Haha, I really though that I had given up on this. But then BAM comes the inspiration. I'm so happy I'm back on track :) Don't be expecting too many new chapter throughout this school year. I've got a full workload and I won't be able to update as often. Still, if I haven't updated in months, just send me a wee reminder and I'll try and get something out for you guys, ok?

A Difficult Predicament

by samisweet

Part Two

Usagi flew towards Port L&B, which she knew was near Khoobsurat (1) Beach, her pure white wings flapping in fast whirs. Unsurprisingly, she had an extensive knowledge on the whereabouts of the Rebellion. Pluto had said that her 'team' would be waiting for her at the Port, after being briefed by the senshi of time. Dodging thick limbs and various animals, her disquieting speed caused the air around her to waver slightly. Her mouth was set in a grim line. The earlier fight was still fresh in her memory, the powerful and hurtful attack her senshi sent towards her displaying their updated powers. It seemed that she hadn't been the only one training. Her ribs were still hurt from Trunks' attack and Makoto's electricity was evident in the slight wooziness of her mind.

But her body had absorbed both energies into it and she would be able to release the force later, as with Rei's fire. With every injury from magicks and elementals, there came a way for revenge. It was a talent she had learned from her extended period with the Administration. Her eyes searched the area ahead as she reached a grassy clearing, and then, slowly, a white sanded beach. Beautiful turquoise waves crashed onshore, glittering with the golden reflection of the sun. The beach was strangely empty; had it been in any other place, a large slathering of people would be running through the waves and tanning on the sand. Her flight came to a sudden halt and she glanced around herself, eyes searching for some indication of an underground base and drawing her wings into her back. Nothing gave it away. She sighed, looking around for a hidden boulder of some sorts.

She must have pressed some invisible button or something during her search because suddenly, out of nowhere, a feminine mechanized voice asked, "Identification, please."

She jumped, startled. "Usagi Tsukino. Password Love and Beauty, V-Babe style."

"Password accepted," the blonde couldn't help but roll her eyes. It was so like Minako to give it such an obvious –well maybe not that obvious to others –password. A cylindrical metal box shot up from the ground, sparkling sand falling off in a shower of glimmer. The rounded door slid open and Usagi entered the small compartment, finding lush leather seats in a circular fashion, surrounding the walls of the box. She flopped onto welcome cushions, exhausted from her flight. The door whipped close and the box began a hurtling journey under ground before taking a sharp left, causing Usagi to fall backwards on the chair, heels over head. Grumbling, she righted herself, knowing that someone was probably watching and laughing at her.

The compartment slowly came to a stop, opening to reveal that she was underwater. The floor was made up of beautiful dark mahogany wood, the surface recently polished. A large glass half-cylinder created a hallway that stretched for around a half mile, beautiful silver poles holding it up, molding to the shape of the glass. Various runes and symbols were etched into the surface. Usagi noticed many to be ancient spells against evil and ill fortune. No wonder this base hadn't been attacked yet. These enchantments were astonishingly strong and complex. Not even the Administration would be able to make it through.

She stepped forward, her stilettos echoing strangely in the hallway, her senses on alert. Walking over to one side of the domed hallway, she regarded the world outside. It was simply stunning, the clear cerulean waters housing striking silvery schools of fish. A dolphin clicked its tongue happily as it watched her through the glass, pressing its nose against the window. She smiled softly in spite of herself, her hand resting against the area where the dolphin had touched the glass. It flipped in the water, doing a series of summersaults and causing Usagi to laugh.

"They're cute, aren't they?" a cool voice drawled out of nowhere, causing the blonde to retreat into her cape and change back to her cold demeanor.

"Yes, they are," Usagi's voice betrayed nothing of what she was feeling as she drew the cowl of her hood, seeking security in the darkness of the cloth. It shadowed her entire face, keeping intruders from reading her emotions. "How have you been Minako?"

"Fine," a figure dressed in a bright orange cloak stepped forward, throwing off her hood. It revealed a heavenly face, one that all men lusted after, the very essence of beauty. Her eyes were a sparkling blue, one that matched the ocean outside. She was more lusty than beautiful, however, but in her own respect, her beauty surpassed all. Tendrils of gently curling sun-kissed blonde hair framed her face in an enticing way, her pouty, full lips pink and touched with a little clear lip gloss. She had a full figure, with lusciously curving hips and a rather slim waist, enhanced by her pale orange leotard and white miniskirt. Her leotard was dotted with glittering sequins in swirling patterns and her feet were adorned with strappy orange heels with a good three inches on them, ribbons wrapping up her calves. Currently, her face was adulterated with a look of loathing, her eyes narrowed into an azure intensity. "How are you, Usagi?"

