Whilst Usagi struggles to study Shakespeare a hauntingly familiar melody accompanies her. Anime canon. Written for the 30th Anniversary of the Star-Locket.
Rated: T - Romance/Tragedy - Words: 2,235 - Luna, Usagi T./Serena/Bunny/Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion
A/N: This story is set after episode 26 of the original 1992 Sailor Moon anime.
I'd like to thank Imawriteritswhatidoand the sensational Senchatunes for helping me with this story. Imawriteritswhatidofor betaing the fic and checking the Shakespeare stuff for me and Senchatunes for her magnificent music analysis.
Check them out on Ao3 under the same usernames, or in Senchatunes case also on linktree, Instagram and Youtube.
This fic is a little bit odd as it kinda sorta involves music. I hope the fic can be read without it but I also feel readers might get something more out of it if they listen to the Star-Locket theme on loop once it begins to play in the fic. You can easily find versions of it on Youtube.
watch?v=puMu2Y7dPe4&t=
The evening's darkness had already set in by the time Usagi returned home from school. Feeling as if each of her limbs weighed a ton, she dragged herself up the stairs and into her bedroom, dumping her bag by the door.
"I. Am. Wiped. Ouuuuuuuut," she groaned.
"Well, that's what you get for wasting half the day with Naru and Umino."
Usagi shot a despondent look at the ebony feline perched upon the table at the centre of her room.
"I was trying to cheer up Naru after what happened with Nephrite!" she said, appalled by the insensitive accusation.
Luna closed her eyes and turned her nose up at Usagi. "Yes and I'm sure she truly appreciated you indulging yourself in all the delicacies of Chinatown," she said in an uppity tone.
Usagi balled her fist and pouted. "Why y-"
"Not only did you waste your time and miss our crucially important Senshi meeting, but you also managed to lose one of the Rainbow Crystals."
"Hey!" Usagi protested, "I was slightly busy dealing with Boxsy if you hadn't noticed."
"And after he'd been dealt with you were 'slightly busy' making goo goo eyes at Tuxedo Mask"
"I-I-..." Usagi was lost for words, unable to truly deny Luna's accusation. Not least of all because she struggled to ever deny her feelings for her perennial saviour.
"I gave you the Moon Stick to push you into being more responsible Usagi. It's high time you began living up to your duties, both as leader of this team and as a student." She patted a book already laid out on the table. "Now, a certain Mr. Shakespeare is waiting for you, so hop to it young lady!"
Lethargically, Usagi knelt at the table. She hated studying Shakespeare. Everyone always seemed to spend a lot of complicated and confusing words to say the simplest of things. At the very least her homework was just to read the play, not write an essay or anything. With a long exasperated breath she glanced at the front cover.
Romeo & Juliet
Despite only vaguely recalling the name before, Usagi felt a large sinking feeling in her stomach.
Two households, both alike in dignity
Already Usagi could feel her brain disengaging, reading the words but only sporadically taking any of them in.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
For whatever reason, something seemed to prick the back of Usagi's mind. Her brow furrowed slightly as she tried to rack her memories. It felt like it was something recent, yet also impossibly distant at the same time. She re-read the last two lines again.
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
A pair of star-crossed lovers
star-crossed lovers
star-crossed
star
That was it!
Usagi got up, walked over to her nightstand, opened the drawer, and fished out a golden, star shaped locket almost as large as her own palm. The metal was pleasantly cool to her touch, a feature she hadn't been able to appreciate when she first discovered it. But then, as she'd told Luna, Boxsy hadn't given her much time to focus on anything beyond the battle.
Although she was keen to return the locket to Tuxedo Mask (not least of all since it'd give her an excuse to talk to him) she also didn't want to part with the beautiful little trinket. Within the shiny surface, she stared at her own reflection, lightly brushing her thumb over the lid at the centre of the star. The tiniest pressure from that same thumb caused the lid to open, revealing a glass heart and a golden crescent moon steadily revolving within it. Simultaneously, the room was filled with soft, beautiful music.
An uneasy sensation travelled down her spine. Sure enough, when she looked behind her two crimson, disapproving, eyes were boring into her. "Oh, come on, I can't play a little music while I read?"
Despite Luna's furry feline features there was no mistaking the scepticism upon her face. "And you are actually going to read?"
"Yes!" hissed Usagi.
Luna made a dismissive little huff, but did not object when Usagi brought the locket over and placed it on the table.
Despite her promise, for several moments Usagi only pretended to read the play. In reality, she soaked in the soothing melody that might have been a lullaby if not for the lack of words. And yet, Usagi found some of her fatigue ebbing away. Indeed, as the short song repeated itself over and over again, its gentle rhythm almost seemed to nudge Usagi to read onwards.
Half an hour later, Usagi had miraculously managed to make it through most of the first act. Simultaneously, the music seemed to impress itself upon her ears. It wasn't so distracting that Usagi couldn't read on, but she also couldn't help her thoughts occasionally drifting to the song.
