Chapter 10
Awaken the Sleeping Beauty: Mamoru's Distress
In Usagi's house, Sora and Riku listened intently to Usagi reading a story called Sleeping Beauty, which not only helped Chibiusa fall asleep, but also filled him with a sense of nostalgia thanks to Ventus' adventures in Aurora's world.
"How boring," sighed Chibiusa.
"What are you talking about? That's the best part of the story," remarked Usagi.
"I heard this fairy tale before," said Chibiusa.
"Come on, Chibiusa. I never get tired of hearing that story, even when Usagi reads it," countered Riku.
Usagi continued reading it, and when she got to the end, Chibiusa fell fast asleep.
"Well, guess that worked," mused Sora.
"Yeah, I guess it did. Look at her, she's probably thinking about her poor mother who's being held captive in the future," said Luna.
"Yeah, I wish there was some way we could help her," replied Usagi.
"We'll find one, Usagi," Riku said as he slowly stood up from the bed, while being careful not to disturb it's occupant.
In his apartment, Mamoru was tossing and turning in his bed, as visions of Usagi flooded his mind. Suddenly, a burst of flames erupted within his subconscious and Sephiroth emerged over Usagi's corpse, with the masamune at his side.
"USAKO NO!" screamed Mamoru.
"Listen well, Mamoru Chiba. If you are ever seen near Usagi Tsukino, she will die by my sword, and her blood will be on your hands," said the One-Winged Angel.
"Sephiroth, How dare you!? Why are you saying this!?" demanded Mamoru.
"If the two of you wed, so many many things will be lost. Your hometown that burns so bright. The sound of her voice pleading for me to spare you. The shiver of her flesh yielding to cold steel. That which binds you together would be no more, and you would be loath to live in such a world. Which is why you and your princess are destined to perish with this planet," replied Sephiroth.
"You expect me to believe that!? Is torturing me all you really want to do!? Stop it with these nightmares!" shouted Mamoru.
"Oh this is no ordinary truth. It is the destined truth, one you can't deny with all your heart," remarked Sephiroth.
"That's all a lie! I won't accept it! SEPHIROTH!" yelled Mamoru, as he woke with a start.
He was covered in sweat, as his fears of being near Usagi leading to her demise continued to increase.
"But is that really true!?" he asked loudly.
"It is Mamoru Chiba. All born are bound to her. Should this planet be unmade, so too will her children," said Sephiroth who appeared near Mamoru's bedside.
Mamoru then looked at the picture, until the glass cracked, and he thought he saw Usagi collapse, making his fear increase even further.
"Do you see it now, Mamoru? In time, the Usagi you know will soon be long gone, and will succumb to darkness yet again. Sever your connection with her, cast her aside, find someone who truly loves you with all her heart instead of that pathetic blight. Only then, will you be free of Usagi's light," said Sephiroth, as he turned and walked into the dark corridor.
Mamoru was distraught, as he thought that by staying away from Usagi would be the only course of action to keep her safe. He still felt the same next morning, as the fear in his heart continued to increase, when Usagi and Sora arrived.
"Hi Mamo," she said.
"Hey there," added Sora.
"We're surprised to see you this early in the morning. So it must be fate for just the two of us," continued Usagi.
"Hey, by the way. Has Chibiusa said anything to you about Crystal Tokyo?" asked Mamoru.
"Sorry, she hasn't really mentioned it to us, Mamoru," replied Sora.
Mamoru turned sharply away, as Usagi asked what he was about to do.
"I'm going for a morning run to stay in shape," he said.
"Hmm… sounds fair. I was kinda thinking the same thing," replied Sora.
Then the two guys raced off, but Sora could sense the growing fear in Mamoru's heart, and he finally understood why he was trying to keep his distance from Usagi. His expression darkened, when he remembered the very man that haunted Cloud wherever he went.
"Sephiroth," he said quietly.
"Oh, Mamo, I haven't given up on you yet," said Usagi.
"You're too weak to win back his love, Usagi. But by severing your connection with him, can he truly be free of you, the blight of his life," Sephiroth said darkly as he emerged behind her.
"That's a lie, Sephiroth! Mamo would never view me as a blight!" protested Usagi.
"Oh, but he does. Once you two are married, a great calamity will destroy the both of you. The love that you have for him will only lead to your demise," remarked Sephiroth.
