AN: Gaahhh, you guys, I am SO sorry for the huge delay in update. Unfortunately, I've been super busy with the whole college application process, and additionally, a lingering cold has left me too wiped out. I will do my best to make the next update quicker.
As always, many thanks to my reviewers: Noizchild Johnson, MissFiyerabaMeponnieWholock, Sage McGavin, slightlyxjaded, lilymoon80, and gabeliz . castillocarin. You guys are the best.
It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and there was a rare moment of peace. Usagi sat on a park bench, happily licking an ice cream cone, while Chibiusa fed the ducks in the pond. Ami was reading a book under the shade of a tree, Makoto and Rei were chatting animatedly, and Minako sat next to Usagi, staring off into space.
Usagi frowned. There was something up with Minako, but she didn't know what. Lately, Minako had taken to zoning out during Senshi meetings, or whenever they were all hanging out together, and she frequently had a troubled look on her face. It bothered Usagi that whenever it was brought up, she just smiled and said it was nothing.
Didn't she trust her friends enough to tell them the truth? What was it that was so bad? Minako had always been the strong, mature one of the group. She had the most experience as a Sailor Senshi, she had already seen and done so much as Sailor V before she joined their team. If something was troubling her… Usagi didn't know what to do, or what to say. She just wanted her friend to look happy again.
"Yo! Usagi!"
Usagi looked up to find Haruka waving and walking towards them, Michiru following close behind.
"Haruka," Usagi said. "Michiru. How nice to see you again. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, we were just out for a walk in the park, soaking up some of this nice sunshine," Haruka said, flopping down on the bench to the other side of Usagi, and slinging her arm around her shoulder. "What brings you here?"
"Same as you, I suppose," Usagi said with a smile. "And, Chibiusa wanted to feed the ducks."
"You know," Haruka said. "I'm racing tomorrow afternoon, to celebrate the opening of the new race track. You should come!"
"Racing?" Usagi said. "I didn't know you were a racer."
Haruka smiled. "Yup, I'm a racecar driver. Come on, it will be fun! And I'll race better if I have some cute girls cheering me on from the sidelines."
"Haruka," Michiru sighed. "You are such a shameless flirt."
"And you love me for it," Haruka said with a grin. She got up off the bench and slung her arm around Michiru, who rolled her eyes.
"I really can't take you anywhere," Michiru mused. "No girls are safe when you're around."
"You know I only have eyes for you," Haruka said as she pulled Michiru in for a kiss.
Michiru rolled her eyes again as they parted, but she was smiling. "I know. We should be getting going, though."
"Come to race!" Haruka said, waving as they started walking off. "Think about it!"
Usagi settled back into the bench, finishing the remnants of her ice cream cone, and wondering what to think about Haruka and Michiru. They were nice and friendly, but… something seemed off about them. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about them gave her a weird vibe, and she didn't know what to make of it. She didn't think they were from the Black Moon Clan, they didn't seem like the enemy… but something was definitely strange about them.
She was about to turn to Minako, to see if she had any ideas, when a thick purple fog began to roll in.
"What the-?" Usagi's words were cut off as she started coughing.
"Youma!" Makoto forced out between coughs from the noxious fog.
"Chibiusa!" Usagi called. "Chibiusa, where are you?" The fog had covered the area so well, she could barely see more than a few inches in front of her.
"Over… here!"
Usagi ran towards the sound, stumbling over her own feet as she started to get light-headed from the poisonous gas. She stumbled across Chibiusa right as the youma made itself known.
"I've got you now!" it hissed to Chibiusa, and extended long knife-like claws towards her.
Usagi tackled Chibiusa to the ground as the girl screamed, barely avoiding the youma's claws herself. The scream broke off into a cough, and Usagi pulled her up.
"Chibiusa, listen to me," Usagi said, but Chibiusa was whimpering, and not listening to her. "Chibiusa! This is important." She shook the girl gently, and Chibiusa's sniffles stopped.
"You need to cover your mouth and nose and run as far away from here as you can, understand? Don't stop running until you get to the Arcade, you'll be safe there."
"What about you?" Chibiusa asked hoarsely.
"I'll be okay," Usagi said. "Now RUN!" She gave Chibiusa a push as the youma swung again, and the girl took off running.
Usagi felt dizzy and light-headed, and knew she needed to transform, fast. She had inhaled too much of the gas, and she would be better able to breathe once she transformed. She was always stronger in Senshi form.
Pulling out her brooch, she forced out the transformation phrase. "Moon… Prism Power…. Make Up!" A moment later, the transformation was complete, but she still felt dizzy and light-headed. Cursing, she tried to focus her energy on the youma. She should have taken better precautions about breathing in the fog, but her thoughts had been so focused on Chibiusa.
