TWO WRONGS
Chapter 3: Fallout
A Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
Sailor Moon's eyes grew wide as she stared up at him. Her weight shifted as she tried to throw Na from on top of her, as Makoto had once taught her. But Na was a skilled combatant and he knew how to shift so that she couldn't get leverage to move him. Her desperation growing, Sailor Moon thrust her head forward, hoping to head butt him. Again Na avoided the move.
"Sometimes they fight," Na chuckled. "Eventually they all surrender to the bliss."
Her arms were pinned on either side of her head. Her body was pinned beneath his superior weight and leverage. Sailor Moon could smell the alcohol on his breath. Her chest heaved against him. And yet she didn't cry out for help. As always, the teen was determined to prove that she could do whatever she set her mind to do. Na's mouth drew closer to hers and she strained to escape him.
Then in a blur of black and yellow, Na was no longer atop her. Pulling herself to a sitting position on top of her bed, Sailor Moon looked over. Na was flat on his back on the floor with an eight hundred pound female Bengal tiger on top of him. The great cat's fangs bared and the huge muscles in her neck corded, ready to strike.
"VESTA!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Don't kill him!"
The cat hesitated, not wanting to obey. Then her loyalty to her Princess took command of her. The tiger's mouth closed, though she didn't get off of him.
"Yes, Princess," the tiger dutifully replied. When Sailor Moon signaled Vesta to get off, she obediently complied. Vesta sat down at Sailor Moon's feet. Na began to pull himself up off the floor, warily eyeing Vesta. Vesta glared in return.
"Thanks, Vesta," Sailor Moon exhaled. "How'd you know?"
"Pallas caught one of your distressed thoughts," Vesta replied, still glaring daggers at the wobbly Na. "She told me and I got here as soon as I could. You OK?"
"Yeah," sighed Sailor Moon. "You got here before it went too far."
"It seems that I have made a mess of things," Na mumbled. He got up to leave, but a low growl from Vesta stopped him.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Vesta snapped.
By now Pallas had arrived. And she wasn't alone.
"Na," Candide said uncharitably. "This is Elysian. Did you think I would not know?"
"Lady Candide," Na nodded to her as he wobbled to his feet. "I apologize once again for causing you distress this night. I merely wished to - - celebrate with the Princess. Apparently she finds me a boorish companion."
"Perhaps you have had too much celebration this night, Na," Candide suggested. "Perhaps it would be best to return to your wife and home."
"Would it be best?" Na asked no one in particular. He took a deep breath and tried to focus on Candide again. "You need not concern yourself with any further embarrassment from me, Lady Candide. I will leave Elysian - - as soon as I am fit to travel."
"It was not my wish," Candide responded cooly, "though I will not impede you if it is yours. Does Keika know of your decision?"
"No doubt she does," Na snorted. "No doubt she is spying upon us at this very moment with her dark magic. She has probably known for months that we are finished and cannot admit it to herself, just as I have known for months and could not admit it to myself. In any event, I will trouble you no longer, Lady Candide. I thank you for your hospitality low these many years." The man turned to Sailor Moon and smiled. "My opinion of you is unchanged, Princess. I only wish we could have met under better circumstances." He bowed to Sailor Moon and turned to leave. Candide stopped him before he gained the door, though.
"Na," she asked. "Why?"
"I have been domesticated for too long," he replied. "I tire of being a house pet. I have decided to become a wolf again." And he staggered out the door. The Dream Regent turned to her guest.
"My deepest apologies to you, Princess Usagi," Candide offered.
"You don't have anything to apologize for," Sailor Moon sighed. "I'm just glad nothing went too far."
"Lucky for him," Vesta rumbled as she morphed back into her Senshi form. "So that's it? He just gets to walk?"
"He has done many great things in his life," Candide offered. "We are all capable of villany in moments of greed or weakness - - or despair." Vesta remained unconvinced.
"Thanks for the assist, you two," Sailor Moon said, going over to Vesta and Pallas. "It's over now. Why don't you two get some rest."
"Yes, Princess," Pallas nodded. "Vesta and Pallas were glad we could help."
"You sure he's not going to bother her again?" Vesta asked Candide.
"I'll be OK," Sailor Moon assured her. After the two Senshi left, Sailor Moon turned to Candide. "Helios isn't going to find out about this, is he? I mean - - I don't want this to interrupt the ceremony."
Candide smiled. "I will not interrupt the ceremony to inform him, My Dear. And after - - it will not change his opinion of you."
