Author's Note:
I had a giant inspiration hit! It'll take a few chapters to get to it though… This takes place directlyafter the first chapter, no break between scenes whatsoever. By the by, 'Sailormoon' refers to Sere, Sailormoon (no '') refers to Usagi.
Bin82501: I'll start making connections – slowly, I promise! Something to work on, at least! Thanks for the compliment. XP I made a few connections this chapter…
Disclaimer: If you cube my yearly earnings, you won't find enough to buy Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon. If you look at Toei/Kodansha/Naoko Takeuchi, you'll notice the wads of cash… hint hint nudge nudge.
"What brought up a question of the sort, anyway…Tsukino-san?" Usagi's eyes widened and she swallowed a brief sob, cradling her hands to her chest, and bowing her head still more. No; she'd silently pry away at 'Sailormoons' loose grasp, slowly defeat the recreated fate she was no longer a part of, and neatly fit herself back in it. "Tsukino-san? Weak atmosphere getting to you? Perhaps the moon really isn't your forte? …Tsukino-san?" The first tear withered through the tight restraint she'd managed to maintain as she fought the other's back to little avail, though she managed to keep her feet beneath her, she could do little with the sudden shivering taking control over the rest of her, however.
It stung, she'd admit that, and the lack of idea she had to go about doing what she intended aided the insistent sting and added a chilling side of slash. Usagi whispered mournfully, allowing her hands to grow to fists, flesh white unconsciously, "No… call me odango atama… call me Usako… just like you always do. Just – Stop. Please stop." She would have grabbed at his wrist, but deafly refused the pain, and bit into her lip instead, halting herself and waiting for his response. Her voice had gradually grown until it was audible, and it became quite obvious that he had heard her last comment. Several steps later, Tuxedo Kamen had halted, though he didn't turn to look at her.
"Tuxedo Kamen-sama!" A shrill, gay voice cried out loudly before the form of 'Sailormoon' came into view as she stopped several feet short of Tuxedo Kamen, blue eyes widening lightly. She raised a gloved hand and pointed shockingly toward the footing beneath Usagi's feet, not seeming to take in the other's appearance save her shoes and the ground beneath them. "W-What is that? It's glowing! Are you a -?" She finally raised her eyes to stare horrifically at Usagi, face contorting in shock, until the other finally looked to the footing. It admitted a blue light, the color of the skies of Earth, no heat, nor sharp coolness; it just held a steady presence.
"Ah… I suppose I shall be forced to leave soon…" Sailorcosmos murmured with a sigh, seeming to ignore the impending danger others thought the frozen Usagi would soon be enveloped in. Her image flickered to a pale glow as Usagi caught hold of her eyes, mirroring the calmness unearthly, and turning to believe the new senshi merely another new character in the changed past. "Just move, you know as well as I what is about to occur… perhaps it won't be what you expect. Just let it happen – you have to accept." She said, willing Usagi to move, and smiling lightly to herself as the other obeyed unquestioningly as blue flames leapt over the circle she had stood on moments before.
A sprite figure rose with unmatched elegance, surveying the surroundings with an air of audacity, glancing at each person standing about her coolly. The late figure of Queen Selenity rose until she stood at level with Tuxedo Kamen's eyes, though her stature was not more than the length of his hand. She first looked at Sailormoon, and acknowledged each following, "Sailormoon, Endymion…" She paused lightly, "Sailorcosmos." Once the name was spoken, the senshi dropped to one knee before the image totally faded into the moon's wind. Still a greater hold of words as Queen Selenity glanced at Usagi, eyes tinting lightly as she smiled slowly, "Serenity."
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Ah, sweet silence, not a sound to disrupt the tranquility shifting itself against the corners in deep layers, to muffle any power seeking to destroy it. Above her lay the black sky, nothing to taint it with imperfection, it sought no aid to anything save its own flattened surface – something was missing. There was one thing, one brilliantly pure object missing from the shadowed abyss, a power that strayed, and now gave her no connection from the one powerful life source. One object in particular, brighter than the others, though only by a small margin, a staple of that driving force she hunted, strived for; she could not reach it; several objects she felt a bond to, though it had been severed.
