven't been around for a while. And next time you try to get me killed, I will get you in the next lifetime."
"Ceres, Pallas, Vesta, Juno?" Usagi echoed. "Sounds like the Amazoness Quartet." She shrugged a bit as she looked back down the street. "The Hikawa Jinja is just up the street. I just hope the others are there." Yomicha just sighed heavily as Usagi, with an iron grip, hauled her to the shrine down the street.
I had better call Kei and Megumi-chan when I get to the Hikawa Jinja, Yomicha thought. I just hope Kei…I just hope she's forgiven me. I really never meant to hurt her. Lady Venus and Lady Jupiter were always ones for love and romance. But this lifetime around, I might have to deal with my problems myself. I can't risk anyone getting hurt again.
, Yomicha thought."Yomicha-san, you told me about myself and the others," Usagi suddenly piped up. She had slowed her pace to a normal gait. She turned to look at the taller girl with a question mark in her eye. "But you haven't told me about yourself. It's like you're averting to do so."
"Princess, I've told you in previous lifetimes about myself and it's always ended up in some sort of disaster," Yomicha explained. Usagi got a serene look on her face, the one she used when she was getting serious, but trying to say calm at the same time.
"Yomicha-san," she started, dropping the girl's hand. Her blue eyes were stern, "You've told me that I can't ask about you about yourself because something bad might happen. You've also said that you must address me by my proper name because something might happen as well. Why must you be so mysterious? If it's for my own good, I understand. But if you just want to keep tight-lipped about this stuff, then I will have to command you to speak." Yomicha's jaw dropped. Even if she wasn't a princess, Usagi still seemed to have something that might give away that she was royal blood. And that meant that you had no choice but to listen.
"I can't tell you," Yomicha whispered. Her slate-blue eyes hardened. "Believe me! If I could tell you, I would! But I can't because there are always consequences! Why do you think we three were being mysterious in the first place ever since the first fight? Because there are consequences with every wrong move that you may think is right! But you don't now it's wrong until it's too late! Believe me. I know what it's like to make those kind of mistakes and end up regretting it for the rest of eternity." Usagi was briefly lost for words. Then her brow cleared and her face changed. From calm and stern, it turned to soft and compassionate.
"I understand, Yomicha-san," she said softly before grabbing her wrist again. Her comical expression slowly started to appear back on her face. Before her goofy self returned, Usagi said in a voice that Yomicha realized, "Everything will be right again. I won't allow anything bad to happen to any of my senshi." Her old self returned. "But we're going to be late if we keep dawdling. Hurry up!" Yomicha didn't say anything. She just allowed herself to be dragged into the shrine behind Usagi.
"Surprise!" Usagi yelled as she slammed the door open. Four other girls were sitting around a table, eating some sugar cookies that Mako had obviously made. The four girls looked up at their new companion. "Hi, minna! Look who I found!" Rei shrugged, but managed a polite hello.
"Hi, Yomicha-san," Minako said enthusiastically. "Hope Usagi-chan didn't pull your arm off by bringing you here." Yomicha was rubbing her wrist, where it had turned red from Usagi's grip. She managed a smile as the Makoto and Ami said their hellos as well.
"Can I use your phone?" Yomicha asked. "I have to call my friends to tell them I'm okay." Usagi was about to say something, but Rei just shook her head. She looked back at Yomicha.
"It's in the other room," she said, a frown on her face. Her violet eyes were dark as she stared at the napkin in front of her. "But be careful. Grandpa might try to sign you up to work at the temple. Don't talk to Yuuichirou-kun. He's in a bad mood." Yomicha nodded and left the room. Rei watched her cautiously before turning back to Usagi. Her voice was poisonous. "What were you thinking Usagi? I'm getting weird vibes from that girl. Don't you remember last time you trusted someone and ended up getting your chalice taken?"
Usagi's eyes got large. "But-"
"But nothing," Ami agreed, closing the book she was reading. "Rei-chan is right. You shouldn't trust other people so easily. They may be trying to use you since you're so innocent and trusting." Her blue eyes were sad, as always. "You've only got twenty years of innocence. Try to live that long and hold tight to those years." Usagi's jaw dropped.
