Alone
Sighing softly, Usagi looked longingly towards the white building with the words "Crown," written in gold atop its entrance, staring almost enticingly at her. She probably would have gone in, but she really needed to study for that test, seeing as how she'd failed the last one miserably.
But those cushioned seats looked so much more inviting, almost lulling her towards them. She wondered briefly if they were a trap, but quickly shook it off. Who would put a trap in an arcade room?
Turning to head off towards home, she noticed a crowd standing in the streets ahead of her, choking most of the traffic and causing congested sidewalks. Deciding easily it would probably be best to wait until it was gone to start home, besides she didn't want to start any trouble. So with that in mind she walked quietly into the room, noticing one very familiar face as she entered.
"Hey Usagi!" called out Motoki Furuhata, the tall blonde who helped run the store. His handsome, boyish face alight with a grin, he greeted her kindly "is that you?"
Smiling softly, she turned to look at the young man, noticing how much taller he had grown since they last talked. She wasn't at all surprised though, they hadn't spoken since... why the last time had been back before the great battle... Their last battle. Blood and ice and scattered hair. Roses. Poisoned roses and that horrible pink light. Blinding and engulfing... swallowing whole...
"Hi Motoki!" she said, scratching her head as she glanced around. "long time no see, eh?"
She tried to sound cheerful, just as she had tried to protect her friends time and time again, however it just didn't ever seem to work, and like all other times, her expression cracked under his worried gaze.
"Usagi, where'd you get those cuts? They look awful!" And she knew they did. Large gashes and bruises were always remnants of her fights as Sailor Moon. A reminder always of how weak she was, how weak she always was.
"Tripped," she replied flippantly, the same answer as always, not that anyone ever believed her. But it was the truth, well mostly. She shook her head as she noticed more questions ready to spill forth from her old friends mouth, and quickly headed him off with a convenient conversational blockade.
"May I have an ice cream?" she asked, smiling largely as he glanced suspiciously at her, "please?"
He left to fix her request and she climbed up on the cushioned red stool, staring pitifully forward, wondering why again she had wanted to come in. The place looked just as she remembered, checkered patterns criss-crossing on the floor, while bright waves of light poured down from above. Her pondering, though, was quickly interrupted by a young man sitting down beside her. She decided to ignore him, not even glancing at his face.
A soft chuckle, though, had her facing her companion in mere seconds, only to find herself staring into deep, deep blue eyes, filled to the brim with amusement. Coldly laughing, they stared like ice. Ice and fire, he smirked with disdain. He sneered and attacked. Blood. Blood and ice and the black rose, almost as dark as the man who bore it.
Usagi felt the tears surface as her breath caught. She couldn't breathe, even as the blue eyes stared with mirth.
"Usagi-" Motoki's words were cut off as he glanced over to see a dark haired man smiling mischievously. "Mamoru, your back already?"
"Ah, Motoki! Yeah I just got back today and thought I'd stop by. Never dreamed I'd see Odango-Atama."
The use of her old nickname would have sent her to her knees, had she not been sitting anyways. Why had she been so foolish to come here when she knew what awaited her? Heartache was all she felt anymore, that and pain, always pain. But she was a soldier, a soldier bound to protect her friends, even if from the sidelines. The soldier of love, forced to give up her prince so he might be free, free from the pain...
"Buzz off Mamoru," she said loudly, huffing as she all but ran to the door, ignoring the yells of Motoki and the small ice cream in his hands. All that mattered was getting out of there, getting far away...
Her mind was so caught up in thought she didn't know what was happening until she fell face first into the ground, her feet sprawled behind her and a person under her. She almost cried at her luck, but she couldn't, to cry was a weakness she no longer had the luxury of possessing.
"Well, it seems we meet again," looking down at the person beneath her, Usagi stared into emerald eyes dancing with amusement.
"You again!" she cried out, then snapped her mouth shut at her rude words, apologies on the brink of her tongue. She opened her lips to apologize, that is, until she felt lips pressed up against her own, silencing her with the sweet taste. Like honey and rice, the smell of the wind overpowering it all. The smell of freedom...
And then they were gone as quickly as they came, Usagi sitting breathlessly alone on the cold ground. She smiled softly pressing a finger to her lips. It had been a long time since she'd received a kiss, so very long.
Shaking her head she headed home, her thoughts a chaotic jumble that belonged so much to hormonal teens.
Tsukino Ikuko walked quietly up the stairs, careful to try and not disturb her daughter from her rest, she hardly got any these days and it made her worry even more. What was wrong with her daughter? Why did she always keep disappearing? Where did these cuts come from?
Now, despite what her daughter may believe, Ikuko did know she kept disappearing at night, and returning at almost dawn with those ugly cuts and spots. However, she had believed, and still did, that a conflict may arise if she brought them up, thus she had ignored them. Her baby wasn't stupid enough to do the same, harmful, thing night after night.
But then she did... and it made her worry even more.
Was she in a gang? Was it bullies? O how the questions haunted her! And those eyes, her child's eyes seemed to darken with each passing day, it was only so long before she broke.
And Ikuko worried she wouldn't be able to put her baby back together, and she'd lose yet another child... Sighing, she glanced down the hall at the shut door, empty of all life. Her son was gone, had been gone for months now, and with him left a part of her.
No mother should have to bury her own son, to stare into those hollow eyes that should have been filled with life. But she had, and now, she feared, she'd have to do it again.
