Disclaimer - We all know that Sailor Moon and all related characters belong to Takeuchi Naoko. I claim none of them, but thank her for their use. All incidental characters are mine, but if you feel the desire to use them please feel free. I'll just disavow anything I don't like, hahaha…
Wow, another three reviews, and this time two from first time reviewers (for me). Welcome mae-E and v1786. And greetings to asrene! I seem to have caught people's interest with this one. And here I wasn't sure people would like it... I hope you enjoy it to the very end!
Haha, Kali Minnamo, this one is for you. Your comment to Moonlit Sakura came at just the right time... (grin) I wasn't going to use it, but she insisted... - Raya
Moon's Light
As expected, neither Rei, nor Ami, nor the doctor found anything wrong with her spirit or body. Ami frowned as she discovered that not only were the bouts getting more painful they were coming more frequently.
Pain killers didn't help her. Only the pain sharing that Mamoru and Luna did were very effective and even that was not always helpful. In desperation, Ami taught her Lamaze to help during the times that they were not available. And then, angry, helpless, and frustrated, her friends watched her struggle to live day by day.
"Onee-chama..." Sailor Guardian Moon said, her patience beginning to wear thin. "You don't need me here anymore."
"Yes I do!" Sailor Guardian Cosmos said tearfully. "You have to protect me! You promised!"
"I will," the taller girl said starting to sound impatient. "You know that. But I don't have to be right here to protect you. You're strong enough to protect yourself now."
The smaller girl shook her head stubbornly, remembering the times in the distant past when she had been killed. Only after Sailor Guardian Moon had come to protect her and join her strength to hers had she finally been safe.
"Onee-chama..."
"We'll decide together!" Sailor Guardian Cosmos said suddenly. The taller girl looked at her uncertainly. Her sister's crystal blue eyes were desperate and determined.
"Okay, how?" she said finally. The smaller girl responded by collapsing against her again and holding her as tightly as she could. With a puzzled look, the taller girl wrapped her arms around her, and rested her chin on the top of her head between the little heart-shaped odangos.
(October 20, 1999)
Usagi picked fretfully at the quilt which covered her. Mamoru leaned against the door frame for a moment, and watched her unnoticed. With a soft sigh, he forced himself up and into the room. It had been a long year. He smiled as Usagi looked up at him. "Do you need anything?" he asked gently.
With a frown, she shook her head. Her hand rubbed lightly at her heart which burned almost constantly now.
Having expected that answer, he nodded, and climbed into the bed. Gently, he reached out an arm and wrapped it around her.
"I hate this!" she exclaimed suddenly with tears in her eyes. "It's not supposed to be this way."
"I know," he said as he kissed the top of her head. "We were supposed to have our little girl, defeat the Black Moon Clan a couple more times, and live happily ever after."
"And instead, I'm trapped in this bed half of the time," she replied in frustration as she clenched her hand. "Why? Why did this have to happen?"
Closing his eyes, he gathered his patience and tried think of some way to soothe her for one more night. "I'm sorry, Mamo-chan," she said suddenly. As his eyes flew open at the remorse and tears in her voice, she continued. "You deserve something more. I'm nothing but a burden to you now."
"Don't say that," he said sharply as he sat up and grabbed her by both of her shoulders. "Don't even think that," he added as he shook her gently. "You are what I need, and don't you forget it!" As she looked up at him with wide eyes, he forced himself to stop. "Usako... You're the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said more gently. "I can't live without you. Don't give up on me!"
She blinked at him, and then smiled slightly. "I won't. I wasn't," she said reassuringly. "I didn't mean it that way. I just... I guess I was just feeling guilty that I'm not the perfect wife, or even a very good wife."
He leaned down and kissed her lips gently. "You are perfect, Usa," he said softly. "Don't forget that."
She kissed him back, needing all the reassurance he could give her. She whimpered a little when he pulled back, but stopped as she watched him reach over to turn out the light. Gently, he drew her into his arms and lay down on the bed. Knowing that she wouldn't feel in the mood for anything more, he held her close, exchanging kisses with her occasionally until they both fell asleep.
Usagi looked at her strange surroundings with the distant curiosity of dreams. She walked out of a tall, stone church and down into the deserted streets of Tokyo. As she walked into a square, her attention was drawn up to one of the tall advertising screens. Her hands came to her lips in shock as she saw an image of Super Sailor Mercury standing helplessly in front of Death Phantom, both of them surrounded by a dark aura. Small rivulets of bright red blood flowed from the cuts on her arms, legs, and face. Usagi's heart stopped as the camera zoomed in on the tears that poured down her friend's face.
'Would you stop this?' a woman's voice asked coldly. It sounded familiar, but Usagi couldn't quite place it.
"Yes!" she cried desperately. "Where is she?" The background of mist and dark evergreens was completely unfamiliar to Usagi.
