14
Usagi stood before the mirror. Her white satin dress fitting her just perfectly, her hair just so. She looked perfect, but did not in any way feel it. Tears began to fall from her eyes as she ran the brush through her hair. All she could feel was doubt and anxiety. Today was her big day, but she knew what was going to happen. She knew how it was going to get ruined. The room was dim around her making it look as if her dress gave off a slight, soft glow as she stared at her reflection. Closing her eyes, she reached out and gripped onto the crescent wand.
"I have to go this alone," she scolded herself as she remembered what became of last times encounter with Queen Beryl. Her eyes sprang open as she heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" she called out as she looked up at the mirror and dabbed her eyes.
Luna walked in. She was in her human form. Her black curly hair loosely sat on her shoulders and flowed down her back. She was wearing a long purple gown that went down right passed her knees. "How are you doing in here?" she asked with concern as she slowly approached her side.
Usagi looked up with surprise. "Luna?" she asked.
"I'm the one presenting the crown to you. How did you expect me to do it?" she asked.
Usagi looked down and sighed. "Right," she said sounding distant.
Luna looked down to her with sympathy. "You know, this is like your graduation," she said getting Usagi's attention. "You went from being crybaby Usagi to Neo Queen Serenity. You have gathered up the soldiers, learned about your past and future. You saved the world from ending and then saved Princess Galaxia. Usagi, whether you like it or not, you've matured and actually became a leader," Luna said trying to get her to have at least a little faith in herself.
"I don't know," she said softly as she turned and saw herself in the mirror again. Every one was telling her that she was this strong leader, but all she could see was a scared and weak young girl who wasn't ready for any of this.
"If Queen Beryl were to show up now, what would you do?" Luna asked.
Usagi looked over and shrugged. "I would change to sailor moon and take care of her. I would just have to make sure that I do a better job than I did before," she answered.
"What about the others?" Luna asked. She did have a point to this questioning, she just wanted to see if Usagi would catch on to it.
"What do you mean?" she asked. "They wouldn't be here. Remember? I told them to stay home," she explained as she started to brush her hair again.
"See?" Luna asked. "When you first started you had to have others help you. Now you're willing to risk every thing and face your fears so they don't have to face danger," she said. Luna then walked over and stood behind her to watch her reflection.
Usagi slowly looked up and widened her eyes. She realized that Luna was right, she didn't like it, but she was right. "I guess that just means that I should get out there and get this over with so that I can protect every one," she said. Those weren't the words that Luna was waiting to hear, but still nodded.
"Hello?"
They both turned and saw the door open. Mamoru stepped in. He knew that she didn't want him to even show up, but he had to come. "Happy birthday," he said as he closed the door behind him.
Usagi began to show a small smile through the tears. As much as she hated to admit it, she was still the same girl that needed some one with her to get through something. With pure excitement, she got up and ran towards him. Mamoru took her into his arms and tightly hugged her as he lifted her up off the ground. They went in for a brief kiss and then stood back from each other. "Thank you Mamo-chan," she said with genuine happiness.
"Did you really think that I would leave you alone at a time like this?" he asked as he cupped his hand around her cheek.
Usagi closed her eyes and smiled. For a moment, she forgot about her problems. She took her hand and gently laid it on top of his. Then, reality came back. The young blonde squeezed his hand and then lifted it up off her face. "I'm sorry to do this," she explained through tears as she stared up to him with the sadness that he had wished he could get rid of. "But, I have to be alone for this. I can't have you or any of the others here."
Mamoru hung his head with disappointment. There was no use in trying to get the girl to change her mind. He knew why she wanted him gone, but she needed the others there with her. Even if she was strong enough to fight. "All right," he said and then slowly made his way over towards the door. He was about to open it, but paused and turned back towards Usagi. "Right now is one of those times that I would love to see that part of you that is still a child." he said and then walked out of the room. Usagi just sighed and then went back to her dresser and finished getting ready.
Usagi now sat in a throne in the palace. She looked out over a crowd. In the front were the outer senshi. She had expected that since they had not been told not to come. She was surprised to see Minako and Rei right beside them though. As she spotted them, they each gave her a smile of reassurance. Though unsure of herself, she returned the smile. Continuing to look straight out over the crowd, she tried her hardest to keep a look of dignity, something to show that she wasn't scared. It was now her responsibility to take care of every one, and one thing that would not help would be if they were all scared to.
Every one turned and looked back as Luna came down the isle. She carried the crown on top of a purple velvet pillow. It was beautiful, and under most circumstances, she would be more than happy to wear it, but not today. Today it was a sign of darkness. A sign of Queen Beryl's return.
Luna got up to her and stood with a smile on her face. "Princess Serenity, daughter of Queen Serenity. By taking this position, you promise to protect these people against anything that can and or will harm them. You also promise to rule over them with fairness and justice. Along with that you promise to make sure that you do what ever it takes to keep the kingdom safe. Knowing this, do you accept the responsibility of the throne and everything it stands for?" Luna asked.