"But, Ami-chan, Yomicha-san is-"
"We are just trying to protect you," Mako added, cleaning up the table. She showed Usagi the rest of the cookies. "Have a feast Usagi." Usagi stared at the cookies and then back at her friends. She was close to tears. They wouldn't even hear her out.
"Minna, please. Yomicha isn't like that. She's-" Minako cut her off this time.
"Usagi-chan, try to understand us," she said, tugging her red bow to make sure it was tight. It had been too loose ever since she got to the shrine. "You are our princess. We'd risk our lives for you, you know that. But lately, you've been making decisions that have actually cost you your life. It was a good thing those three senshi showed up and saved you. We can't run after every mistake you make. When we give you warning, take that to mind and heart. Yomicha-san is…"
"…a sailor soldier," another voice finished. They saw Luna walk through the door, who had clearly run all the way to Hikawa Jinja. She was breathing a bit hard, but managed to gather her breath to inform the four inner senshi.
They seemed rather shocked.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yomicha dialed the number to Kei's house. She sighed heavily. She hoped that Megumi answered the phone. Somehow, she couldn't seem to find the nerve to speak to Kei after what had happened.
The phone rang more times then any sensible person would have allowed it to ring. Yomicha sighed again. No one was home.
Just as she was about to put down the phone, there was click on the other line. "Moshi, moshi. This is Meino Keiko, may I help you?" Yomicha took a deep breath nervously. The memories were coming in another wave again.
"Hello?" Kei asked again. "Is this a prank call?" Yomicha took a deep breath again.
"No, it's not." There was silence on the other end as Kei seemed to gasp a bit. Yomicha was breathing heavily into the receiver. She could feel her blood drain from her head. Not again. Not this again, Yomicha thought desperately.
"Yomicha?" Kei breathed, her voice seemingly shocked.
"Y-y-yeah. It's me." Another pause. Kei seemed to be considering what to say.
"Are you okay?" she finally asked. Yomicha felt the queasiness come again and touched her stomach with a free hand. No, she wasn't okay. It felt like she would pass out any second now. The tears were brimming in her eyes and all she could see was that red rage that blurred her actions. But she could still hear their screams. Pleading for her to stop. And she hadn't. She continued until the growing bloodthirstiness in her had dimmed away. And by then, it had been too late.
"Oh, Kei!" she sobbed into the phone. She was at loss for words. A new memory entered her mind, among the countless of others. A young woman stood, staring at her with wide garnet eyes that were fleckled with hate. Strands of silky green hair flew across her face from the gentle, yet still harsh winds.
"When it comes time for peace to come for eternity...how can you break the Princess' heart?"
"Kei, how could I do that do those people?" Yomicha lamented, the sickness now permanent in her stomach. "Why did I think that was right? Why on earth did I think I could control destiny and put you and everyone through this?" But it was worse then that. "And now I'm in the presence of Serenity and her court and they don't remember a thing! They think I'm their friend. Only…only Lady Pluto remembered everything. Lady Saturn pities me and Lady Neptune and Lady Uranus always want to kill me. And by the time we arrived, they were already gone. I couldn't even apologize to Lady Pluto. I tried to give them peace...but seeing how different their lifetime is this time..." Yomicha didn't even finish.
"Yomicha," Kei whispered. Her voice was stern. "You cannot possibly blame yourself for past actions. What's done is done. You can't go back and change everyone's fate again. Even if the Princess' heart was broken, you can't change that can you?" The horror of those words was almost too much for Yomicha to handle.
"I don't know," Yomicha whispered, suddenly feeling the urge to vomit. Her hand was shaking as she clutched the phone with an unseen determination. "But, she is the one who had saved me. She is the one who forgave me without even knowing what to forgive me from. I don't deserve that kind of affection. Sometime, I don't know when, something that I did in the past will shatter her heart. That's how I repaid her. I put her destiny and the destiny of all senshi in stone." Yomicha didn't even try to stop the tears that spilled down her cheeks. It didn't matter.
Kei was silent for a moment as realization struck her deep. Yomicha wasn't trying to get affection from the sailors. She just wanted to protect them, knowing it was the least bit she could do, despite everything. She didn't care about her own emotions. She just didn't want to see anyone hurt anymore.