She gasped as she suddenly found herself in the forest with them. With relief she discovered that she had already been transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon. "Let her go!" she cried as she ran forward. Desperately, she fought her way through the minions which appeared, and finally reached Super Sailor Mercury's side. Death Phantom disappeared as she reached them, and Super Sailor Mercury collapsed unconscious into her arms.
Quickly, she carried her friend over to a small stream, stripped off a glove, and began to use it to bath Super Sailor Mercury's wounds. As she dipped the glove in a third time, another vision appeared before her. Her eyes widened as she saw Super Sailor Mars fighting against a horde of demons in some distant desert. "Rei-chan!" she exclaimed, reaching for her friend.
'Would you stop this?' the voice asked again.
"Yes!" she cried once more. Abruptly, she found herself in the desert. Her heart stopped as she realized that Super Sailor Mercury was not with her. "Wait! What about Ami-chan?"
'Choose,' the voice said coldly.
Her eyes widened. "Choose? I can't choose between them!" The voice did not reply. Her head jerked to the left as she heard Super Sailor Mars cry out in pain. "Rei-chan!" Desperately hoping that Ami would be all right, she fought her way through the demon horde to Super Sailor Mars' side. The Senshi of Fire barely acknowledged her as together they finally managed to defeat their enemy.
"Mars!" she cried as the senshi collapsed along with her last foe. "No!" Quickly, she tore off her other glove and tried to use it to staunch the blood that flowed out of her friend's neck. As the flow slowed, she looked around desperately for some water.
Instead, she saw a shimmer in the air. Her eyes widened as she saw Super Sailor Jupiter fly through the air and crash into a giant wall of stone. A giant stone horseman raised its sword. Struggling to her knees, the Senshi of Protection threw a Sparkling Wide Pressure at its arm. As it cracked and broke, she dove to the right to avoid the horse's heavy hooves.
"Jupiter!" She looked down at Super Sailor Mars, and then back to the image of Jupiter as the cold voice once again asked if she would help her friend. She looked all around the desert, and as far as her eye could see there was nothing but sand, her wounded friend, and the image of her other friend who was slowly tiring. Biting her lip, she quickly stripped off one of Super Sailor Mar's gloves and used it to hold her glove in place on the woman's neck.
Then, she rose and ran towards the vision of Super Sailor Jupiter. She cried out in pain as she was hit from behind by a stone club. Fortunately, it missed her wings. Instinctively, she let the force carry her forward, and then rolled out of the fall.
"Moon Tiara ACTION!" she called as she threw her tiara at the attacker behind Super Sailor Jupiter. Eternal Sailor Moon stumbled a little as she rose back to her feet, but with a look of determination on her pretty face, she fought with her friend against the tough stone giants. Slowly, the battle moved up to the top of the wide stone wall. She came close to falling off the wall several times, but managed to regain her balance at the last moment.
Super Sailor Jupiter yelled out a garbled phrase of some sort and used a jump kick to knock her last opponent off the wall. Eternal Sailor Moon paled and dove after her friend as she, too, sailed over the side of the wall. She cried out in pain as she caught her friend's hand only to have Super Sailor Jupiter's weight suddenly yank down on her arm. She winced as she felt the limp body hit the wall beneath her. Tears of pain streamed down her face as she desperately hung on and tried not to go over the edge herself.
As the dust they had stirred up made her sneeze, she winced again. She closed her eyes and whimpered as another vision appeared in the dust cloud. Super Sailor Venus was held pinned to a wall by a tall man wearing a fedora hat and suit with a knife to her throat. Another man, shorter, was approached them carrying chains. The golden leader of the senshi was covered in blood, bruises, and scrapes. It had obviously already been a long fight.
'Would you stop this?' the voice asked a fourth time. Sobbing, Eternal Sailor Moon looked down at Super Sailor Jupiter.
"Mako-chan!" she pleaded. "Mako-chan wake up!" She pulled desperately against her friend's dead weight. She gasped as she felt her sweaty hand slip on Super Sailor Jupiter's glove. She closed her eyes as she heard Super Sailor Venus scream. "No!"
With a flash of pink light, she yanked her arm back and pulled Super Sailor Jupiter to the top of the wall. She didn't take the time to check her for wounds. She just turned and flew to the dust cloud which was starting to fade away. She barely made it in time.
"Leave her alone!" she yelled at the thugs who had used the chains to bind her friend to the wall. As they turned to face her, she fell into her pose. "The pretty sailor-suited Soldier of Love and Justice, I am Sailor Moon!" The men attacked her before she could tell them that she would punish them in the name of the moon.
Quickly, she tried to fight her way through to Super Sailor Venus, who was watching her blankly. It took a while, but she finally managed to get in front of her friend. She sobbed with exhaustion as she finally managed to catch the last one with a Moon Twilight Flash attack. She collapsed to her knees, feeling too tired to move. Somehow, she managed to find a key to open the manacles on her friend's legs.
