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Chapter Nine: One Day of Serenity
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She wanted nothing of what she had just been told. Despite Ami-chan's words and Luna's incredible stories, a part of her was repulsed at the idea of fighting. It did not felt right. Like it was not what she was meant to do. But Ami had backed up Luna's every word, and if she couldn't trust the genius, she doubted she could trust anyone else. Mizuno
Ami would rather burn in the fiery fires of hell than lie.
It was only when Ami had taken her henshin wand and begun her transformation that Usagi remembered Ami-chan would never be caught dead fighting her best friends either. Fast on the heels of that thought was the epiphany that Ami was recently in a fight involving all her friends. 'Bare hours ago, in fact,' Usagi mused.
It was not a pleasing thought to think.
She took big gulping breaths as panic set in. 'I am going to die and meet my maker, I just bloody know it.' She trembled, not from the biting wind, but from the cold hand that clutched her soul.
"You can't chicken out!" She screamed to herself. Her voice came out as a squeak. It defied the purpose of pumping out her adrenaline and left her deflated. "Oh, dear!" she tried again to howl. That one was successful.
Luna, seeing her distress, almost howled herself. Her grand plan was already fraying at the edges. Even with amnesia, Usagi was a hopeless case. However, the cat took hope as she remembered the leader that had emerged at the temple. She gracefully leaped towards the young girl's shoulder and spoke with determination. "I believe in you, Usagi-chan!"
Large blue eyes almost popped out of Usagi's head. In her fear, she had almost forgotten again that Luna could talk. She was about to speak when someone from within the bathhouse started shouting.
"Jupiter Thunder Attack!"
The whole inside of the building pulsed with blinding light and a crash of thunder echoed inside. Usagi, from her position just barely inside the door was almost blinded by the sudden intensity of brightness. Her legs felt jellied and she could feel the beginning of a wail coming from deep within her. Lightning had always creeped her out. Thunders just plain scared the shit out of her.
'You are Sailor Moon, damnit!' her mind screamed. 'Act like one.'
Usagi paused as she considered the words she had said to herself. 'Welllll, I do have amnesia….'
Her reverie was broken when another thunder blast came and this time accompanied by some creepy chanting. Usagi's knees did a lovely medley as they started knocking against each other.
She gave Luna a sick smile and said, "Please tell me that wasn't the enemy…"
Luna almost wanted to start screaming. 'This wasn't how this fight was suppose to happen. Usagi was supposed to be strong and confident,' thought Luna. 'A leader. The leader.'
They stood as they were, Usagi framed in the double doorways and Luna gazing at her with growing panic. The cat knew that the three Senshi inside were strong…but without Usagi, they were sitting ducks. It wasn't ever tried before, that they defeated a youma without Sailor Moon's own attack, and deep within Luna, she knew they never would. Sailor Moon held a key. To what was a mystery Luna herself has yet to brooch to Central.
Sailor Mercury's cry snapped the two to attention. "Sailor Jupiter! Oh, my God! Mars please help!"
Usagi felt the cold hand squeezed tighter, and tighter. Her high-strung nerves being teased by that dead hand. Her own fear became insignificant and her voice came out strong and pure. "Luna," she addressed her adviser. "What do I do to transform? What-where is my wand?" She licked her dry lips, visions of what was happening inside leaving her almost faint.
The cat heard the new tremor in her voice. For a moment, she allowed herself to purr happily. She was reminded again why Usagi was Sailor Moon. When the tough gets rolling, the blonde was always more than willing to be rolled along. Not blindly, not in that clueless manner she was so famous for, but simply because she would rather get hurt than her friends. 'Selfless…' Luna thought with growing pride.
"You have no transformation wand. You have your brooch, right?"
Usagi looked down and grabbed her golden jewelry from where it lay in the center of her school bow. A part of her wanted to complain that she had yet to get a bath so late into the night, when a humorous part of her pointed out she would be fighting inside a bathhouse. There would be plenty of water there. Heck, there were some soap and shampoo there. Even conditioners and lotions.
"Funny," Usagi muttered, "I'm sooooo-o-o-o funny I probably deserve to die."
