AN: I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters. I acknowledge Naoko Takeuchi as its creator and its owner.
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The Shadow Of Darkness
Chapter 2:
Groaning, I start to wake up. My eyes slowly open, and as I get my bearings and realize I am in unfamiliar room, panic once again sets in. Wildly glancing around the room my eyes find my captor gazing at me expectantly.
"Finally decided to rejoin the land of the living, huh? Maybe now we can actually get started." He casually says.
"Oi, let me go you pervert!" I screech.
"Believe me, -"
"I don't want to listen to you, just let me go!"
"Just relax, I just want-"
"Let me make it more clear, I want NOTHING to do with you!"
"Perhaps you failed to notice that you are not tied up? Or that I am not using a weapon to obtain your cooperation?"
"I…," sighing in resignation I ask: "What is it that you want from me then, that could not be done in public, or my cooperation?"
"First order of business, is to tell you that I am not who I said I am-"
"Wow detective, I would have never guessed that! I mean, everything you have done so far has screamed suspicious. What a big shock!" I angrily rant at hin.
Instead of responding, he sighed. "Have it your way then." As he said this, his body started to shrink and his body begins to change. His hairs starts to recede, and fur starts to appear all over his entire body. Once he finishes, a cat stands in front of me. He has a Crescent Moon on his forehead, and he is covered in fur.
"Now that I finally have your attention, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Artemis. I am from the moon."
"I…. how…..what is this? How did you do that?"
"I am a Lunarian, so what I am capable of is not what a lifeform on Earth has ever been able to accomplish."
"A Lunarian…..as in you are from the moon… what kind of ridiculous story is that? What kind of drugs are you on to come with that idea? Wait, you must have put me on drugs to start to see things…"
"You have no intention of making this easy on me, do you? Well let me be blunt with you then, you are as well. Before you try to dispute me, have you not ever noticed distinctions between you are others? Maybe the face that the features you have are different from anyone else you have ever met? So much so that people wondered if you were adopted because you like so different from all of your family."
"You are not making sense, how could I be a 'Lunarian' as you put it, if I am; how could my parents be my actual parents?"
"The answer is that they are not your actual parents. You have had a previous lifetime on the moon. In her last moments, the Queen reincarnated those whom she could, with you amongst their number, with not real control with when or where the people were reincarnated. That is why you ended up with such terrible parents. For that I am truly sorry. However, if you wish, you will now be able to live here with me."
"Why would I want to live with my kidnapper, you pervert?!"
"Because you and I both know what waits for you when you get home, even now. When we met I saw it in your eyes. Granted, I knew you in your last time. But even though you are reborn, the essence of your personality should be the same. But you used to be carefree and innocent; you have seen the worst of the human nature and society, and frankly it worries me. You are needed to protect the planet…but to see what you have; who would want to save anyone?"
"Save people? You're joking, right? Why would I save the people that do nothing that do nothing other than hurt me? No one genuinely cares about me. I can see it plain as day. So why should I extend that favour to them? And how can an ordinary person save other people?"
"Though the incidents have yet to start, it is important that we prepare for when the Dark Kingdom attempts to reassert themselves over the Earth. You have a power; as clichéd as this sounds. The problem lies in the fact that it must be woken up. I am not sure how to do this yet, if I am to be honest. But, we should have a couple of months to figure it out. If we are to judge based of the strength of the seal."
"Why should I believe any of the garbage that you have said?"
"You don't have to believe me or trust me. Just realize that I have offered you an oppourtunity to leave the hellhole you find yourself in. If you still doubt me, use this to compel your decision: can you really just sit there and leave your brother to suffer when you know that you finally have a chance to escape?"
Damn it, he just had to say that, I thought. I know in good conscious that, it is an oppourtunity that really should be exploited, even if only for him. But the issue was not his suggestion. The problem was the fact I know that people always have ulterior motives for these types of actions. There was also the fact that I had no way to ascertain that he didn't plan on raping me or something. Lastly, outside of his transformation to a cat, there really was not proof of what he had said.
"It is easy for you to sit here and tell all these lies about how you know I need to escape. You have no idea what it is like to go through these things. You have no idea what true suffering is. While you have sat in your comfortable house here, I have gone through hell on Earth back at my house!"
"You are wrong," he said as his eyes got a distant look "I understand it all too well. That feeling of emptiness that seeps throughout your entire being when you realize you are alone. Waking up every morning, trying to steel yourself to be ready to be able to deal with all of the horrors that life has to throw your way. That desperation when you wonder: why life only throws so much at you only, while the people around you can remain so innocent and unscathed. I have lived these battles. I know them all too well."
As he says this, I make sure to give no response, even though inside my mind is screaming for me to talk to him, someone who finally understands it. But I can't help but wonder if he might truly be telling the truth. But I cut that thought short, because he is probably attempting to use my internal desperation for someone who understands against me.I mean, he was correct about the fact that I am different from other people in terms of my physical body in terms of features, but ….surely that can be explained by genetic mutation….right? I mean, I have no recollection of a "past-life" so it can't be true….
"Just let me out of here! I am done with your absurd claims!"
"I will let you go for now, but be aware that I will continue to be in touch."
"Just stay away from me, CREEP!"
"…."
As he got up he said "the exit is this way" and led me out.
Once I got home, Shingo was there with an extremely worried look on his face. "Where were you?!" he exclaimed.
"I am sorry, I got sidetracked. Someone wanted to talk with me after school." I replied.
"You must have had a whole lot to talk about, considering the fact that you disappeared for several hours. By the way, she is passed out right now, so you should be able to get away it for tonight."
"We had a lot in common, and it was an excuse not to come back here. You know full well why I would not want to come directly home."
Giving me a sympathetic look, he replys: "I understand, Usagi. Please just tell me next time. I worried about you so much."
"Thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I will make sure to do that in future."
As he walks towards his room I ask, "If you had a chance to leave this place, would you take it?"
"Of course! Why would you ask?"
"I just wondered if you felt the same as me. Well. Goodnight Shingo….and by the way, please remember something no matter what. You are the most important thing there is to me."
Somewhere in the North Pole, a figure emerged.
"The time to break this seal has finally arrived," it said.
AN: What does this mean for Usagi and Artemis? While Artemis believes they have time to work out the solutions to the problems, the reality is very different!
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