As the melody repeated itself she gradually became accustomed to it, soon predicting when each note would play and the exact sound it would make.
It always began so very peacefully. Peaceful, yet, Usagi thought, somehow bittersweet too…
JULIET
Go ask his name: if he be married.
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.
NURSE
His name is Romeo, and a Montague;
The only son of your great enemy.
JULIET
My only love sprung from my only hate!
Usagi couldn't be certain, having no great ear for music, but she was pretty sure the song repeated itself about half a minute in. As she listened more closely though, she realised she was mistaken. Yes, the music was much like the start of the song, but not exactly. It was almost like the song was dwelling upon the bittersweet thing from the start.
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy.
There was something dimly familiar about the tune. Could it perhaps be a cover from a pop song she'd heard?
That was most likely. It was probably about a girl in love. In Usagi's experience all the best songs were.
In fact, as the song looped again she became instinctively certain. There was no doubt in her mind that this 'melody maiden' felt some kind of longing for a love that was somehow bittersweet, and desperately wanted to know why it had to be so.
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
As the notes practically caressed Usagi's ears, she wished this mysterious melody maiden would somehow solve her problem. Indeed, as the music continued, Usagi believed that in some way perhaps she did. Just…maybe not the root problem?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
Well over an hour later, Usagi noticed the tune was again similar, yet different, to how it had been at the beginning. Had the maiden and her lover figured things out after all? Usagi wasn't sure.
It seemed to her that there was still a bittersweet vein running through the music. As if the lovers had resigned themselves to the meagre promise of happiness.
ROMEO
Farewell, farewell! one kiss, and I'll descend.
JULIET
Art thou gone so? love, lord, ay, husband, friend!
I must hear from thee every day in the hour,
For in a minute there are many days:
O, by this count I shall be much in years
Ere I again behold my Romeo!
ROMEO
Farewell!
I will omit no opportunity
That may convey my greetings, love, to thee.
JULIET
O think'st thou we shall ever meet again?
ROMEO
I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve
For sweet discourses in our time to come.
Then the song started over again.
Plip.
Usagi wished the song hadn't ended.
Plip.
Or rather, that it had ended differently.
Plip.
But it nev-
"Usagi?"
Usagi looked up, meeting Luna's concerned crimson eyes.
"Usagi…why are you crying?"
Usagi froze stiff.
Then, slowly, tentatively, she raised a hand to her cheek.
Seeing the tiny wet patch upon her finger tips Usagi let out a miniscule gasp.
"I…I don't know."
Her whisper hung in the air, neither she nor Luna saying another word.
Indeed there was no sound to be heard within the room at all.
No sound, save that of the star-locket.
A/N: For the record, the name of the fic is using the traditional meaning of the word 'nostalgic' which is to say 'pain of the past'.
I appreciate this story is rather…strange shall we say, so I'd actually be very curious to hear people's thoughts on it.
I've had this fic in mind for well over a year and it only smacked my dumbass that it would work MUCH better if you could have seen and heard the story. But lacking any animation skills (or money) this was the best I could do. Still it struck me as just a really cool idea to have a character cry due to a subconscious memory, and not even realise they were crying in the first place (an idea I shamelessly swiped from the Doctor Who episode 'Vincent and the Doctor').
I actually had an alternate version in mind too whereby Usagi would not simply shed a tear, but outright start sobbing whilst studying with Ami and Rei. I was going to do a second chapter with that alternate version when I realised that the same restrictions I mentioned above made that idea just…not as good in prose. This version I think at least somewhat works in prose because we readers don't realise Usagi is crying until Luna mentions it whereas her letting out a sob just falls flat in prose when you don't have the visuals or voices to bring it to life. Plus the above version is what I originally envisioned anyway, sans the Shakespeare stuff. I mostly added that in to give the story a little more structure because I thought the fic was weird if it was just Usagi dwelling upon music readers couldn't actually hear and thus not know what segments of the song she was thinking about.
However, if you would like some more details regarding the breakdown of the song, here are Senchatunes notes breaking the song down. I have slightly edited them just so you get what segments of the song she is talking about.
0:00-0:28 - part 1: it's a more peaceful tone which is slightly bittersweet but less 'strong' in emotion compared to part 2
0:28-0:52 - part 1 repeated with slight alterations
0:52-1:05 - part 2: this part is like a bridge and I always feel this part is like Usagi is asking 'why'. There is a yearning/longing tone to it. It is definitely a build up from part 1 bearing more emotion
1:06-1:16 - part 2 repeated with a different ending before it goes back to part 1. I feel this part is Usagi asking 'why' again and then resolving to some sort of acceptance before returning to part
1:17-end - returning to part 1 with a resolved finish but finishing with a non-tonic high note so it feels semi-unresolved. So I think it's like an ending that we don't want to finish with a hope that there is something better later.
If you get nothing else out of this fic I hope you take away how much Sencha knows her stuff, wow!
Also, just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!
P.S. I suppose you could also consider my older fic 'Moonlight Melody' as also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the star-locket too.