A blast of fire cut through the fog, and Sailor Moon breathed a sigh of relief. At least Mars was okay, and able to fight, and presumably the other Senshi were, too.
"Die already!" The youma jabbed its claws towards Sailor Moon, and she just barely managed to avoid it, stumbling more than ducking. When that attack failed, it opened its mouth, and more of the fog began to spill out.
Coughing, Sailor Moon tried to cover her mouth and nose and not inhale any more of it than she already had, but she had taken in a big lungful before she realized what was happening, and her vision was starting to get blurry and her head felt so, so heavy.
"Crescent Beam!" Venus' attack hit the youma and it howled in pain.
"Sailor Moon!" someone, perhaps Jupiter, called. Sailor Moon couldn't tell anymore, everything seemed so far away and fuzzy. Her lungs burned, and she could see the claws of the youma advancing towards her, but she couldn't think, couldn't move, and she started to fall to her knees…
All of a sudden she was airborne, someone holding her close. And the poisonous fog must have been making her hallucinate, because she could have sworn she felt someone tenderly brush aside her hair, and whisper her name. But not just her name—not Sailor Moon, not even Usagi. Usako. She thought she heard it again, but that was crazy. The only person who ever called her Usako was Mamoru and he… they… her thoughts were getting fuzzier, but all she knew was that Mamoru no longer called her Usako, and never would again.
"Mamo-chan…" the words escaped her lips, barely audible. She curled up against whoever was holding her, wanting to believe, just for a few moments, that it was Mamoru and he loved her again. She was hallucinating, surely, but at least she could enjoy it while it lasted.
The fog in her head began to clear, and she blinked, taking in her surroundings. She was in Mamoru's arms, and his hands were on her, healing her, but his face was as impassive and stony as ever.
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama," she said, sitting up stiffly, and sliding out of his reach. "Thank you."
He nodded. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," she said curtly. "Thank you for healing me, now I must get back to the fight." They were in a tree, high up enough that the air was clear, and she could see the battle going on below. Well, she couldn't actually see the Senshi or the youma, but every now and then a flash of lightning or a burst of fire cut through the fog, so she knew the Senshi were still fighting. She didn't know how much longer they would be able to last, though, the fog was so thick and omnipresent.
"Usagi—" Tuxedo Kamen started to say.
She turned back to look at him. "Yes?"
"I… never mind." He looked like he wanted to say more, but she didn't have time to coax it out of him, and she wasn't even sure if she cared what he wanted to say to her. It's not like anything he said would make a difference. Unless he gave her some explanation for the breakup, or some sort of apology, he would still be distant and cold. And he would still be her ex-boyfriend.
Shaking her head, she pushed herself off the branch, and landed on the ground, covering her mouth and nose with her hand to try and avoid breathing in more of the gas.
"Now, where is the stupid thing…" she muttered to herself. She just wanted to dust it and be done, but that was easier said than done when she couldn't see anything. All of a sudden, razor-sharp claws appeared out of the thick fog, nearly slicing her in half. Stumbling backward, Sailor Moon pulled out her scepter, in a hurry to dust the youma before it could land a hit.
"Moon Scepter Elimination!" The attack hit the youma dead on, and it screamed once before crumbling away into nothing. With its death, the fog lifted at last, and Sailor Moon could see her friends huddled together a few feet away.
"Sailor Moon!" Venus cried out. "Thank Kami you're okay. We couldn't find you anywhere!"
"Are you guys okay?" she asked, coughing a little. Tuxedo Kamen hadn't completely healed her, and she had inhaled a bit more of the fog afterwards, despite her best efforts.
"We're fine," Mercury said. "I discovered that my mist could create a barrier between us and the fog, giving us a small pocket of fresh air to breathe. We were so worried when we couldn't find you. Are you alright?"
"Fine," she wheezed. At Mercury's disbelieving look she cleared her throat and spoke again. "Seriously, I'm fine. It was kinda close there for a bit, but… Tuxedo Kamen healed me."
Mercury muttered something about how he clearly didn't do a very good job, and Sailor Moon rolled her eyes. She appreciated her friend's support, she really did, but they couldn't blame everything on Tuxedo Kamen. She was the one who had run off before he could finish healing her.
She didn't even want his help, though she was grateful to him for saving her life… again. But she could take care of herself now. And he wasn't allowed to be so cold and distant as Mamoru, but then all of a sudden swoop in and save her as Tuxedo Kamen with his piercing gaze and strong arms… she shook herself out of that thought. The point was, it wasn't fair for him to have such a dual personality.