A smile curled on Kei's face as a warm feeling filled her heart. "I just want to say…you are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Yomicha-san. I haven't known you long and it's hard to say what I really feel. Ever since Daddy left, you've been at my side, even if you seemed to be humiliating me one way or another. I guess I didn't repay you back so well. I guess I was too afraid to admit that…" Kei's voice trailed off to an inaudible whisper. She found her voice again. "…that I love you." Yomicha didn't drop the phone from shock.
"Kei, I know you," Yomicha whispered. "I just want to be there for you. If I push you too hard, that means that I'm worried about you. You don't know it, but we've always been there for each other. I just don't want to you to get hurt on my account, like so many people did."
"Silly," Kei giggled, though there was relief in her voice. "I'd die a thousand deaths before any harm would come upon you. That's why I like you." Her voice suddenly became serious. "Ai shiteru, Yomicha-chan." Yomicha smiled.
"Hai," she replied. She looked at her watch. "I had better go back into the other room before the others start worrying that I fell off into oblivion or something." Kei laughed.
"Okay. Ja ne, love," she said between giggles and both girls hung up. Yomicha sighed. It wasn't much, but she felt a whole lot better than she had in a long time.
Walking over to the door, Yomicha heard the girls arguing about something. Pressing her ear to the door, Yomicha eavesdropped. She smiled as she realized the conversation was about her.
"I'm telling the truth!" Usagi yelled. "Yomicha-san is a sailor soldier! She's Sailor Capricorn!" Mako snorted.
"Wasn't she the one who was debating whether or not to give you back your chalice?" she asked, her voice as sharp as a dagger. She glared angrily at the table. "What makes you think that you can trust her?"
"She saved my life, didn't she?" Usagi pleaded, falling back against some pillows. She sighed. "If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't be with you right now." Mako just crossed her arms and glared at Usagi. Ami took this moment to speak up.
"It's not that we don't trust her," she said slowly. "After all, she is a sailor senshi. And sailor senshi of this solar system protect their princess. But, it's her actions that are debatable. I'm not so sure that we could trust her in a battle. She does things her way." Usagi shook her head, ready to argue again.
"She doesn't!" the petite girl shouted. "Just because it's different to us doesn't mean that it's a wrong way. They just think differently. After all, she and the other two have lifetimes of experience on us." Rei frowned.
"Lifetimes?" she asked skeptically. "I thought we only lived during the Silver Millennium. That was only one lifetime. We didn't have anymore before that, I'm sure of it."
"That's where you're wrong, Lady Mars," a seductive voice said from the doorway. The five senshi and the cats turned around. Yomicha was leaning against the doorframe, staring at them with cool gray eyes. An enticing smile appeared on her face. "The Silver Millennium was a one kingdom of many in a thousand lifetimes. You only remember that one because it was the most recent of all lifetimes. You couldn't remember all those before that unless you had a perfect memory."
"Stay away from Usagi-chan," Minako demanded. "You have no right to harm her." Yomicha's eyes widened a bit.
"I wouldn't hurt her," she said. By the tone of her voice, the other senshi knew she was telling the truth. Another smile appeared on her face. "But it seems that you four can't do much to protect her. Your powers don't seem to be working all that well." The five senshi blushed as they looked down at their hands. Yomicha chuckled a bit. "You don't know why, either." More blushing. "When was the last time you transformed? I mean, before this battle?" Mako looked up.
"When we fought against MagicStar and DreamStar," she said. "That was just a little short of a year ago." Yomicha didn't say anything. Her eyes were going from each of the senshi, examining them. Mako tried staring the girl right in the eye, but couldn't do so. She lowered her head.
"Call the others here," Yomicha finally said. "Your other friends. I would like to talk to them." Usagi nodded. She stood up and walked into the other room.
Weird, Usagi thought as she picked up the phone. Everyone seems to be so shy around her. It's not like we haven't been around worse. But something about her seems to command our absolute attention...almost as if we had to keep an eye on her...almost as if she were evil...
, Usagi thought as she picked up the phone.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sapphire looked at the mirror cynically. The other three were in the room as well. Ruby had locked the door so that no more unwanted visitors would sneak in.
"They don't know what to do with us," Emerald mumbled. She as sitting one the black chair of her vanity. She looked over at Sapphire, who was still staring at the large mirror in the far corner of the room. She was starting to get worried. Sapphire hadn't said a thing during the entire conversation.
