Hi guys! Here's the second chapter to my story. It slowed down a tad bit. Just to let you know, I'm now starting to work on Usagi Then, Serena Now and I Want to Fly Again. The new chapters will be posted asap. Oh yeah, the disclaimer. I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing. Hope you like it!
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Usagi flew through the star-laden sky, weaving through wisps of dewy clouds. The breeze was cool and the feeling of freedom was something she hadn't felt in a long time. But now wasn't a time to celebrate. She needed to find Haruka and Michiru –which she did by sensing their ki. Finding them a far distance away, she commenced to rip through the night air, her scouts following closely behind. They were asleep now, and Usagi was happy that they were free. Everything she went through, they had to go through ten times worse. She sighed as her wings folded close to her body and sped her up, flapping a few times to keep her aloft. So far, her escape had been auspicious, but she knew that Oz would send recruits to search for her and her friends. They knew too much about what was going on in the latent building.
She was closer to her intended target now, and a few miles should do it. She narrowed her eyes in concentration as she neared her outer scouts. She could now feel Hotaru, but the girl was not near Michiru and Haruka. A sudden realization hit her. What if they weren't at home, but at a bar? How would she make her entrance? Where did they live, anyways? Usagi shook her head of these thoughts. It was more important that her inner scouts get rest. She would heal them ASAP.
Pinpointing the location of the older outer scouts, Usagi dove straight down through the atmosphere, whizzing by layers of clouds. She found herself heading straight for a large mansion. She pulled out of her dive just in time to make a graceful landing. She calmly walked to the door and rang the bell, patiently waiting. A butler opened the door and looked surprised.
"How'd you get through the guards?" He asked suspiciously. He eyed Usagi's strange costume and wings.
"Where are Haruka and Michiru?" Usagi demanded.
"Who are you?" the butler narrowed his eyes.
"Listen, I don't have time for this. I need to speak with both of them. Tell them an old friend has come to visit."
"As you say, madame," the butler glared at Usagi before heading in. He came back a few moments later with two women in tow. Usagi did a double take when she saw them. Haruka, whose figure had once been lithe and graceful, was now on the chubby side, though far from corpulent. Her eyes were gaunt and bags were under them. Her hair was shoulder-length and tangled. She looked a mess. Michiru, whose body was model-like and perfect in weight, had grown scrawny and terribly skinny. Her face was ghastly and her eyes puffy. When they saw Usagi, they stopped, eyes growing wide, jaws dropping. Tears started to come to their eyes, and they just stood there, arms dangling at their sides, and eyes locked on Usagi's face.
"Usagi?" Haruka's voice cracked, as if she hadn't talked in a long time. "I-is it you? I mean, you're not another hallucination, are you? Wh-where have you been, k-k-koneko?"
"What happened?" Usagi frowned, eyes narrowing. "What happened to you guys? Why are you like this?"
"It is you!" Michiru lunged forward, sobbing her heart out. Usagi wrapped an arm around the senshi of the seas. Haruka gasped, before throwing her arms around the blonde, tears streaming down her face. She squeezed Usagi as if Usagi would run away and leave. Usagi gently pulled herself out of their embrace.
"What in the world happened to you guys?" Usagi asked, dehenshining. Her scouts were still in the bond, floated behind her.
"They said you died!!! They said they found your body, but we knew you were alive!!! We knew you'd come back!!! And we never stopped looking for you!!!" Michiru wailed.
"Who said that? I was kidnapped, and then my powers stopped working! Do you know they tortured us? They tortured us all!" Usagi grew emotional, blind rage filling her vision. "They experimented with us, they raped us, and they drove us crazy!!! They were trying to brainwash us into their army! And finally, mother found me, and gave me my powers back. What the hell happened?"
"You've been gone for two years, two entire years. And we never stopped looking, we never stopped! We couldn't sense you anywhere!" Haruka sobbed out. Usagi sighed, comforting the senshi of earth.
"You guys, let's go in," Usagi said tiredly. "I'll tell you what happened. Just tuck in the inners. I don't know what's wrong with them yet."
"Wh-what happened to them?"
"I don't know. Lead me to the nearest room."
"Ok," Haruka sniffled, rubbing tears from her eyes. Michiru hiccupped a little as she lead Usagi up a set of large, sweeping stairs. The inners followed close behind. Michiru opened the door to a large bedroom with four king beds set side by side. The décor of the room was in gold and maroon. A set of large, golden draperies swept aside to reveal translucent white curtains. A maroon rug with intricate designs in gold covered most of the floor of the room and the bedcovers were golden with maroon pillowcases stitched in gold. A beautiful crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, completing the look. Usagi let out a breath as she regarded the kingly room. Walking to each bed, she lay down a scout, ordering the ribbons to vanish. Soon, the inners were sleeping on the comfy beds, smiles on their faces. For the first time in two years, they had a real bed to sleep on and warm covers.