"Never been better," she replied, laughing lightly. "Aren't you going to welcome me to your home?"

Minako made a noise of disgust before turning heel and walking down the hallway. Usagi followed leisurely, taking in the oceanic scenes that surrounded her. The dolphin was following happily, performing small tricks for her. She offered it a small smile, nodding once, and the dolphin, somehow understanding, left with a flip of its tail. The long hall gave way to a metal door, a set of buttons to the left. Punching in a long code, the doors slid open, revealing a stunning clear crystal hallway that showed the ocean. Minako walked purposefully, refusing to meet Usagi's eyes, before making a sharp turn to the left and leading her to a set of double doors.

"Through there on your left," Minako said sharply before turning and leaving. Usagi sighed and drew the cowl of her hood, pushing the double doors open. It revealed a linoleum-tiled hallway with flickering tubelights above, almost dismal and grim. She turned left, revealing a dimly lit room with a round granite table in the middle. Simple black chairs were arranged around the room, four of them currently occupied. Usagi gave a bleak smile as she made her entrance. Rei, Trunks, Dark, and Draco had previously been in deep conversation, but upon seeing her, abruptly stopped. Rei glared unabashedly in her direction, causing Usagi a little discomfort.

"I hope you are well prepared for this mission," Usagi began softly. Her voice was dull and almost monotonous. "It will not be easy." This was met by raised eyebrows, as if to say 'you underestimate us too much'. "I can tell you now that your lives will be in constant danger. Those of you who wish to back down must do so now."

"You take us for cowards like you?" Rei burst out angrily, eyes flashing. "If you think we're faint at heart, think of yourself. You're pathetic." Usagi gave Rei a steely look but continued without addressing the raven-haired beauty.

"But I must make one thing clear. This is a dangerous mission, which means that you need to follow all of my directions, no matter how stupid it seems. When I tell you to run, you must run. No arguments, regardless of my position."

"What do you mean?" Trunks asked softly, hands crossed over his chest. Usagi fell silent for a moment.

"There are certain enemies that are more powerful than you can imagine. I will try my best to buy you time to run, and then follow. Do not worry about me because I know the weaknesses of all of our enemies."

"So now you think we're weak, just because you caught us off-guard back at the headquarters?" Rei demanded. She was trembling with rage.

"I never said that. We need to make it to the central headquarters of the Administration of Oz. That means that we should get there with as few casualties as possible. None of us is on par against some of the people we will be fighting. In such cases, we must run. I am merely ensuring your safety, so that you may fight when it really counts."

"And what about you? Setsuna said that our mission is to keep you safe," Dark spoke up, curiosity in his eyes.

"Setsuna misinterpreted my words. You are not there as my guards, but as my companions. Since I will be the leader, it is my duty to ensure that you are safe. I made a promise to Setsuna anyhow. I intend to keep that promise."

"What promise?" Draco drawled lazily. Usagi gave him a sharp look.

"It is none of your business. If we are prepared, we should get going. I've packed enough food to last us a week, nothing more."

"We've packed enough food for a month," Rei declared. "Well, we've been ready for a while now."

"I would suggest getting out of your Warrior uniforms. It would help if people fail to recognize us," Usagi snapped her fingers and three black training gi (2) appeared in her hands. "It should fit all of you. Setsuna had it specially prepared for us. These watches are for communication, much like the ones we had back home, Rei." She handed the uniforms out to each person. Then, she snapped her fingers and four black watches appeared with silver caps, a golden moon etched on the surface. She handed them out. "I'll wait here while you go change." Usagi nodded towards the door and Rei, Draco, Trunks, and Dark all exited. Usagi sighed, dropping her impeccable aura of authority. Regarding the room around her, her eyes fell upon a tiny camera in a corner of the wall, watching over her. The light above flickered constantly, throwing shadows around the white-walled room.

"We're ready," Rei's harsh voice brought Usagi out of her thoughts and the blonde simply gave a short nod.

"Alright, while we walk, I'll fill you in on some other things," Usagi began as she led them out of the dank hallway. "The Administration is preparing a large-scale attack in one year's time. This attack will rip apart the very fabric of time and space, merging countless universes and dimensions together. Our goal is to weaken the Administration through mini invasions of their headquarters. There are about 21 minor ones and 7 major ones. Each area of this world has one central headquarter, with three minor ones branching out and overseeing the territory."