Usagi was enraged, but Sephiroth suddenly pointed his sword right at her face.
"What would happen if there was a tragedy that threatened the very life of this planet? Think of how much despair it would create," continued the One-Winged Angel.
He chuckled ominously at them.
"And standing over your cold corpses, would be me. All that blood staining the ground you walk on, spilled by my hands. By ending your lives, this planet would be cleansed of the light that threatens Rubeus and his followers. When it falls into darkness, I will guide them to Kingdom Hearts, the heart of all worlds in the Realm of Light, only to have them destroy it at once, and to remake the universe with their own hands," explained Sephiroth.
"A tragedy strong enough to end this world, if Mamo and I are killed?" shuddered Usagi.
"Behold the future. A destiny that has been written, in the Book of the Stone," said Sephiroth.
"That will never happen!" argued Usagi.
"If you don't believe me, then you should think about it in your sleep, even if it is impossible to try and win back his love," countered Sephiroth, who disappeared.
His dark laughter echoed as Usagi dropped to her knees.
"Sephiroth, I will kill you. Even though only Cloud can do it," she whimpered.
Meanwhile, Mamoru sat in a cafe when Motoki approached him. Unknown to him, Sora was listening in on their conversation.
"Hey you guys, what's up?" he asked.
"Motoki," they said.
"Hey, you know you seem kind of down lately, is there something that's been bothering you?" Motoki asked Mamoru.
Mamoru shook his head silently.
"Come on, we're best friends. Tell me what's going on with you. You'll feel better if you talk about it," said Motoki.
"Thanks I really appreciate it," replied Mamoru.
Sora leaned against a wall so that he could listen in on what they were saying.
"Hey, Motoki, what do you think is the best way to make a girl hate you?" asked Mamoru.
'What? Why would you want to do that?" Motoki asked in confusion.
"I need help finding a way to be the kind of guy that all girls hate with all their being," replied Mamoru.
Sora was aghast at what he heard, even as Motoki's sister, Unazuki Furuhara arrived with the strawberry sundae for Mamoru, but chose to leave as he'd heard enough. He then went down to meet up with Usagi and the rest of his friends, who were with the other girls and the two cats.
"So Usagi, have you had a chance to ask Chibiusa anything?" asked Minako.
Usagi just sighed sadly.
"Well here's what we know. Chibiusa's from the future, and her home Crystal Tokyo is under attack by this evil Black Moon Clan," said Rei.
"And on top of that, is Chibiusa's mother being held captive by that clan?" asked Ami.
"That's what it means, Ami. And right now we gotta deal with Crimson Rubeus and his thugs, the four Spectre Sisters before they capture Chibiusa and kill her, or worse turn her into a Heartless, while they try and find a way to plunge this world into darkness. This is one of many matters we have to deal with. And the worst part of all, We don't know why they're still targeting Chibiusa," said Sora.
"So hey, I need some advice. Why do you think Mamoru's avoiding me?" asked Usagi.
"I don't know, Usagi. But to be honest, I'm just as stumped about it as you are. But still, you can't let yourself be weighed down by your own sadness and doubt. The Black Moon Clan is out there somewhere, and we need to find out exactly what it is they plan to do to this world," replied Sora.
"I have to agree with Sora on this one, guys. That's number one on our list of objectives," said Luna.
"We need to get out there and gather as much info as we can," added Artemis.
The others nodded in agreement, but Usagi was still upset about it until she heard the sound of a Motorcycle coming towards them when it stopped near the traffic light. It's engine revved up, making Usagi irritated until it's driver lifted the visor of his helmet, revealing it to be Mamoru, with Unazaki. Usagi stood up and ran towards the bike, which caught their attention, with Sora walking calmly towards them.
"Mamo, who's that girl you're giving a ride to? Is it a cousin, relative, or is she…?" Usagi asked hurriedly.
"Easy Usagi, there's no need to get so worked up about it," said Sora.
"I'm with Sora on this one, so get out of my sight already," agreed Mamoru.
Usagi was aghast at what she heard.
"But Mamoru, who are these people?" Unazaki asked.
"Eh, they're just friends of mine," he replied.
Poor Usagi was saddened by what she heard, just as her friends came up to her.
"So I'm just a friend?" she sobbed.