Usagi's eyes opened with a jolt, as she stared unseeingly into the scraped sky, slowly coming to the realization that it bore neither stars nor moon. An insistent voice struggled behind her right ear, though she could not find the will to turn from the position she found herself, sprawled over a surface she could neither feel nor see. "She says you are not obeying her orders, Usagi-chan. Please… please follow the rules of the game… please! We'll show you… show you what your recent folly has erupted; the future you now endeavor… I beg of you, change the path you drive!" The blue orb broken off of her brooch hovered before her nose momentarily, before it ran jaggedly out of her arm's reach.
"Wait! How-" Momentarily, Usagi found herself standing in the center of a room, one she did not recognize, arching ceilings of pink crystal. The walls rose, several yards above her own head, to curve into an inverse peak about the top, tittering solidly above her, give off no threat. The room was bare, save the walls and the blue jeweled door feet away from her, yet even as she looked upon it; the door silently acquiesced, creaking in a deliberately slow fashion, inward. She could scarcely see beyond the door, though she could not will herself to deny the guilty curiosity coursing through her.
A man she recognized with a pang entered first, drawing with him a woman she also uncannily, vaguely knew. King Endymion, velvet cloak flying idly, drew what was quite obviously an adult form of Sere to his side by sliding her about with one gloved hand. Usagi could do nothing save watch, though they seemed not distraught by her presence, as though it were not there; smiles burning brightly on either face, Sere's own eyes never leaving the King's. She wore a simple dress, draped casually about her shoulders, cloaking either arm in snow, falling about her ankles, and donning her head a crown – Neo Queen Serenity's crown. "Thank you, my Prince." She murmured dreamily, though did not take her hand from his.
It made her sick, and she convulsed instinctively, had there been a wall in the immediate surroundings, she would have collapsed against the smooth surface. "But of course, my darling Serenity. You must be tired beyond words – I could not comprehend the pain." Sere smiled, though Usagi knitted her eyebrows and tried to make connection, though the sickness rose to bile in her throat at each word. "He is the future, successor, to inherit all, to carry the peace; of course he is worth every effort, every comfort – you are worth every effort, every comfort, my Queen."
To Usagi's horror, Sere leaned toward Endymion, and gently kissed him, and the shivering ensued, tears racing, forming, and racing again. "Anything, love, for our future; every sacrifice shall be made, for the future of Crystal Tokyo, and the Moon Prince." Usagi felt a sudden rushing by her ears, and she was brought to her knees, as the vision of Sere and Endymion swirled in among their surroundings to stop in the setting she had been in minutes before. Though now, a red crystal floated above her, yet she could make no grab for it, could only be drunk of the presence of the Rei she knew – for that was surely the symbol, surely the personality it emitted.
"Usagi-chan, please… please fix this wrong, please accept – things are not as they seem, please Usagi-chan… please! Only then can we… can we… can we… can we…" The voice began to repeat itself senselessly, until finally it stopped, and a sign rode over the rising wind, yet still Usagi was paralyzed, lying on her back as she had been before. "Please Usagi-chan, please…" There was a small sensation over her hand, though then Usagi found the scene changed again, until she lay in her bedroom, staring lifelessly at the shelf stationed at the foot of her bed.
She couldn't understand, and instead of passing if off as a vivid dream with little meaning, only longing, analyzed the beginning, the charisma form of Queen Selenity. She'd identified Sailormoon, Endymion even, who, had this not been a figment of little purpose, would revel in the memories of the past. Then the Queen had acknowledged… Sailorcosmos. That lying, conniving being! Usagi was not Sailorcosmos, that senshi was another, visible only within the reconstructed time frame! Usagi had no power, no claim to a purpose – no way to fight the evil taking away everything that had once filled her soul. However, if she no longer had a Sailor Crystal… even a Star Seed… How? How was she here, how had she experienced the lives of the senshi, known their identities, remembered her own past?
And then the words attacked her, pressed an ongoing assault, 'Serenity', the Queen had referred to Usagi as 'Serenity'; referred to Tuxedo Kamen as 'Endymion'. How could the future shown to her by the orbs of her brooch have shown her the future if it were not an option for the continuation of the Silver Millennium? Had that past still rung true – was she still Princess Serenity of the Silver Millennium?
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Usagi had, at some point in her vain pondering, drifted to a sleep, and awoke to a bright light standing before her, as she hurried to sit erectly on her bed, eyes wide, "Do not confuse yourself, child. Accept. You're Sailor Crystal – it sleeps, unburdened, yet unprotected. Awaken it, unleash it, and allow the light into the galaxy once more." Sailorcosmos drew a hand as a sword appeared to her outstretched palm, brilliant, yet the light shone too brightly to distinguish one feature from another. She brought it swiftly down to Usagi's eye level, before slashing two slits parallel to her eyes – and drew no blood, "Understand, Moon Princess."