Topaz noticed it too. "What do you think Sapphire?" she asked, hoping to attract the girl's attention. There was no response. Sapphire kept staring at the mirror intently, her eyes wide and deep in thought.
"Sapphire?" Ruby prodded.
"What?" The tone was so distant that it took the other three a couple of moments to realize the blue-clad soldier had responded. She looked over at the others. "What did you say?"
Emerald stood up and went to stand by the taller girl's side. Her turquoise eyes were full of worry. "What's wrong? Why have you been acting so secluded lately?" Sapphire just stared at her for a second.
"I'm sorry if it seems so," Sapphire whispered, loud enough for Topaz and Ruby to hear as well. Her voice was troubled as she looked back to the mirror. "I just feel…like something is calling me. And I want to go, but I don't know where I'm supposed to go. It seems that I should know, but my memories won't let me find out where." Emerald nodded.
"It seems the same way for me too," she agreed, resting her head on Sapphire's shoulder. "I hear something…or someone…calling me. But, I can't sense where this call is coming from. I want to know, but I can't." Ruby folded her arms and looked into the mirror as well.
"That's really weird," she said, her crimson eyes looking dark. Her face was etched in concern. "I feel something calling me too. But, I don't doubt it. I know I'm supposed to be doing something other than just sitting here! I'm supposed to be doing something important. Like I'm supposed to be guarding something." Topaz nodded in agreement.
"I feel the same way," she replied, walking up to Sapphire and Emerald. Her violet eyes were sparkling. "And with each calling, I see in my mind's eye something that is supposed to be here, but isn't. I can feel it in my soul. We have to do something. Evil approaches them if we don't help!"
Ruby looked confused. "Them?"
"Yeah. I don't know who they are, but evil is approaching them. If we don't stop it…I don't know. It feels as if I should be trying to stop it because it's my duty or something." Topaz fell silent as the mirror wavered. Her eyes got huge as their images were replaced by another figure. Her hair was golden blonde and held in the most unusual style. She was wearing a long and full white dress with a long train following her. A smaller version of herself, with pink hair instead of golden hair, walked next to her.
For some reason, everyone looked at Ruby. Her eyes were huge as she stared at the pink-haired girl. "Could that be…"
Sapphire stared at the taller figure in the image. "Neo-Queen Serenity and her daughter, Small Lady." The two figures were talking and the four fell silent as they listen to the conversation.
"Mama, how come there are sailor senshi?" the younger one asked. Her mother smiled.
"To protect the solar system, of course," she responded. Her blue eyes were questioning though. "Why do you ask?" The girl shrugged.
"I was just wondering: since the outer senshi are gone, who's gonna protect the outer system?" the girl asked, tugging a pink ponytail. Her mother sighed.
"That, my sweet, I don't know," her mother answered. The image faded away. Topaz frowned.
"That doesn't seem familiar," she whispered. Sapphire rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"Does anything these days?" she groaned. Emerald smiled a bit before turning back towards Ruby. The tension was still in the room, but it was lighter than it was. Emerald smiled at Ruby gently.
"You okay?" she asked, touching the taller girl's arm tenderly. Ruby shrugged a bit.
"Nothing a cappuccino can't fix," Ruby said with a grin on her face. The other three laughed as they powered down into their civilian identities. Skylar stuck her tongue out at Zephyr.
"Yuck, I hate cappuccino," she complained. Bunny precisely knocked her upside the head. Skylar moaned and rubbed the back of her head.
"Brat," Bunny mumbled. She got an evil glint in her eye. A smile came across her face. "You will learn how to like cappuccino. And coffee. And tea. And brussel sprouts. And sushi. And you will learn to hate candies and ice cream…"
"Eeek!" Skylar shrieked and ran through the mirror. It rippled slightly before resuming its natural appearance. Bunny erupted in laughter along with Zephyr and Atlantica.
Still laughing, they walked through the mirror. Their giggles lasted long after they were gone.
Random Author's Note (6-14-05): Looking back on this chapter now, I see that this story had some very good ideas, but unfortunately I was too unskilled as a writer to adequately convey these ideas. Maybe, sometime in the future, I might rewrite all of CosmicStars. One day.