As Mamoru raced off, he continued thinking about the visions and the warning he received about Usagi's demise, but at the same time he needed to learn the truth about those nightmarish premonitions. Later that night, Usagi was now pulling out food and drinks for her to have, when Luna quietly approached her, thinking there was a thief in the house. But it was Usagi, who was still upset about what Mamoru had said to her.
"Hey, Usagi, what's wrong?" she asked.
"I'm also worried about you, Usagi. And even though I'm upset about why Mamoru's trying to push you away, that doesn't mean you should drown your sorrow in having a midnight snack," added Sora.
"Well I don't care one bit. So what if I eat a midnight snack?" sobbed Usagi, just as Chibiusa and Riku overheard them.
"What do you mean?" asked Sora.
"My Mamo, has got himself a new girlfriend. Why should I care about what I eat? After all, the man that I love now hates me, " replied Usagi.
Chibiusa wept tears of sorrow as well, but then she raced out of the house with Riku to find Mamoru, when a speeding truck came towards her as she was about to cross the street.
"Chibiusa, look out!" he cried.
But when Chibiusa jumped out of the way, her power suddenly burst out, drawing Usagi and Sora's attention.
"Huh, what's that bright light?' she asked.
"Chibiusa!" cried Sora, as he ran out of Usagi's room.
"Sora's right, we have a big problem! Riku and Chibiusa are gone!" called Luna.
On Rubeus' ship, Rubeus was now conversing with Petz and Calaveras, who told him that they had detected a burst of Chibiusa's power, and gave them the go ahead to take her out.
"There you are," Calaveras said, appearing before Chibiusa with Petz at her side.
"Are you still trying to eliminate Chibiusa? Because if you are, I'm what darkness fears!" replied Riku as he summoned his Keyblade.
"Stand aside!" roared Petz, blasting him with dark lightning that sent Riku flying and crashing to the ground, forcing Chibiusa to run in the opposite direction as she called for help.
Both Petz, Calaveras, Sora, Usagi, and Luna were now in a race to see who would reach Chibiusa first.
"We're coming, Chibiusa!" Sora and Usagi said together.
They could see her now, pursued by the two Spectre Sisters.
"You creeps are gonna get it big time, because I'm in a really bad mood tonight!" snapped Usagi.
In a flash of light, she turned into Sailor Moon, as Sora readied his Keyblade, and sent a flare into the sky to let everyone know that Chibiusa was in trouble, just as Calaveras caught her.
"Tonight's your last night alive," sneered Petz.
"Let her go!" shouted Sora, rushing towards them.
But Petz dodged Sora's attacks, and kicked him back towards Sailor Moon.
"I'll make you pay for hurting my friends!" shouted Sailor Moon.
This distracted the two sisters long enough for Luna to scratch Calaveras' arm, forcing her to let go of Chibiusa who ran back towards Riku to see if he was okay.
"Two full-grown women ganging up to hurt a little girl is beyond my power of forgiveness for picking on her! I am Sailor Moon! And on behalf of the moon, I'm punishing you!" she cried out in fury.
Calavera chuckled malevolently.
"Sailor Moon, we've been waiting for you to show up here," she said.
"What's that mean!?" demanded Sora who recovered from Petz' kick.
"You'll see," replied Petz.
"Akumuda, come down here," Calaveras called to the sky.
Sora and Sailor Moon were aghast to see a new droid hovering above them, as it emerged from the dark corridor. Akumuda then used its power to place Sailor Moon into a deep sleep even as Luna warned her to be careful. But it was too late, Akumuda's power had already begun to affect Sailor Moon as she dropped down to the ground and fell fast asleep.
"That was easy. And now for your demise, Rabbit," snickered Petz.
But a bolt of lightning surged towards her and Petz, forcing them to jump out of the way, as Sora saw all of his friends and the other Sailor Guardians coming to the rescue.
"I'm glad we stopped by to check out that energy spike," said Sailor Jupiter, making Sora relieved to see them.
"Not you blights again," huffed Petz.
"There's only two of us, and there's more of them. We're at a big disadvantage here," hissed Calaveras.
"Then perhaps it's best if you return to base," Hyena said.
"Good idea," replied Calaveras.
"Fair enough," added Petz, and the two sisters jumped up into the air.
"Hey wait! Are you afraid to fight us!?" called Sailor Mars.
"Akumuda is more than enough to handle you, pathetic fools," laughed Petz, as she vanished into the darkness.