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She awoke the next morning without a drop of memory including any thought of the day – or night – before, though that was solely her choice, one she strongly refused to remember making. The markings of the sword blade had not broken the skin, aiding the strict defiance Usagi had thrown upon herself and the invisible mask she bore over her face. She did little more than straighten the shirt, sleeves, and skirt of her school uniform she still wore from the night past, touched her odango briefly, grabbed at her school bag, and marched purposefully through the door.
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"A – Ah… Tsukino-san?" Ami stuttered, dropping her eyes to search the cement vainly, fits white against the leather-bond of the book she carried about her knees, arms slacking. The sky above threatened, low rumbles emitting from the dark grey abyss as sudden shocks of lightening scattered the clouds in its wake. To Usagi's elated surprise, she'd stepped out of the house to find Ami waiting, tottering lightly over the heels of her shoes, overly quiet, though her presence was enough to raise the smile the other had hidden. "I – I know that y-you have… some academic problems… y-your old schools' standards w-weren't so high – I-I mean, it was a good school, o-of course, respectable a-and all…" Ami noticeably bit her lip and shook her head with disdain.
"Yes, Am – Mizuno-san?" The happy bubble had slowly shrunk at the frightfulness the other exposed; Usagi attempting to look innocent of any formidability, degrading herself considerably. She didn't bother with the mentioning of a different school, she could only assume it was another clever ploy whatever had changed the past had done. "You needn't worry about offending me, really! I'm not about to bite, either, honest." At this point, they had passed the arcade, Usagi watching Ami's eyes flash with a sudden brilliance or suspense toward the window. Just as suddenly it struck her; the other senshi hadn't gone to the mo - she angrily stopped herself at the sudden insolence she displayed to her own order, and frowned in self-disgust.
"Well… I – I… maybe it would help if I… t-tutored you, Tsukino-san? I mean… unless y-you… Mina – ah – Aino-san suggested it." Rose dusted her cheekbones, and Ami turned slightly in embarrassment, though her terror still underplayed her motions, fright sticking at her eyes. She stuttered around it, fists growing still whiter against the book's spine as the first rain drop fell placidly, causing her vivid hair to become plastered to her pale face. "I'm just being rude; j-just forget it, T-Tsukino-san. It's just d-degrading and i-inexcusable."
Usagi had already began to smile elatedly as she hopped from one foot to the other eagerly, "Oh, no, Mizuno-san! I think your idea is wonderful! Please reconsider…?" She clapped her hands together to emphasize her happiness, eyes pleading as she swung her school bag about her forearm. "Please, please thank Aino-san for me! I haven't seen her in – " Usagi bit her lip and flinched lightly in disgust, "Ah, nevermind… I just see her around occasionally… I hardly know her… So, is the study a yeah or nay?" She distinctly saw the top of Juuban Junior High and turned to Ami as she walked.
"You don't find it d-degrading, Tsukino-s-san?" She quipped in reply, apparently ignoring the result of the topic of Minako, though still terrified at the prospect she'd ensued at walking to school with Usagi. "I – I mean, that would be great. D-do you, by chance, know Hino Rei? S-She's a priestess, very pretty; at the Hikawa Shrine… n-near the bus stations – she doesn't come to Juuban?" The rain now raged as though horrified at the thought of Usagi having that drop of happiness in the endless sea of despair 'something' had dried.
"I've seen the place – are we meeting there?" Usagi became vaguely aware of the lack of students throughout the courtyard, the brushed it off as she realized the time – and the weather. She opened the door before Ami, and allowed her entry before regaining her spot to the other's right, happiness still clouding her vision and overcoming the dull pound of rain on the windowsills. She added just as suddenly, "Along with Aino-san, Hino-san, and Kino-san?" She regretted the words as fear flooded Ami once more, unaware of the sudden stiffness in her arms and legs so clearly visible.
"Ah – yes, if you wouldn't mind, Tsukino-san." They both paused to see the room bare save one student, drifting in and out of her own awareness, hands clasped before her, calves crossed beneath her. Sere's shoulders were hunched over, her mouth slightly open, her eyes half-closed, muttering something over and over, not audible enough to distinguish words. She tottered back and forth in her seat slightly, Ami immediately abandoning Usagi to run over to the other's side. "Sere-chan? Are you okay? S – Sere-chan?"