Closing her eyes, she tried not to imagine the bloody scene she dreamed of late at night, of the terrible visions of death surrounding her. And her daughter, standing alone as the world collapsed, tears leaking from a broken soul in a tattered uniform...
The same dream she had every night, and that she feared might come true. Especially with the way things were going as of the moment.
She picked up the dirty clothes basket and turned around, heading for the washer. Passing by the oaken door, she stood dead still as she heard her daughter's voice, sounding, dare she say it, almost happy...
Clutching the clothes in her arms, she thought back, the last time her daughter had done such a thing had been months ago. How many? She wasn't terribly sure, but to here that voice, smiling the way it used to, the way her little Usako once did...
But what had caused such a change?
Listening carefully, she pressed herself against the door, making sure not to make a word while doing so.
"... Can you believe it? And it's been so long since anything nice has ever happened. I just wish I knew his name, it's only the second time we've met. The last time he saved me from being run over..."
Ikuko moved away from the door, the fact her daughter was talking to herself forgotten as the impacts of her daughter's words hit her fully. Her baby had almost died. Already, the shock seemed to settle around her, the painful thump in her heart beating just as steadily as it had been the officers had come. Her eyes burned, her throat burned, her fingers clutched the basket tightly. She had almost lost another, she had almost lost another...
"Still though, it was nice, the kiss I mean, I just wish I knew his name." Ikuko jumped in surprise, dragged from her thoughts at her daughter's voice before moving quietly away from the door, not wishing to disturb Usagi's rest. Not after so close... she'd almost lost another... another blank eyed baby, to young to be missing life.
"Wake up! Souta, I swear if you don't stop... if you don't wake... I swear... I... No... no..."
She moved away and smothered her sigh. She would not bury another, not again. Ever.
Sailor Moon jumped from rooftop to rooftop, her eyes alight the first time in quite awhile, as she ran. She'd defeat this youma and show those new Senshi they weren't needed, that they didn't need to fight. She wouldn't let them... She just couldn't...
Jumping off one of the skyscrapers, she felt the wind rush through her golden locks, sweeping them away while she fell, the adrenaline pounding through her body. Scarlet boots kissed the ground harshly before separating, the movement as fast as lightning. She swept across the night, needing to hurry and get there before the youma hurt anyone, before innocent people met there doom.
A sandy haired boy stood tense and immobile, arms spread, eyes wide and frightened as he stared... No! Not now!
Sailor Moon glanced around her, noticing easily enough, she was in the ghettos of the city, at night none the less.
"Where is it?" she whispered, her eyes darting around for the tainted feeling, only it was everywhere. Surrounding her and playing with her, taunting her senses with it's foul breath. She needed to find it quick.
A loud scream sent her running, the blue skirt rippling in the wind.
And then she was there, staring at an overgrown pixie, blue skin stretched tightly around it's ugly face, butterfly wings black and green.
"Stop right there!" screamed the golden haired warrior as she glared at the monster, a limp body affront it and a red crystal tightly in it's grips. "What you've done is unforgivable, in the name of the moon I shall punish you!"
She held her tiara ready, eyes narrowed as she slung it towards the creature, watching as it dodge her attempts with ease. Sailor Moon growled with annoyance, stupid overgrown bug-man-thing. The creature ran towards her, black eyes slitted and teeth barred. She watched as it's claws stretched out and she steadied herself for the blow, ducking down low when it came before pushing her shoulder in the creature's gut.
A groan was her reply as she slid sideways while it crashed into the ground. Twisting in mid-motion, the moon-warrior spun on her heels and pulled a moonwand firmly into her hands.
"Moon Healing Escalation!"
The attack did little more than take off a wing and cause a few scratches. Sailor Moon's eyes widened and a gasp escaped her lips, watching with wonder as the creature stood.
"I'll get you for that!" shrieked the monster, and Usagi tumbled to the ground in pain as a large beam of light threw her backwards. Her scream echoing through the alleyway.
However, she couldn't stay there long. She had to stop this creature! She stood once more, climbing back to her feet with all her will and determination. She had to defeat this creature before it hurt more! Glancing over at the heaving woman, she realized whatever was taken had not killed her, but it would before long. She needed to hurry.
For Shingo, her mind whispered and she held her scepter tightly once more, not noticing the soft glow surrounding it. For Shingo.
Eyes glazed with pain, as the chest slowed its heaving, blood spreading across the white gloved hands and between the fingers; coating her fingers with that sticky substance.
"Moon Scepter Elimination!"
This time, the creature dissipated and Sailor Moon rushed to grab the crystal floating delicately in the air, only to find it gone.
"Wha-"
"It's not them," interrupted a voice, green hair blocking her view of the face, Sailor Moon ran towards the person, prepared to beg for the crystal. However, she found she needn't have bothered for aqua haired Senshi simply turned away towards the figure on the ground lying in a heap.
"Thank you," sputtered out Sailor Moon as she turned towards the victim, noticing the pale skin and cold arms immediately.
The lunar warrior watched the other pressed the crystal to the woman utterly confused, and watched, amazed, as the crystal fell into the woman's body, a groan escaping the still figure as she did. Rushing forward, she didn't even notice the two senshi back away, so when she turned back to once more offer thanks, Sailor Moon found, as before, nothing but the dark alleyway, and the wind's refreshing blow. Shaking her head, she hurried home. Slightly disappointed that the two refused to stay longer than necessary.