Luna ignored her words and gave her instruction. "Raise it up high and shout 'Moon Prism Power Make Up!'"
Usagi tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. She schooled herself to imagine her three friends inside and she realized she had the will to fight after all. With a strong and confident voice, she did exactly as Luna instructed.
"Moon Prism Power Make Up!"
Luna jumped out from her perch of Usagi's shoulder, aware of how the transformation worked. A second passed. Then two. Then three.
Usagi and Luna locked stares.
She was still in her civilian clothes.
From inside, Sailor Mercury called out her bubbles attack as she valiantly tried to protect a battered Jupiter.
'NANI!?!'
'I did not do anything! I swear it!'
'What's happening?! We- you have to transform, Makoto is hurt!'
'But I did exactly as you and Luna said I should!'
'SHIMATA! What the heck is happening?!'
'Oh, goddess…We need to do something!'
'Ooohh, crap! I can't think….'
'Demo, are you holding back?'
'Nani!?! What sort of question is that? There is no time to analyze this. My brooch is not working!'
'Please, listen to me. I- I admit to fear. Are you afraid as well?'
'Oh for the love of chocolate! As course, I am afraid! Makoto and the others could be dying there, you idiot!'
'Are you afraid you might remember things in your physical from if we- I, transform?'
'….'
'…I am right, aren't I?'
'Drat…'
'Let go…I promise, they won't get hurt…'
Usagi felt something vanish the cold within her. Warmth suffused her being and she felt like she was being lifted. As she was slowly raised from the ground, she saw Luna staring, the cat's face almost comedic in its bewilderment. She closed her crystalline eyes as power surged around her and in her. 'It almost feel like…completion,' she though vaguely.
Luna watched, disbelief as Sailor Moon transformed at last. Except, this transformation was different from her original one. No pink ribbons of light wrapped around Usagi's naked body. No light sheathed to form her gloves, her boots and her tiara. Instead, a crystal pulsing seemed to envelope her, blinking in and out.
With every light pulse, Usagi's school uniform disintegrated, swallowed by the force field surrounding the fourteen years old. It pulsed, faster and faster until it begun to spin, a ball of crystal like shards of light weaving in and out. Luna trained her eyes to look deep within, no matter how blinding and saw that Usagi was now dressed in a two piece garment.
The upper torso was encased in a tight sleeveless top with the neck line laced with delicate silver ribbon to keep it closed. The soft material fell at mid- riff. A light leather armor of pure white clung at her shoulder and criss- crossed around her chest, almost hiding the whiteness of her inner garment.
Her pleated skirt was like before, but that was all that it resembled from the former fuku. It hung, shorter than the first and on her hip a scabbard was looped from braided leather where a small silver dagger hung. The hilt of the weapon was rune marked with ancient writings. No jewelry adorned it. It needed no such accesories.
Instead of boots, Usagi was wearing a white leather sandal, the thongs that held it in place crossing around her legs ending two inches above the knee. Her toes peeped out from the open footwear, and another knife, strategically placed on her outer right thigh glinted with quiet menace.
Her hands were left bare, saved for the left one, where a short glove barely covered it. Her right hand all the way to the upper arm was marked with silver lines, creating an illustration too shimmery for Luna to fully identify. One thing was obvious about it, though, it depicted the arcane moon in the solstice summer stage.
Her hair was done in its usual style but they have been styled so that the buns were done in delicate little braids instead of just knotted. The braids merged with the pigtails; some of the strands were even braided with the same silver ribbons of her new fuku. A few of her hair had been crimped and some were curled in delicate waves. The rest hung in straight splendor.
'Mermaid hair,' thought Luna in amazement.
Instantly the light disappeared and Usagi stood before her, bewildered herself. Luna took the moment to scrutinize what she had missed. Her tiara was not there. Instead, the barest shimmer of a silver crescent mark was on her center forehead where the tiara should have been.
Her only jewelry was her brooch where it lay in another loop slung on her hips. With it was her wand, the rose gold of its metal creating a striking contrast to the silver and white of Sailor Moon's new fuku.