Suddenly, Sere opened her eyes wide and stared at Ami for several blank moments before a smile broke the revere, "Hello, Ami-chan!" She squealed happily, hugging her reflexively, though she then saw Usagi leaning against the wall to the left of the door, and screamed out in horror, pointing unseeingly toward the other with her mouth wide open. Sere froze in place, making no sound, though her arm shook slightly; Usagi didn't say a word, though she caught the other's gaze before lowering her eyelashes to avoid the sight. Ami did little more than glance between the two confusedly, the lashing of the rain growing louder still as flashes of lightening danced through the glass.
"Yes?" Usagi murmured our, not lifting her eyes, and unsure as to how to address her, firstly unaware of her surname, secondly, doubting 'Sailormoon' would do little more than increase the sudden bought of hysteria. She gently hugged herself, and stared longingly through the door, her sudden ecstasy washed away amongst the depression; she hoped to see Haruna, though the sight of blank hallways was slightly more appealing than the classroom. "It is rather impolite to scream and point out to someone you do no know…" She feigned ignorance to her identity, and smiled lighty, Serenity.
"I-I-I-it's y-y-y-you! Y-you! You! You!" Sere seemed to catch at her breath vainly, still pointing and stuttering, Ami blinking slowly as she attempted to make sense of anything, afraid to speak as Sere sent a wild outburst toward Usagi. She looked to be angry, face painted crimson, though at the same time, her eyes squinted and tears pooled at the bottom of her lashes, "Why are you here, witch? Answer me! You know bloody well that that foolish Queen hasn't a clue, don't you? You couldn't possibly be the – "
"Tsukino-san, Mizuno-san," Haruna paused momentarily, "T-Tsukino-san." Usagi cast a confused look across the room, though she was contented with the outcome, and presented it so. Though she then noticed the thin, iridescent cuts parallel to Sere's eyes and the faint red accompanying it.
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"Codename wa Sailorv!" Usagi's face lightened considerably as she scanned Rei's bookshelves, reflexively aware of every volume. She paused suddenly, and let an index finger slide down the spine, carefully rereading the katakana intricately spelled out, "Bishoujo Senshi Sailorcosmos?" Usagi carefully picked a new addition of 'Nakayoshi"' from its studious pile, already opened as Usagi flipped open against her thumb in order to keep Rei's spot. It stood out before her, the kanji stretching elegantly against the top of the page followed by the katakana; she traced out each character as she stared at the splash page.
Rei and Makoto were smiling happily at the top hand of the corner beneath the enlarged title, both holding something that greatly resembled chocolate. Usagi herself was in the center, staring eternally into her real renditions self, a cake borne to her hands as she laughed. Ami was, respectfully, holding an open book, smiling as Minako wrapped an arm about her shoulders, cheek to cheek, grinning, a spring of mistletoe in her hand. The bottom left hand corner, spangled just as neatly as the title, said Act 11: Endymion, though there was not an author's name. Nor was Sere in the picture.
Usagi's face contorted as she threw the magazine several feet away from her, backing up several paces in horror. It had fallen open against the spine on the page Rei had previously been reading; even as Usagi backed away she could see the elegantly drawn pictures of herself, the Sword of the Phantom Silver Crystal etched her hand, Mamoru near her on the same page. Usagi glanced again, to the next frame, as the Usagi in the manga kissed Mamoru, before stabbing herself mercilessly with the sword, 'Sailormoon' standing directly behind her.
She glanced back toward the bookshelves, the single volume lying placidly inline with Sailorv had disappeared, and just as suddenly Nakayoshi began to shift, until the version of Usagi was replaced with that of 'Sailormoon'. Usagi shook the thought out of her head, though she could not stop the racing of her heart, nor the goose bumps that had risen over her arms. She was shaken from this small reprieve, however, as the four senshi burst out of the room they'd occupied previously (having stated Usagi would join them momentarily). "A-Ah… Tsukino-san… something's come up, we need you to leave… Now." Makoto said in a rush.
I was planning on doing a totally wacky ending to this chapter… then I thought that that part could wait a few more chapters… How many times have you seen the word 'please' in a chapter? In a page? Surely not this many times… Sorry for the lateness, by the way, piles of (coincidently) English homework… And in case you weren't aware, Nakayoshi was the magazine Sailormoon was serialized in.