Usagi looked up to her with a blank expression. In her heart, she doubted that she should even be there, but even though Luna asked, she figured she didn't have a choice. After all, she was the princess, it was her destiny. "I do," Usagi declared. She had much rather been using that during her marriage right now.
Luna then placed the crown on her head and bowed down before her. "Congratulations Neo Queen Serenity," she said. Usagi sighed and then thanked her. She was now the queen. Everything was up to her and there was no turning back now. Not for anything. Every one cheered as she stood up and walked down the isle over to the staircase. Their cheering only made her feel worse. They trusted her. She gave them a promise and they completely believed her. She wasn't quiet sure of she could live up to it.
Usagi, who was now the queen, made her way up to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. All she could do now was to wait for Queen Beryl to come. Laying down on the bed, she thought about what she'll have to do. How she'll have to go it alone.
"Come in," she called out upon hearing a knock at the door. She quickly sat up as the door opened. A smile came to her as she saw Rei and Minako entering the room. "Hey guys," she said.
"Hi Usagi-chan," Minako said trying to sound as cheerful as she could.
"Hello Usagi-chan," Rei said sounding more concerned.
They each walked over to her and sat down beside her on the bed. "Just one question," Usagi said getting them to both look up at her. "Why did you two come?" she asked.
"Well," Minako started. "Mamoru-chan told us what was going on, but nobody wanted you to do this alone so we decided that only half of us should come. That way the other two could still watch your family for you," she explained.
"What about Mamo-chan?" she asked.
"He's fine, he stayed with Ami and Makoto," Rei said. She had heard the worry and concern in her friend's voice and wanted to try to make her feel better. The only thing that would get in the way of that, was that she knew something bad was about to happen, she just didn't know when. If she knew, she would tell her.
"Have you had any more dreams?" Usagi asked. She was hoping that maybe as they got closer to the time when things would go wrong that her visions would become more clear. Rei sadly shook her head. Usagi just looked down. She wanted more than ever to hear that nothing was going to happen, but she herself could feel it. She could feel that there was something just waiting for the right moment. "I've got to go back now," Usagi said.
"What?" Minako asked.
"I've got to go back and almost marry Hideo," Usagi explained.
"But Usagi-chan, what about Mamoru-chan?" Minako asked. She was surprised to even hear her mentioning that she would go back to face that boy.
Usagi looked up at Minako and slightly smiled. She had expected that response from her. "I said almost. I just have to get them to think that I am going to marry him. That way they think I've fallen into the trap and reveal themselves," she explained.
"And once they reveal themselves, you can beat them which would in turn anger Queen Beryl and get her to return so you can finally finish her off," Rei said figuring it out on her own. Usagi nodded in response.
"I need you two to stay here, just in case anything happens. All though, I doubt anything will since I'll be gone. She'll probably wait until I'm back here before she does anything drastic," Usagi said. They both agreed to stay behind as she went to go fight what ever youmas got a hold of her family.
Luna was now back to being a cat as she walked with Usagi to her house, some place that had not been for a long time now. She stopped in front of the house as she looked up and sighed. "I guess this is it Luna," she said. Closing her eyes for a moment, she thought about what she would have to do. She had to convince then that she was willing to marry Hideo with out actually going through with it.
Usagi finally decided to go up and knock on the door. "Hello" Ikuko asked as she opened the door.
"Mother?" Usagi asked as she examined the lady. She knew it wasn't her mom, yet she felt guilty having to do what she was about to do.
Ikuko smiled at her daughter and then looked at the time. "Okay, if we hurry, we can make it to the church in time," she said sounding rushed.
"What?" she asked.
"Just come on. You're about to get married," Ikuko said as she grabbed her daughter's wrist and took her to the car.
On the way over to the church, Usagi started thinking about what had just happened. Why she had reacted the way that she did. They knew. They knew that she knew and now it had turned into some kind of game. She now needed to start outsmarting them. To some how make them think that she still doesn't know. That she's still the same naïve little girl from four years ago. That shouldn't be so hard since she had lied to her parents a lot.
They got to the church and Usagi got dressed into her wedding dress. There was no doubt that she had fun wearing one, but she just wished that the man in the tuxedo waiting for her out there was Mamoru. She now sat alone in a back room of the church as she stared at her reflection. "Here we are again," she said to herself as she started to cry. Again, she looked perfect, but couldn't enjoy it because of the situation that she was in. "Damn it, if it's the last thing I do, she's going to pay for this," Usagi declared as her tears of sadness turned to frustration.
"Usagi-chan!" Makoto exclaimed as she came through the door causing Usagi to jump. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"
Ami closely followed and rushed in after Makoto. "Usagi-chan! Is it true?" Ami asked.
Usagi sighed as she looked down. "Look, I'm not going to go through with it. I'm hoping that everything will be revealed during the wedding and end it before anything actually happens," she explained.
"What if that doesn't work?" Makoto asked.
Usagi looked up at her and thought for a moment. "I won't get married to him. I refuse. I will simply run out of that church to avoid getting married to him. There is no way that I am walking out of here a wife," she said starting to sound as tense as she felt.