"Did you get Chibiusa out okay?" Jupiter asked.
Sailor Moon nodded. "I told her to cover her mouth and nose and run as fast as she could to the Arcade. She's probably scared, we should go there as soon as we're done here."
"You can go on ahead," Mercury said. "I need to tend to some of the wounded, make sure everyone is receiving proper medical care. I should also analyze the fog, see if I can find out anything useful. It might help craft an antidote for the people who inhaled large amounts of the fog."
"Okay. Meet us at the Arcade later?" she asked.
Mercury nodded distractedly, already furiously typing away at her computer to analyze the last traces of the fog that lingered in the air. "This shouldn't take too long."
The other girls dropped their transformations and headed off to the Arcade, leaving Mercury behind to do damage control.
A short while later, they were sitting in a booth at the Arcade, sipping milkshakes and sharing a plate of fries. Chibiusa, scared from the fight and wiped out from the adrenaline, was curled up in a back room, napping. Motoki had set up a little makeshift bed for her, and promised them he would keep an eye on her anytime they needed him to.
"Ugh, my clothes all smell funny," Usagi said, sniffing her shirt. "It must have been from that fog."
"You should really let Ami take a look at you when she gets back," Rei said. "Inhaling all of that fog can't have been good for you."
Usagi waved away her concerns. "I'm fine, Rei. Seriously. You guys worry too much."
Rei looked like she was about to say something else when the bell above the door of the Arcade clanged, and a very familiar figure walked in.
"Hey Mamoru!" Motoki called from the front, where he was wiping down the counters. "How's it going?"
"Good!" Mamoru said. "I just got out of Physics and was hoping you could—" he broke off, noticing Usagi and her friends sitting at the nearby booth. "Oh. Usagi-san, Rei-san, Makoto-san, Minako-san. Nice to see you again."
Rei muttered some very rude words about him under her breath. Makoto casually cracked her knuckles and Minako toyed with the butter knife on the table, a hint of a malicious smile on her face. Usagi just sighed.
"Um... I…" Mamoru trailed off nervously.
Ami walked in the door at that moment. "Mamoru-san," she said coldly, narrowing her eyes slightly. "How… nice to see you." Her tone of voice implied that she thought it was anything but, and Mamoru winced slightly.
Motoki watched the whole exchange with a curious look on his face. "Anyways… what were you saying, Mamoru?"
"Oh, I was just…" Mamoru swallowed nervously, unable to take his eyes off of the formidable Senshi, all of whom were still staring at him with death in their eyes.
"Mamoru?" Motoki asked again. "Is everything alright?"
"Fine!" Mamoru said, finally turning his attention to his friend. "I was just hoping you'd be willing to be my lab partner for the joint Physics project between our classes."
"Yeah, sure, I'd be happy to," Motoki said. "Come on, I'll fix you a cup of coffee and you can tell me about your ideas for our project." He shot a curious look over his shoulder at Usagi and her friends, who had mostly returned to normal conversation, aside from the occasional glare at Mamoru.
Mamoru followed his friend's line of sight, and as if she could sense his presence, Rei looked up at him and mouthed some very inappropriate words at him. Blushing, Mamoru ducked his head, and turned back to Motoki.
"Yeah, some coffee sounds great. Let's sit over there," he suggested, pointing to a table at the other end of the store.
Motoki looked between Mamoru and Usagi's table, shrugged, but didn't say anything, and led Mamoru over to the table.
"The Prince wants to see you."
Rubeus grimaced at the singsong voice. "This doesn't concern you, Esmeraude. You don't need to fetch me like some sort of animal."
Esmeraude laughed, fanning herself. "Don't get so worked up, Rubeus. We're all just dedicated to the cause and to our Prince. That means this does concern me. Now, hurry up, the Prince doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Rubeus grumbled under his breath, and Esmeraude just laughed louder. Rubeus set off at a brisk pace down the hall, hoping Esmeraude would leave him alone, but no such luck.
She trailed behind him, smirking, as if she was looking forward to him messing up. Which was probably exactly the case, as he knew she was eager to take his place and prove herself to Prince Demande by killing the Rabbit and the Senshi. Well, the Senshi minus Sailor Moon. Rubeus didn't know why, but Prince Demande had said that Sailor Moon was to be brought in alive.
"Good luck," Esmeraude said with false sweetness as Rubeus paused before the entryway to the Throne Room. "The Prince isn't happy." The singsong lilt in her voice drove Rubeus crazy almost as much as her maniacal laugh.
"Rubeus," Prince Demande said as he entered and kneeled before the throne. "Your efforts to kill the Rabbit and capture Sailor Moon have been poor at best. Sending out random droids? This mission requires your complete focus, and if you cannot give it, I will hand the mission over to someone else."