This new garment was indeed a worthy outfit for a warrior. It was a far cry to the current uniforms of the Senshi. There was something…old world about the new lines of this fuku. Medieval almost, save that instead of non- descriptive colors, it was radiant.
"Wow," Sailor Moon breath. "Senshi has good fashion sense."
Luna, too stunned with the new transformation, could only somewhat nod in agreement.
The two of them were still uncertain of what took place. Sailor Moon herself was still reeling from the power surging with in her. She felt…indestructible. It was another shout from with in sounding suspiciously like an inhuman growl that mobilized the Moon Warrior.
With a grim salute to Luna, the white clad Senshi ran into the doors of the bathhouse.
Luna, her mind teasing her with a half remembered memory, tried to shook off the feeling that she had just missed something. "Curse my faulty memory lapse," she muttered, once again being reminded how little she remembered her old life in the Moon Kingdom.
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He came to the scene just as Sailor Mars was feigning her fire attack. He watched in surprise as he realized there were three youmas instead of the usual one. They were identical in every way, but Tuxedo Mask rationalized that only one could be the true crystal carrier.
His mind processed this as he wondered who had it: the Senshi, or Nephrite. He shook his head and he zoomed in closer, his eyes still smarting from the display of light exchange from the battle scene. He saw a blur of white deflect a power blast from the general but he paid it no heed.
Sailor Moon was his reason for coming. Her and the crystal. Above all else, he must make sure she was safe first.
His eyes scourged the area as he hid himself from view behind the foliage of a large tree. With a frown, he realized Sailor Moon's blue and red fuku was nowhere to be seen. A hint of gold flashed at the very edges of his vision and he eagerly looked for it.
What he saw almost caused him to fall from his precocious perch.
"What the hell…"
His word was unheeded. He scratched his head in confusion, afraid to make sense of this new development. Sailor Moon was dressed like some medieval mercenary in blinding white silk and leather.
And she was fighting bravely, covering Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, who were still in there normal fuku. Both girls were gaping at their leader as if she had grown two heads.
Even Mars, who was grimly holding off the attack of one of the youmas, kept giving Sailor Moon stupefied glances. Nephrite, hovering in mid air, had his mouth open.
A black cat, watching besides Jupiter was the only one giving encouragement to the Moon Warrior. This was a surprise to the man hiding in the shadows. He had always known Sailor Moon had a cat, but he was not aware the cat talked. 'This bloody day should have been included in Alice in Wonderland,' came a dark thought. 'It just keeps getting fucking better…'
Tuxedo Mask enclosed his cape around him. For the briefest of moment, he cursed the fashion gods again for having him fly around Tokyo in a tuxedo and top hat. It did not really seemed such a big deal before, particularly when Sailor Jupiter arrived in her gaudy pink and green sailor uniform, but Sailor Moon had obviously reached some sort of fashion sense, and upgraded her fighting costume.
Almost ashamed, Tuxedo Mask took off his top hat and begun unbuttoning his black jacket. "You have got to be shitting me…," he claimed to himself.
His fingers almost ripped out the formal coat and he felt his face becoming red. Embarrassment flooded him as he imagined flying away with the golden haired warrior in his full regalia while she herself was dressed in this new outfit.
"No wonder Odango laughs at my green jacket," he muttered, his eyes twitching in disbelief as Sailor Moon yet again deflected another power blast this time hitting a youma with the rebound. It screamed before turning to dust. "Even in hero form, I am a horrible dresser."
Below, Sailor Mars became incensed with her youma's insult about her high heels. With a screech, she bended over, her black hair grazing the ground as she took her shoes off and stuffed it inside the youma's laughing mouth.
Moon, seeing the exchange, held out her wand and blasted the youma. This too went in a flame of smoke and ashes. The scout's face held surprise as she stared at her wand. Obviously, Moon had not expected the wand to shoot out that powerful a beam.
This left the brown haired general and the true monster. Both had been stunned silent that Sailor Moon was actually fighting. And looking good while doing it. Even Nephrite was man enough to admit that the Moon Warrior looked smoking hot in her new battle gear. 'Definitely sexy,' was written all over his face as he watched the enemy bends toward Jupiter, her extremely short skirt advertising beautiful toned legs.