"You seem very knowledgeable –not that I'm surprised," Rei snorted. "Why the sudden switch of sides?"

"It wasn't sudden," Usagi replied curtly with a frosty voice.

"Oh? So after killing hundreds of innocent people, it's not sudden?" Rei bitterly said. Usagi abruptly stopped, head bowed so that her bangs shadowed her eyes. Her body was tense with anger and her hands were clenched.

"I did not kill a single innocent being," Usagi's voice dropped by 30 degrees. The hostility caused a shudder to go through the group. "And Rei, I will not put up with your words any longer. If you can't keep your mouth shut, you will stay behind. The loss of your presence is not so large that it will make a difference, if it makes one at all." When Usagi looked up and at Rei, the amethyst-eyed youth involuntarily took a step back. Usagi's eyes were cold and blank, almost white in color. The rest of the journey was in a thick, tense silence. Once Usagi reached the sandy shores above, she turned towards the group. "Remember, you will need to follow my every instruction. We will need to fly, since that's faster. When we tire, we can walk. If anyone becomes tired, or if my pace is too fast, just tell me and I will slow down or take a break. I will ask you one last time. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"If I wasn't, I wouldn't be coming," Draco scoffed. Dark smirked while Trunks merely nodded. Rei didn't answer, but gave Usagi a fiery glare. Usagi sighed before hovering above the ground. The sun was lower in the sky, reflecting glimmering gold from the turquoise waters of the sea.

"We will need to head south," Usagi said, waiting for the others to follow her lead. They did and soon, she was whizzing past the sandy beach into the thick forest from which she had arrived. The forest was darker now, and the cries of birds were faint and few. "Rei, are these forests protected?"

"To an extent," Trunks spoke up when Rei refused to talk. He easily matched Usagi's fast pace. "Only half of the forest is protected but the south end isn't. It's thicker and darker there."

"I see," Usagi replied, falling silent, and instead, listening to the chattering behind her. Small squabbles broke out every now and then against the smallest things, causing a small smile to quirk the edges of her lips as she flew past blurred trees, small streams of white light dappling her skin. The trees were tall and leafy, benefiting from the fertile soil beneath. There was a sort of magic in the forest, almost repressing her attempts at going south. She supposed it was created to prevent trainers from leaving. The trunks were bare until about thirty-forty feet above, where they began to sprout branches and thick foliage. The ground was free of other plants and covered in a carpet of rotting leaves and slimy moss. Ahead, it extended beyond the eye's ability to see, and as she ventured deeper into the secluded depths of the magicked woodland, the darkness grew. The leaves became thicker, allowing almost no light to pass through, and the trees were closer together. She paused as her eyes were suddenly bombarded with obscurity. Extending a hand, she lit her palm with a floating flame, giving light in a radius of no more than ten feet. She could feel the others stop behind her and fall silent. Her feelings were overwhelmed with a sense of doom as she floated into the darkness. The spell that was meant to repel the Trainers had lifted a few feet back.

"Be on your guard," Usagi's soft whisper seemed to echo off of every leaf and surface, surrounding them in hushed talking. The lack of light here was strange and unnerving; it seemed as if the flame on the palm of her hand was the only light the place had seen. Even then, the shadows sucked out the fire until it was almost nonexistent and just enough for Usagi to see by. The blonde frowned. It was not the fact that she was afraid of darkness, but the fact that there was no noise. If she was blinded by the darkness, the silence definitely made her deaf. It was heavy and suppressing and Usagi almost felt as if she never had the ability to hear in the first place. Not a single organism made a noise. The wind failed to rustle the leaves above and even the small noises her group made were lost to the gargantuan silence. Suddenly, a loud wail erupted from faraway, obnoxiously loud in the previous quietness of the woods. Usagi winced at the high pitch. She could feel a tremor run through the group behind her. She paused and allowed them to come forward. It would be better if they stayed together.

Without warning, something came hurtling through the trees and straight at Usagi. The blonde put her arms up in an 'x' formationin defense. Whatever it was caused her to fly back and slam hard into a thick tree trunk, casting the forest in utter darkness. Rei quickly brought flames to her hands, lighting the woodland in a fiery glow. She turned in time to see Usagi approaching the ground in a free-fall. Dark swiftly caught her right before she made contact with the carpet of rotting leaves on the floor.