"Akumuda, I want you to do the same thing you did to Sailor Moon. Lead them to nightmareland and then you can finish them off," called Calaveras, as she too retreated into the dark corridor.
Akumuda nodded and began to use her power to put everyone to sleep. It was too much for Sora and Sailor Moon's friends for them to bear as they dropped to their knees despite Luna's warning about not falling under their spell.
"We're not gonna let you put us to sleep," Sailor Mars said determinedly.
She summoned an ofuda, channeled her power into it, and placed it on the droid, forcing Akumuda to retreat.
"Way to go, Sailor Mars!" cheered Sora.
"I agree, we were almost overwhelmed by that thing," added Sailor Mercury.
"Sailor Moon, wake up!" called Sailor Venus.
"Sailor Moon will continue to dream. As she dreams her energy will be drained out of her, until she finally dies," said Akumuda.
Then to prove her point, Akumuda's darkness whooshed into Sailor Moon's mouth making everyone afraid.
"What just happened?" askd Sailor Mercury.
Everyone was now more worried than ever as they tried to wake her up, while Hyena stalked towards them.
"It's no use. Sailor Moon is trapped in the nightmare. She can't wake up," he said.
"What? What do you mean she can't wake up?" cried Sailor Mercury.
"The dark power of Akumuda will turn her into a Heartless, when the darkness takes her heart and makes her one of them," explained Hyena.
Inside the dreamworld, Usagi was running along a narrow walkway, when she tripped. At the same time, everyone of her friends tried to beg her to awaken from their slumber when Ami noticed something.
"You can see the energy draining from her body. If we can't wake her up soon, Sailor Moon will turn into a Heartless," she said worriedly.
"This can't be real," gasped Sora.
"You have to wake up, come on!" cried Minako.
Everyone tried everything they could to wake her up, but it was no good, as Hyena laughed maniacally.
"Yes, Sailor Moon! Keep sleeping, keep dreaming of becoming a Heartless!" he howled with joy.
Suddenly, Luna remembered something Usagi said about Mamoru, then she turned to Sora.
"Sora, come with me," she said.
Sora nodded, but he gave Sailor Moon a sorrowful glance.
Hang in there, Sailor Moon. I'll be right back, he thought.
Then he and Luna raced off to find help.
"Sora, where are you going!?" called Sailor Venus.
"I'm gonna find help! You guys stay with Sailor Moon!" he called back.
"Hurry you guys! We don't have much time!" called Artemis.
Mamoru awoke with a start as Luna jumped off his chest, waking him up.
"Mamoru, Sailor Moon's in really big trouble! Please we need you to come with us to save her life!" cried Luna.
"Luna's right Mamoru! If Sailor Moon dies, the Black Moon Clan will destroy everything we hold most dear to our hearts! We need you to wake her up!" agreed Sora.
"I'm not sure that I can help," replied Mamoru.
"STOP PUSHING HER AWAY, MAMORU! AND GET UP OFF YOUR BUTT AND HELP HER NOW!" screamed Sora, which startled Luna immensely.
"Sora, please you have to calm down," sobbed Luna.
"YOU AND SAILOR MOON ONCE LOVED EACH OTHER LONG AGO, AS PRINCESS SERENITY AND PRINCE ENDYMION! AND IF SHE DIED NOW, QUEEN SERENITY WOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOU! SHE NEEDS YOU MORE THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY IMAGINE!" yelled Sora, his anger steadily increasing and giving Vanitas within him more strength.
Mamoru nodded, and with Sora and Luna quickly rushed to the rescue, transforming into Tuxedo Mask.
"I won't let you die, Usako!" he said determinedly.
"And neither will I, Sailor Moon!" added Sora who followed him on his Keyblade Glider.
In the dreamworld, Usagi was trying desperately to reach Mamoru, while her friends still continued to find a way to wake her up.
"Don't worry, guys. It's going to be okay," RIku assured them as he approached them.
"How can you be so calm about it?" asked Sailor Jupiter.
"Because Sora and Luna went to find Mamoru. I mean, Tuxedo Mask, to try and save her from the darkness. I can sense how much he and Sora care about her, just as we all do," replied Riku.
Everyone looked up at him, until Tuxedo Mask arrived with Sora and Luna.
"We're here!" Sora said, jumping off the Keyblade Glider, and reverting to normal.