In his hiding place, Tuxedo Mask yanked his bow tie off, swearing as he started to feel like he was being choked. With irritated fingers, he blindly groped for the knots, already cursing Sailor Moon for his sudden dislike for his tuxedo. And the fact that his pants had now become just a tinnie- winnie too tight.
Grimly, he was reminded of his own words in the alley. 'Sailor Moon, I warned you. I told you to stick with the program.' He thought as he triumphantly threw his bow tie to the ground. 'Now you've practically un manned me at first sight. Now is not a good time to deviate, you gorgeous little twit.'
Sailor Moon was unaware of such thoughts. She moved towards her fallen comrades flitting here and there, wringing her hands and asking them if they were okay, as Mars begun searching for her left shoe amid the ashes. Her lovely face had a hint of distaste as she picked up the burnt footwear.
He watched, midnight blue eyes blazing, as Nephrite and the youma conferred briefly before attacking. Incredible amounts of black stakes flew from the bat like wing of the youma, targeting the three Senshi huddled together. Mars, from her side of the battle saw the attack and hopping in one foot as she tried to put her shoe in her other foot, screamed in warning.
With a devilish glare, Mask swiped his now ungloved hands to his hair and mussed his hair up. 'For rakish appeal. You be some godforsaken leather-clad merc, and I'll be the rake of a prince.'
And Tuxedo Mask, no longer clad in his signature black coat, top hat and dramatic cape, flew to the air, his white silk shirt half way unbuttoned and fluttering in the wind. His raven hair relished the loss of his hat, and only his mask kept his irritation from becoming obvious.
"Check and checkmate, blondie." His words seared the air, as his momentum carried him to his prey.
Sailor Moon, too afraid to move for her own good, was not aware there was something more dangerous than being staked like a vampire, coming her way.
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Sailor Moon stood, unsure of how to save herself, Sailor Mercury and a clearly battered Sailor Jupiter all at the same time. For the past minutes now, the Moon Warrior had been going on instinct, blocking and shielding her friends with out any conscious thought.
It had been exhilarating when she had emerged ready to kick butt. Mars by that time had called out her Fire Soul Attack and she had watched amazed as little orbs of fire had pummeled the second of the three youmas. She saw a man floating in mid air, his face an emotionless mask. "That must be the general Luna talked about," Sailor Moon had said aloud.
She had done a cute pose upon entry, ready to do her own special attack, when she was stopped cold.
"No! No way!!! Oh, bloody hell and back!" she shouted, startling the advancing youma, so that the monster actually stopped.
Sailor Moon had no idea how to call out her powers. She wasn't even sure if she had one.
With trepidation, she swung her head to a black shadow moving towards her two friends. Their eyes met, and Luna, realizing the question in the Moon Senshi's eyes, meowed in frustration. "Gomen nasai, Sailor Moon…but I have no idea what powers you have…"
"What!?!"
"I- well, err…You- you've changed armor! I was not expecting that! How did you do it, anyway? As for you normal attacks…well-uh…err….the tiara…uh-huh? It's…not there?"
"Are you freaking questioning me? Wait. You mean I was supposed to be wearing a tiara?" Sailor Moon asked as her voice lowered unconsciously so that the enemy would not hear the conversation.
Her fingers grope frantically at her forehead, her eyes criss crossing upwards in hopes of seeing the headgear that Luna mentioned. She gave her 'brilliant' adviser a long look, Sailor Moon whispered, "What do I do now? Is this tiara important?"
"…Hai," Luna's answer was full of pent up irritation.
"WHERE IS IT THEN!?!"
Luna sweat dropped and gave the Moon Warrior a death glare. She opened her mouth only to realize that the leader of the Senshi was beginning to panic.
Sailor Moon was afraid, naturally. Only a fool would not fear at such moments. But along with the trembling and daze came the need to protect. Sailor Moon would have been hard pressed to explain why, but for some reason, she felt the need to salve guilt within her.