Rubeus winced at the thought of Esmeraude in charge of his mission, receiving glory meant for him. "I promise you, my liege, I will step up my efforts. It has been difficult to track down the rabbit, and Sailor Moon and the Senshi have proved to be more difficult foes than anticipated..."
Prince Demande held up a hand. "Enough. I have no desire for your whining. What is your plan of action?"
"I believe I have found a way to trace the Rabbit's energy signature," Rubeus said. "It is faint, but I have a trap devised to lure her out. I will be sending in my best droids to ensure that the Rabbit is killed, and I will be on site myself to capture Sailor Moon and bring her to you."
"My liege…" Wiseman, who had been silently lurking in the shadows next to the throne, spoke up. "I question the decision to capture Sailor Moon. She is a very dangerous foe, not to mention that she will one day become Neo-Queen Serenity. If we kill her now, that will prevent Crystal Tokyo from ever forming. It would make ruling the Earth much easier."
Prince Demande shook his head. "No, Sailor Moon is not to be killed. But do not fear, I don't intend to let her form Crystal Tokyo. I will make her my bride, and we will be King and Queen of Nemesis and Earth, together."
Back at the Arcade, Makoto was listening to Minako concoct some elaborate story about how they could enact revenge on Mamoru. Smiling, Makoto sighed and shook her head. Much as Usagi protested that she was fine, and that she had more important things to worry about, Makoto knew she was really struggling with the breakup. Sometimes, when she thought no one was looking, her façade would drop, and Makoto would see a look of utter heartbreak and despair on her face.
Minako was describing a plan to break into Mamoru's apartment, steal all his furniture and graffiti the walls, but if Makoto had her way, she'd choose a much more direct way of getting revenge. She didn't know what reasons Mamoru had for breaking up with Usagi, but all she needed was a few minutes alone with him, and she would make him hurt just as much as Usagi was hurting.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of brown, curly hair, and suddenly she was seeing something else.
The moonlight reflected brightly off the white stone path. The air was a little chilly, and shivering, she pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders.
"Cold?" he asked, shrugging out of his jacket. "The weather here on Earth can be a bit unpredictable at times. Here, take this."
"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile. She snuggled into his jacket, breathing in deep. It smelled like pine, soap, and some other pleasant, musky scent she couldn't quite place. It smelled like him.
They were both silent for a few minutes as they walked among the garden rows, and her eyes drank in all the colors. Everything here on Earth was so vibrant, so lively. It made her feel that way. She had always thought of herself as a lively person, she had no shortage of energy, and her life was certainly filled with many stimulating, exciting things. But just being here, walking among the garden rows with him… it made her feel something else entirely.
"What?" he asked and she realized she'd been staring.
"Nothing," she said with a giggle.
"What?" he repeated, running a hand through his brown, curly hair. "Do I have something on my face?"
"It's nothing!" she said, laughing harder now, and she didn't even know why, for truly, it was nothing. But she just suddenly felt so light, so giddy, and she had to tilt her head back and laugh. He continued to stare at her, a slightly bemused expression on his face, but a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth.
"It's just…" she gasped between fits of laughter. "I just love you so much."
"And that's amusing to you, is it?" he asked, the smile growing on his face.
"Yes!" she said. "It is amusing. It is very, very amusing, because it's all so strange and new and I don't know what to think about it, or about anything anymore, because all I can think about is how much I love you."
"Well," he said, catching her wrist and drawing her in towards him. "I rather like being the only thing on your mind. I must encourage this behavior as much as I can."
All of a sudden, her laughing stopped, just as quickly as it had started. She stared up at his dark blue eyes, her breathing becoming shallow as she drank him in. And as he drew her in for a kiss, all she could think was, Good lord, he was so perfect.
"That helps," she said after they broke away a minute later.
"Hmm?" He asked, his forehead resting against hers.
"If you want to keep yourself as the only thing I can think about… that helps," she repeated.
"Well then," he said. "I suppose I'd better do it some more."
Makoto blinked her eyes in rapid succession trying to clear the images from her brain. What was that? The woman in her… vision? Daydream? She didn't know what it was. But the woman in it had felt like herself. But who was he? She had never seen him before… or… had she? Somehow he seemed very, very familiar to her. She had a feeling that he was very important, and that it was very important that she remember who he was. She just wished she knew how.
AN: Je ne parle pas français, mais je vais essayer, si cela signifie que vous allez revoir.
Fun fact: The revenge scenario Minako is describing is what the Senshi actually did do to Mamoru in my very first multi-chapter fic, Darkness Is Relative. :)