She whimpered again as a hubcap leaning on the wall beside the leader of her senshi showed yet another scene. Super Sailor Neptune fought on a ship that was obviously far out to sea. In the background, an oil slick glinted dangerously in the sun.
"Minako-chan," she cried as she looked back to her friend. "Minako-chan help me!" The golden haired woman just sagged unconscious in her chains.
Eternal Sailor Moon closed her eyes and somehow managed to drag up the strength to fight once more. After the battle, she lifted an unconscious Super Sailor Neptune out of the ocean and into a lifeboat. Somehow she managed to get her away from the fire which had started on the oil slick before her torturer used an ocean wave to show her Super Sailor Uranus fighting what appeared to be abominable snow men on a dark, snow covered mountain peak.
Beyond caring except for the need to save her friends, she dove into the ocean, rolled in the snow and used her Rainbow Moon Heartache repeatedly to help her Senshi of Rebellion. She wasn't surprised when Super Sailor Uranus collapsed at the end of the fight. She just pulled her into a nearby cave, and then jumped into the image of a jungle which had appeared in the snow and where Super Sailor Pluto fought against the now expected overwhelming odds.
After leaving the dark haired Senshi of Revolution curled in a fetal position inside a ruined temple of some sort, Eternal Sailor Moon stumbled into a sheen of moonlight reflecting off of gold which took her to a destroyed camp of tents and temporary huts and a Super Sailor Saturn who was desperately fighting to save a small group of children. She sobbed as she used her Moon Princess Halation attack to cleanse the remaining attackers while the younger senshi and the children she was protecting escaped.
She looked around fearfully wondering what her torturer had in store next. There were only two more warriors for her to save, and she felt too desperately tired to do so.
Suddenly, she found herself back at the long forgotten square in Tokyo. Wearily, she lifted her head and felt her whole body tighten in shock. "No... It's not possible..." she whispered as she stared at the tall woman dressed in a long black dress. The distinctive pointed pink odangos seemed to mock her as the woman turned to face her. "ChibiUsa-chan..."
The woman frowned irritably. "I am not chibi," she said a little petulantly. "When will you ever learn? I am Black Lady."
Eternal Sailor Moon sobbed as she felt herself start to faint from exhaustion. "No..."
"Would you save her?" the familiar voice asked again coldly. Wearily, she turned her head to face the speaker. A small woman, hidden in the shadows seemed to watch her emotionlessly.
"I will," she said as she tried to force her way back to her feet. She sobbed as she failed. "I will save her," she repeated in a determined voice. Black Lady just laughed mockingly at her and raised an elegant hand up into the sky. Around her fist, a globe of dark light began to gather.
Eternal Sailor Moon brought out her Moon Tier and drug it around in front of her. "Silver Moon... Crystal... Kiss!" she gasped. Closing her eyes, she focused and sent all of the power she could into the Crystal. 'Please,' she begged it desperately.
Her eyes flew open as Black Lady screamed. She watched as the woman slowly turned back into six year old ChibiUsa. Gently, a soft, transparent, pink bubble surrounded the little girl and floated her back to her mother. Eternal Sailor Moon reached out and accepted her with trembling arms. The Moon Tier disappeared as it fell to the ground. "ChibiUsa-chan," she said softly in relief.
The relief was short lived, however. With worried eyes, she noted her future daughter's unnaturally pale skin, ragged breath, and sudden shivering. "ChibiUsa-chan? ChibiUsa!" she sobbed, pulling the girl close to her chest. She looked desperately around the square and finally settled her eyes on the shadowy woman. "What's wrong with her? Why are you doing this!" she cried weakly.
"Would you save her?" the woman asked emotionlessly.
Eternal Sailor Moon sobbed. "How! Tell me how!" she begged. Her exhaustion was so deep that she could barely keep her transformation.
"Give up," was the response.
"Give.. Give up?" she faltered. Slowly she shook her head. "My life for hers?" She looked at the woman with confused eyes. "But... But then she won't be born..."
"No," the woman replied. "Not your life. Sailor Moon." Eternal Sailor Moon looked more confused. "To save your precious ChibiUsa, you must give up the ability to become Sailor Moon ever again." As she opened her mouth, unsure of what she would say, the woman gestured. Eternal Sailor Moon gasped as she saw holograms of all of her friends. They were unconscious still, and wounded, even Super Sailor Saturn.
"This is the future," the mysterious woman said as she waved to the holograms. "These battles are still to come. And more. Would you leave them to fight alone? Would you leave your world defenseless?"
"Don't... Don't do it, Usagi," ChibiUsa cried weakly. "Don't give up." She whimpered in pain as fat tears began to slowly roll their way down her chubby cheeks. "Don't... Don't..."