The golden Warrior, decked in her white armor could not understand the need to clear her conscience; that she had committed a crime deserving of punishment. A part of her whispered of murder and betrayal; of Kingdoms lost and an entire race wiped out because she had not kept her duty…
That she had ignored her responsibility.
Sailor Moon racked her memory with desperation she had never even felt when she had heard Endymion's name being whispered in her mind, nor when she acknowledged her love for Chiba Mamoru. What ever it was that was eating her soul with regret was something more of…devotion. To whom, well…she could not remember. And to how many…
Her heart, during the transformation, was filled with some sort of resolution. She did not understand. A part of her rebelled and drew back at the idea of being a soldier, but a greater part relished the opportunity of being the one who protected instead of being the one to be protected.
'I have to pay for my transgressions,' a voice in her whispered. 'They suffered because of me…'
Inside that pulsing light, the blonde warrior was assaulted with visions of seven or so forms slowly dying. Worse was when the vision showed people being massacred and castrated like cattle. She had dismissed it right away, her concerns zeroing in on the more important matter of helping her three friends. Now, faced with the onslaught coming her way, she felt bitterness coming to her again.
'Why am I so weak?' the question echoed through out her soul. 'How come even when I became a soldier…I still fail to help them? Am I really nothing more than some pampered bearer?'
She received a flash of memory. A young woman with her face and her body - though slightly older than her fourteen years – was cowering behind a man with black hair and cobalt blue eyes. She was afraid, that much was visible in her lovely face, and she was doing nothing. She was simply staying hidden and being defended by the handsome lord. When the man was wretched away from her by some great beam of light, she did not fight back, but merely…gave up…
While the rest of her people screamed for her help, the woman possessing Sailor Moon's face calmly faced death instead. She gave up…without even trying to see if there were any options.
In a heartbeat, the visions reverberated and echoed in her mind. Nephrite, seeing her face more clearly than anyone else, saw the warring confusion on Sailor Moon's azure gaze. Had he been near her, he would have heard the Moon Warrior's softly uttered word.
"Oh, great goddess…what do my thoughts mean?"
Sailor Mercury, her face still awed at her leader's new appearance, did hear and again wondered about the burdens the golden haired fighter bore in her pure soul. 'What are you hiding form us, Usagi?' thought Mercury, her troubled eyes looking at her leader's back as she cradled her other friend.
"Sailor Moon…" the Senshi of Ice called out with desperation as Jupiter began breathing in ragged gulps of air. The brown haired soldier of the Senshi had been the first on the battle scene and had taken an incredible amount of battering on her body. Even now, as they face death, Mercury was tearfully pulling out the deadly stakes embedded on her friend.
Mercury's voice reached Moon's dazed brain. "Gods, Mako…please hang on. Please…"
Something tugged deep inside the Moon Warrior. Jupiter would be all right. She felt it. The tall warrior was being healed, slowly. 'By me,' Sailor Moon thought. 'Huh? How am I doing that?'
That was one problem solved. Unlike Jupiter's waning strength, no subconscious Power channeling could stop this one.
All three was unsure how they would escape this attack unscratched. Or if they would even survive it. Jupiter, clearly the strongest of them, was still somewhat in a semi state of unconsciousness, the effect of the power emanating from their leader not quite taking hold just yet, and Mercury had no grand illusions of her own attacks. Certainly The Ice Warrior knew that Moon, now without her tiara, had an even limited attack.
All these thoughts, all these fears, transpired in seconds. But as it was universally acknowledged, when death hovered near, the very last moments stretched as if an eternity. Mercury and her leader, their hearts beating erratically, wished for a miracle.
In the background, Mars was shell shocked as she saw visions of her three friends dead, with only her alive to fight of the Dark Kingdom.
But the miracle came…
It came in the form of swirling petals and steel like stems bearing blood red roses.
'Yey! My Tuxie is here!'
'Tuxie? Who in all of Lunarian's power is Tuxie? And why is he named so horribly?'
'Hmnn? OH! I forgot. Tee-hee. Ooops. Guess you don't know about him, huh? I think I mentioned him a while ago, though…'
'Brilliant deduction. Now kindly answer my questions, please.'