"Don't say I do," Ami said. "Saying I do is your way of saying that are willfully getting married. If you refuse to say I do, then you are stating that you're not getting married on your own will which in turn makes the marriage unofficial," Ami explained.
"Which means that I can walk out of here a single girl," Usagi said thinking out loud. Ami nodded. Usagi then looked back at herself in the mirror and thought for a minute. "Oh God," she gasped and then quickly wheeled around towards her friends. "Mamo-chan!" she yelled and then stood up. "Does Mamo-chan know about this?" she asked.
Ami and Makoto exchanged looks of uncertainty and then focused their attention back at Usagi. "Actually, he's waiting outside," Makoto hesitantly answered.
Usagi closed her eyes for a minute. There was a lot going on right now and it was hard for her to even think. Every muscle in her body was tense, that was good when it came to fighting, but now it was just a nuisance. Her fists were clenched as she tilted her head up towards the ceiling and then opened her eyes. "Okay," she said with her voice shaky.
"He's not mad at you. He knows what you're doing," Ami explained trying to comfort her friend. "Would you like me to go out and talk to him? Make sure that he's here after this is all done and over with?" Ami asked.
Usagi nodded. "Thank you," she said and then hugged her. Usagi then turned back to Makoto and tried to force a small smile. "Would you like to be my maid of honor? Make sure I don't do anything stupid?" she asked.
Makoto softly laughed. "Sure," she said. She felt sorry for Usagi who was now dabbing he eyes. "You know Usagi, she's doing this to you on purpose," she said making Usagi pause and stare at the mirror with realization. "She's trying to wear you down. Don't let her, because if she does, that's like a promised victory to her," she said.
Usagi slowly turned and looked at her. "That makes sense," she said. "Sometimes I wish were as strong as you," she said with a distant look to her eyes.
Makoto smiled. "No you don't. The only reason you're so stressed out is because you know that every one else is in danger. That's what a lot of people like about you, you're caring and it shows," she explained.
Usagi thought about that as she looked off to the side. Her thoughts were interrupted by her mom.
"Come on girls, ceremony's about to start," she called out as she stuck her head in the door.
"Coming," Usagi said without any expression.
Usagi now stood at the front of the church with Hideo at her side. He seemed to be genuinely happy to be there which made her feel bad about what she was going to do. The entire time had been spent wondering when the youmas would strike. When everything would start. It never happened. She was still standing there and the wedding was almost over. But no matter what, she kept in mind what Makoto had told her, don't get too stressed out.
"Now Hideo, do you take Usagi to be your lawful wedded wife? To have and to hold? In sickness and in health? For better or for worse? Until death do you part? Say I do," he said, which brought Usagi back from her thoughts.
"I do," Hideo said smiling at her. It melted her heart to see the way that he was looking at her. How excited he was, but she knew that the only man to ever truly love her, was Mamoru, and the only man she could ever truly lover was Mamoru.
"And do you, Usagi, take Hideo to be your lawful wedded husband? To have and to hold? In sickness and in health? For better or for worse? Until death do you part? Say I do," he said now pointing his attention to her.
"I…" she started and then looked up and saw the expression on Hideo's face. He now looked as if he was about to puke from becoming nervous. "I'm sorry," she said as she shook her head and then ran down the isle to the doors.
Ikuko and Kenji stood up with sorrow and confusion. "Usagi!" Kenji called out. "Get back here!" Ikuko yelled.
Realizing that she wasn't coming back, they both sighed and sat back down in defeat. Hideo stared towards the door as if he had just lost everything in his life. Makoto reached over and grabbed his shoulder. "It's not you, it's just that she's in love with some one else and didn't think it would be fair to marry you," she said with out getting any response from Hideo.
Usgai ran out the doors and saw Ami talking to Mamoru on the side walk. Without paying any attention to Ami, Usagi ran straight into Mamoru's arms and cried into his chest. He embraced her as he stroked her hair. He could feel Usagi starting to go down to her knees, but held her up. "No, please. Just let me sit down," she said.
Mamoru guided her down as he sat down with her. He then pulled her over into his lap. She wanted to talk to him, but didn't know what to tell him. She felt nervous, scared, sad, lonely, helpless, everything. She then looked up to him with her blue eyes. "Sorry about all of this, I don't know what's wrong right now. I got out of getting married to him," she said.
"That's okay, I was expecting it a while ago that you would be like this," he said smiling down at her. He really did feel sorry for her, but he also knew that if he started showing how he felt, it would make things worse for her. "I wish it were better, but happy birthday Usako-chan," he said.
"Some birthday," she said and then smiled at him. "But thank you," she said and then kissed him.
Ikuko and Kenji stood in the doorway of the church as they watched the two kissing in each other's arms. Ikuko just shook her head. "She'll never learn will she?" she asked with a smug little smirk on her face.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I put a lot of work into this one, you can obviously tell that it's a little longer than the others. Please tell me what you think.