Usagi flicked off the lights to the room, gazing at each of her scouts' faces as she shut the door behind her.
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"… and that's basically what happened," Usagi finished, downing a cup of coffee. Bowls with scraps of food left were on a wooden coffee table, the contents filling Usagi. Michiru and Haruka sat across from her on a love seat. They had expressions of disbelief on their faces, mouth agape.
"I-I don't know what to say," Michiru shook her head. "If we could get back our powers, I'd blow up that facility. What I want to know is, how'd they find you?"
"You mean you didn't get your powers back?" Usagi looked up sharply. "Then this means that I'm the only one with my powers back. I'll see what I can do about it. Enough about that. How's Mamoru? Has he forgotten me?" Usagi said teasingly. She caught the look Haruka and Michiru gave each other.
"I- he- I don't know. A month after you left, he found another person, he went out with someone else," Haruka clenched her fists. Usagi's face fell.
"Oh. Who?"
"I don't know. It was some brunette girl. We caught him making out with her a few weeks before they actually got together officially."
"Well, I don't think I'd want to go back to him. He's way too old for me," Usagi replied, hiding her feelings perfectly. Her eyes glazed over with cheer, a smile breaking out on her face, but she cried on the inside. "A-Anyways, how's Hotaru? Last I saw her, she was a wee baby."
"She's grown up –around 17 now- and she doesn't remember you. She's out with some friends."
"What about my family?"
"Your family? I don't know how to tell you. A few weeks after you were kidnapped, they were murdered. All three of them."
"I should have known," Usagi said sadly. "Well, they told me they had killed them. I just didn't believe them, you know."
"Oh, Usagi, it was never supposed to happen this way. We were supposed to live happily ever after. I thought that the third time would be the charm."
"Have we ever been happy?"
"No, but we've always been together," Michiru sighed.
"How are you two doing?" Usagi asked concernedly after an awkward pause. "Michiru, you are so skinny! And Haruka, you seem to have gained weight."
"Well, we couldn't help it," Michiru sighed. "I couldn't eat without knowing where you were. And Haruka –she kept on eating from worry."
"I want you, Haruka, to go on a diet, and Michiru, you will fatten up. Otherwise, how can you be seen in public? What of your careers?"
"We took a long vacation."
"Well, once the both of you return to good health, I want to see you guys go back to your professions. I'll be in the stands cheering the both of you on," Usagi said firmly. "And as your princess, I command you to do so."
"Usagi, we can't leave you again. What if they –"
"They won't," Usagi cut off bitterly. "I deactivated the trackers they put in our system. White magic is too much for them. What I want to know is, how the hell did our powers deactivate? Why can't you guys transform?"
"I don't know," Haruka frowned. "It's like; someone just hit the 'off' button. And Pluto has been out of contact for a very long time. She said not to worry about you after you had been kidnapped, that you would return and the future would turn back to normal. She said you'd be stronger and wiser. And then she left. We, of course, didn't believe her. I mean, she'd been wrong before."
"Don't blame her. She gets her orders from the higher be-be-beings," Usagi ended with a large yawn; the day's events had caught up with her.
"We should get you to bed," Michiru said, rising from her seat. "You've been through a lot. The least you deserve is a warm bed. But, first, take a bath. You'll sleep better clean."
"Sure," Usagi replied as she followed Haruka to a large bathroom with blue décor. A standing shower stood in one corner, and a bathtub big enough for two people stood a little past that. Michiru turned on the faucet to the bathtub, filling it with red rose petals and a soothing vanilla bubble bath. She left fluffy white towels and a pink bathrobe for Usagi, mumbling about how she needed to find pajamas that would fit Usagi. Usagi said her thanks and smiled as she eased into her hot bath. It felt heavenly. Soon, she escaped into her own world of love and peace and comfort.
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Usagi sighed contentedly as she sunk into her bed. They had given her a room filled with silver and pale blue, reminding her of cool snow. She snuggled into her thick blanket, falling asleep almost immediately. A few moments later, Haruka and Michiru came to check on her. They smiled sadly as they gazed upon the hardened features of their princess. Catching each other's eyes, they hugged fiercely before closing the door behind them.
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Please review!!! Flames, as always, are accepted. I appreciate comments on writing improvement. Cross your fingers for my other two stories!!!!!!