'That's my Tuxedo Mask…except he isn't wearing his usuals. Hmnn, wonder why the heck not…'
'MY Tuxedo Mask?!? Wait…I thought we have established you are in love with Mamoru? Good heavens, are we so fickle now in our reincarnation?!?'
'Shut your mouth! I'll have you know that I was very loyal to Tux before you came along, you!'
'Well, kindly align your priorities straight then, because I refuse to be parted from Endymion now that we have finally found him simply because of a girly infatuation to a handsome, black haired, knig-'
'Oh, yeah…wipe your drool while your at it, why don't ya?'
'I AM NOT DROOLING!'
'Hah! Puleassseee. Who do you think you are talking to? A first grade moron who don't know when a girl is practically ready to drop her panty at a single command at the sight of a gorgeous hunk? This reminds me, great job with the outfit!'
'Do you kiss your mother with that mouth? Does Luna even know what a perverted mind you posses?!?'
'Riggghhhttt. Go high and mighty at me just because you're embarrassed. I'll have you know, it won't work, stirring the topic away from Tux.'
'WHO IS HE? What is he?'
'…Well-l-l, from what I'm seeing, he is very pissed.'
'Nani? Look, is he an enemy or what?'
'Definitely an or what… Wow, he looks so much better without that jacket…Ooooh, great chests…'
'FOCUS! You are in love with Mamoru!'
'Stop shrieking! I'm going deaf here! Look, answer me this. Is Tuxedo Mask gorgeous or not?'
'That is beside the poin-'
'Ep-ep-ep! Stop right there. Just answer. Yes. Or. No.'
'…yes.'
'There. That isn't tooo-o-o hard is it. Now, answering your question…I think you should know, a lot have changed here in the twentieth century. Open love is very 'in' right now. If Mamoru is really Endymion, I'm sure we can get him around the idea that it will be very beneficial for me to have a body guard right? And Tux there happens to be extremely qualified, I'll have you know.'
'SERENITY!'
'Huh? Who's Serenity?'
'I AM! I mean, you are! I mean, we, err…us? ARRGGGHHH!'
'…oooh, he even lost his God awful hat…'
'AAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!'
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He had always relished the feel of the air around him. The feeling he could fly, as he leaped from rooftop to rooftop without the need for wings. Now, as his white silk shirt billowed in the wind, Tuxedo Mask almost wished he had kept the cape.
'Christ,' he thought, 'its cold! How do the girls stand it wearing those short skirts?'
It was an understandable question. Unfortunately, given the current situation, it was also the wrong thoughts to be occupied with. His midnight blue eyes, safely hidden by the half mask, darkened as he neared the golden haired angel dressed in an outfit no angel would ever be caught wearing.
Once again, Tuxedo Mask uttered the words he had spoken while he had been undressing. "You have got to be shitting me," he said.
Sailor Moon's white skirt was even shorter than the usual, and the wicked little dagger slung on her thigh was doing its best to attract the hero's attention, beckoning him to stare at her legs. It even seemed to be winking at him, the glint coming in an out as light danced on its surface. 'Like it is goddamn teasing me…'
Fascinated, he gave it all his attention, almost itching to feel the smooth, pale skin and see if they were as soft as they looked from his vantage point. It was the screaming of Mars that snapped him out from his perverted thoughts.
He swore under his breath. He needed to stay focused. His inner voice came alive all of a sudden. 'Yeah, you idiot. We have to make sure there is a girl to grope first before you plan what you are going to do to her. And in case you haven't notice, Sailor Moon is about to be shish cabob.'
The voice paused, as if catching its breath. 'I don't know about you, but I'd rather the girl of my dreams actually participate during a steamy session than riddled with ten inches wooden stakes. That just borderlines kinky for me, I think.'
Tuxedo Mask snarled to no one in particular. It would not do to have a verbal debate with his sick thoughts at the moment. Sailor Moon needed him. With lightning fast movement, he rained roses at the stakes, his aim true.
Beside, he knew from experience that the voice always win when they argued.