"ChibiUsa-chan!" Eternal Sailor Moon sobbed. She looked back and forth between the holograms of the friends she had just managed to save and the daughter she longed for.
"Choose," the woman said. "Give up, and the child lives. Or, refuse, and save your friends and your world."
Eternal Sailor Moon tightened her grip on her daughter as for the third time in her life she was faced with an impossible choice: her beloved or her friends and her world. Unlike Metalia and Empress Night, this adversary did not try to take the decision from her. Instead, the shadowy woman waited with impossible patience for her answer.
The only sound was ChibiUsa's whimpers as she shivered in pain. The little girl tried desperately to hold them in, but they overwhelmed her. In spite of the pain, however, she urged Eternal Sailor Moon to forget about her, to think of their world, to fight.
"There is still the Black Moon Clan," the woman said, as she summoned up a hologram of Death Phantom, Demand, Saphir, Rubeus, Esmeraude, and the four sisters. "They have not yet appeared. That is one of your future battles. How much harder will the battle be if you cannot transform?"
Eternal Sailor Moon squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head desperately. "Stop it," she whispered. "Stop it. Stop it!"
"Choose," the woman said again.
Tears streaming down her face, her heart breaking, she looked at her choices once more. Her eyes lingered lovingly on her comrades, sisters, and protectors. 'I'm sorry, everyone...' she thought as she hung her head in defeat. "I give up," she said softly.
"Nooo! Stupid Usagi!" ChibiUsa cried weakly. She, the holograms of the fallen senshi, and the Black Moon Clan disappeared in a wink. Eternal Sailor Moon felt the power drain out of her. Usagi watched blankly as it gathered into a ball of pink light, and then flew to the woman.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
Usagi gasped as she saw the face that was illuminated by the pink light. A fourteen year old ChibiUsa, dressed as a princess, stood before her. On her forehead, her crescent moon sigil glowed faintly with a golden light. Slowly, she closed her dark pink eyes and let the light of the transformation fade into her skin. When it was gone, she was transformed into Sailor Moon.
"Thank you, onee-chama," she said again with a soft, reassuring smile. "I will still be here to protect you. I will never abandon you. And together with our friends, I will continue to help you protect this world." She looked to Usagi with a reassuring smile. "You made the right choice, I promise."
Usagi looked at her with tears in her eyes, and then smiled tremulously in agreement.
Mamoru came awake abruptly as Usagi cried out in her sleep. Anxiously, he turned to wake her up. His worry grew when he realized that he couldn't.
Luna dashed into the room and jumped onto the bed as Usagi cried out again. "Usagi-chan!" she called with a worried voice. "Usagi-chan, wake up!"
For five minutes, the two watched helplessly as she struggled in her nightmare. Nothing they did seemed to help her or wake her up. Suddenly, she grabbed her heart and screamed as she curled into a fetal position. "Stop it!" she screamed.
Mamoru and Luna winced and protected their eyes as a bright silver white light shone all around the sleeping woman. With narrowed eyes and a deep sense of shock, they saw her crescent moon sigil appear on her forehead, and then splinter into a tiny eight pointed star. Slowly, it reformed into a crescent moon as it and the light it generated faded.
Slowly, Usagi relaxed, opened her eyes, and looked blankly around the room. "Usako?" Mamoru called tentatively. She slowly turned to look up at him, and blinked.
"Mamo-chan?" she said hoarsely.
"Are you all right?" Luna asked anxiously. "What happened? Why wouldn't you wake up?"
"Luna," she said, and then seemed to abruptly wake up. With a concerned look, she sat up, reached out, and stroked her advisor's head. "Luna, what's the matter?" she asked as she sat up. "Why do you look so worried?"
"I'm worried about you!" the black cat responded a little acidly. "What else on this blue world would worry me?" As Usagi stared at her blankly, she watched Mamoru take his wife in his arms. Usagi turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.
"Mamo-chan?"
"You're all right," he whispered as he pulled her close. "Thank god you're all right."
Her eyes suddenly widened, and then her expression softened. "Yes, I'm all right," she reassured both of them. "I'm really all right. I'm sorry if I worried you."
"What happened?" he asked, repeating Luna's earlier question.
"It was... a decision," she replied slowly. She began to smile. "It's made now, just as it should be."
She ignored their questioning faces as she suddenly snuggled into her husband. "Mamo-chan," she whispered as she gave him a gentle kiss. "My chest doesn't hurt any more," she said suggestively. He blinked at her, and then shook his head. Usagi just leaned into him and kissed him again slowly and deliberately. Blinking suddenly at the smell of pheromones in the air, Luna quickly jumped off of the bed and let the two lovers have the privacy they deserved.
'Usagi must be okay,' she thought to herself with a small smile as the door cut off her master's gasp and her mistress' happy giggle.
A/N: onee-chama - older sister, chibi - small