"Look everyone, It's Tuxedo Mask," called Chibiusa.
"And Sora's here with him," added Sailor Mercury.
"And this time, Sailor Moon will live," replied Sora.
Sailor Venus looked at Sora, just as Tuxedo Mask approached Sailor Moon and tried to wake her up, when Sora remembered the story of Sleeping Beauty.
"Wait a second. That story Usagi told Chibiusa about a princess who woke up through love's first kiss. It could actually help wake Sailor Moon," he said.
Tuxedo Mask nodded, and kissed Sailor Moon, waking her up from her slumber, and restoring her power.
"Look she's awake," said Chibiusa.
"Just in time," grinned Sora.
"The power of love awoke Sailor Moon and restored her energy," cried Sailor Mercury.
Everyone was relieved to see that Sailor Moon was now back and ready to fight.
"Well how about that? It's just like what happened in Aurora's world after we beat Maleficent," said Riku.
"How dare you interfere, Tuxedo Mask!" shouted an enraged Akumuda.
But Sora jumped between them and blocked her attack with his keyblade, and forced the droid back.
"You'll never hurt Tuxedo Mask! Or Sailor Moon! Not while I'm here," Sora said.
They soon clashed furiously without holding anything back, as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask got clear of the battle.
"Hang on Sora! Let's finish this together!" she said.
"Right!" agreed Sora.
They both glared at Akumuda, and readied their weapons.
"Akumuda! Be gone! We command you! Return to the Dark Realm from whence you came!" shouted Sora, firing a beam of light from his Keyblade.
"Moon Princess Halation!" cried Sailor Moon.
Both attacks merged together and destroyed the nightmare droid in one blast.
"Sailor Moon, Sora, as usual your combined strength is always breathtaking," said Tuxedo Mask.
"What'd you expect?" replied Sora.
"Tuxedo Mask, do you really have feelings for me after all?" asked Sailor Moon.
But Tuxedo Mask shook his head.
"No I don't, I don't love you at all," he said furiously.
"Are you kidding me right now!? You just saved Sailor Moon from dying in her sleep!" shouted Sora.
"Sora please, you shouldn't talk like that to him," sobbed Usagi.
"I agree, what she says now means nothing to me. Not anymore," countered Tuxedo Mask, and he turned sharply around.
Sora and Sailor Moon were both upset by this.
"The red string of fate that binds us together has now been cut," he continued, crushing a rose in his hand.
"DAMN IT!" shouted Sora, as Sailor Moon cried out in anguish.
When he left, Sephiroth emerged before her, his cat-like eyes meeting her tear-stricken blue eyes.
"Once again, you've failed to understand what Mamoru fears most. But through suffering you will gain strength," he said.
The One-Winged Angel rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Isn't that what you want, Sailor Moon?" he asked, and vanished into the darkness.
"Tuxedo Mask, why!?" cried Sailor Moon, as Sephiroth chuckled malevolently.
Sora placed his hand over his chest, but still sensed that Tuxedo Mask's bond with Sailor Moon wasn't as easy to sever as he thought.
"Sailor Moon, please forgive me. Usako," Mamoru said softly.
But he suddenly felt the tears in his eyes slowly rolling down his cheeks, and landed on his helmet. The next day, Sora introduced Usagi and his friends to Unazuki, which made her surprised.
"What!? You're Unazuki?" she asked.
"Guess that means you're Motoki's sisters," grinned Sora.
"That's right. Mamoru did me a huge favor by giving me a ride home on his bike," replied Unazuki.
"So that was you on the back of his bike," said Usagi.
"Yeah, I got so busy here at work, that I was going to be late for my date with my boyfriend. So he helped me out," replied Unazaki.
"Hmm… sounds fair. At least that should put Usagi in a good mood," said Sora.
"So Mamoru isn't your boyfriend," muttered Sora.
"Don't be silly, I love my boyfriend very very much," replied Unazkuki.
Sora could now breathe a sigh of relief, but Usagi was happy to hear it.
"Yes, she's already got a boyfriend!" she cheered and drank her soda.
"But the real problem now is why Mamoru's trying to avoid you and lie to you about it," said Sora.
"Well, there's one thing I know for sure, I'll figure everything out, and then I'll win back his love, and we'll live happily ever after, exactly like I want us to," replied Usagi.
Then she finished her soda and cheered, making everyone stare at her.