"Thanks," Usagi said stiffly. Her eyes were alert and she quickly looked around for any other forms. "Backs together." The others understood and all five were floating in the air with their backs facing each other. Usagi felt a change in the temperature of the air and threw up her hands just in time to form a silver shield against a large-scale attack of black lightening. "Youma." Rei narrowed her eyes. She detested youma for what they made her do and for what they made out of her. Her fists exploded into fiery inferno as the first youma leered at them. It was a muddy brown with pale, albino-like eyes and cried out as the light hit its face. Its teeth were pointy and at least five inches in length, contrasting with its grotesque, small head and sticking out awkwardly. Rei blasted it with fire, mouth set in grim satisfaction as she heard its scream of pain.

"I'll hold up the shield to protect us," Usagi stated as she moved to the center of the circle, arms extended straight above her, palms flat. The others nodded and closed the empty gap. Trunks narrowed his eyes as a twin of the previously killed youma appeared and a blast of energy destroyed it. Suddenly, they were barricaded by the strange, small creatures, the size of a medium dog. Hundreds poured out of the trees and Usagi began to feel pressure as the youma slammed against her shield, battering it with bodies and energy attacks. They were ridiculously weak, but in a group as large as this, they would be able to cause a good amount of damage. Usagi winced, throwing her shoulders back and extending her arms to the sides to expand the shield as the others threw out attack after attack. She poured as much energy as she possibly could without tapping too far into her reserves. Her elbows became bent as she tried to keep the shield from shattering. Youma piled onto the shield, covering every centimeter of the surface, growling angrily into their faces. The shield began to shrink and Usagi's muscles were locked in place and tense, attempting to keep the shield up.

"Mars Inferno KISS!" Rei shouted angrily. A band of bright red light flew out of her body and raced across all free space. When the blinding light had disappeared, not a soul was in sight. Usagi fell limp, breathing heavily. Her back was in slight pain, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

"Is everyone unscathed?" the blonde managed to pant out. Trunks nodded, eyes narrowed and alert. Draco shrugged while Dark gave a thumbs-up.

"I didn't even feel them. They were around us the entire time," Rei said uncertainly, brow knit together as she held her blazing fists in front of her. Usagi nodded.

"Their energy levels are too low to comprehend."

"But that attack they sent towards you slammed you into a tree," Dark pointed out.

"That wasn't them. That was something else," Usagi gravely said. Her companions let silence fall over them. The ring of light that surrounded them threw questionable shadows across the gnarled tree trunks.

"Why don't we just fly over the forest?" Dark asked pointedly. Usagi gave him a strange look.

"You can't. A spell in this area keeps people from escaping until they have successfully found their way out."

"Oh, now you tell us," Draco growled sarcastically. "Why couldn't we have taken another route?"

"The village we are trying to reach is hidden deep within this forest," Usagi replied simply. She snapped her palms open and holy silver light filled them, creating a bright glow that revealed the pale, almost white color of the leaves and the light tan of the trees. This forest had never seen the beauty of light and grew blindly in the dark. She assumed the trees gained their energy from the uppermost part; there was no shrubbery below. A few tiny critters with blind white eyes and pale, rubbery skin scattered as they felt the group approaching; they were blind, so they could not see the light. Here in this forest, it was cold. The training gi provided little warmth from the iciness, but Usagi did not flinch in the least. The others were huddled against Rei's fiery hands.

As they progressed into the forest, the darkness became worse, if possible. Usagi found it stifling and after a while, she found that she had the inability to progress further into the woods. The darkness was quickly eating up the light that she emitted, and it weakened her slightly. She grunted and limited her energy output. It seemed to echo continuously. Usagi swallowed. This forest held dark creatures and they would have to face them soon. She hated the anticipation.

1) Khoobsurat (khoob-SUE-rahth) means beautiful in Hindi

Questions? Comments? Don't hesitate to leave a review! I'll try and answer as much as I can without giving away too much of the plot. And worry not, people, Usagi's not a Mary Sue. You'll see that pretty much everyone's insanely powerful ;) I know this chapter's not as long as the last, but I'll work on something longer for next time, ok?

These are the current animes that I'm going to include. I've excluded some stuff from the previous chapters:

Gundam Wing

Weiss Kreuz

Bleach

Harry Potter

DN Angel

Dragon Ball Z

Some aspects of Utawarerumono

Some aspects of LotR