"I just don't want him going after Na," Sailor Moon told her.
"Can't believe that guy," muttered Vesta as she and Pallas walked along a path to where they were staying. "Nearly," and then she stopped, glancing at Pallas and mentally editing herself. "And they just let him go!"
"The Princess is trying to be like her Mommy and forgive him," Pallas told her companion.
"Yeah, well, that's her thing," Vesta responded. "I know I couldn't do it. I'd rip his face off!"
"You should try forgiving, Vesta," Pallas advised her. "The Princess is trying. It's hard for her - - really hard for her - - but she's trying."
"Snatch that out of her head?" Vesta asked.
"Pallas is worried about her," the Senshi shrugged.
"And that Candide! 'Maybe you should go back to your wife'. Maybe we ought to send him back to his wife in a box!"
"Vesta, you know you're not supposed to think like that!" Pallas admonished her.
"Yeah, I know," Vesta sighed. "Just irritates me is all. What if I hadn't gotten there in time? What if she hadn't been able to fight him off? An eye for an eye; that's the way we settled things on the streets."
"Queen Serenity-ma'am says killing an enemy doesn't make you safe," Pallas said. "It just makes you new enemies."
"Yeah, and Vesta says that forgiving an enemy just gives him a chance to attack you again," Vesta argued.
Just before they entered their quarters, Pallas grasped Vesta's arm. The Senshi turned to her sister.
"Vesta, please don't do anything wrong," Pallas pleaded. "Pallas doesn't want to lose you and she's not sure how many more chances you're going to get."
Vesta looked into her sister Senshi's pleading eyes. Once more the war within her raged, pitting her desire to maintain her pride up against her desire to please Pallas. She wanted to assure Pallas that she wouldn't do anything rash or violent. But she didn't want to lie to the girl, either.
"Why are you two still up? Something happen?" Juno asked, a towel over her wet hair.
"Juno, you won't believe what happened!" exclaimed Pallas. And as Pallas explained everything to Juno, Vesta eased away.
Back in Sailor Moon's quarters, she and Sailor Saturn sat on the bed, conversing like they had done a hundred times previously over the last three years. Although they'd never conversed about something like this.
"Are you all right!" Saturn gasped in horror.
"Yeah," Sailor Moon nodded, looking down in uneasy chagrin. Her eyes remained downcast. "But he had me. I tried everything I knew to get him off of me, but he had me good."
"It's not a reflection on you," Saturn offered. "He just got you by surprise. And you weren't really feeling well."
"I know," mumbled Sailor Moon. "Aunt Makoto used to have a saying when she was teaching me how to fight. She always told me 'Never get too cocky, because there's always somebody better'. She was right as usual." The girl paused anxiously. "But it doesn't make it any easier to accept."
"Where is he now?"
"He told Candide that he was leaving Elysian." Absently Sailor Moon rubbed the knuckle of her right thumb with the fingers of her left hand.
"When?"
"I don't know. But I hope it's soon. I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get much sleep with him out there."
"Do you think he'll try again?"
"Candide didn't think so," Sailor Moon shrugged. "But she seemed surprised that he did it in the first place."
"Do you want me to stay with you?" Saturn asked.
Sailor Moon looked up at her. For the tiniest, briefest of moments, it seemed to Saturn like her friend was going to cry. Then a huge smile bloomed onto her face and the raised cheeks cut off the path of any tears.
"Yeah," Sailor Moon choked out. "I think I'd like that. I'm not putting you out, am I? I don't want to do that."
"You're not putting me out," Saturn smiled gently. "It'll be just like having a sleepover in the palace."
"Except Uncle Haruka won't be bellowing through the door at us to go to sleep," smirked Sailor Moon.
"Or The Queen asking us if she can get us some snacks," Saturn smirked back.
"For the tenth time," smirked Sailor Moon. "Just so she can peek in on us." The pair broke up into giggles. After the giggles died away, Sailor Moon looked earnestly at her best friend. "Thank you, Saturn."
The two friends went on talking for a while. Finally the pair tired and crawled into bed, Sailor Moon on the left as was her custom and Sailor Saturn on the right. Facing each other, heads lying on soft pillows, the two teens felt at peace.
"So what did you do after the festival?" Sailor Moon asked.
"I went over to the temple and watched Helios for a little while," Saturn told her.
"Oh, I wanted to do that, but I didn't want to distract Helios! What was it like?" the Princess gasped with excitement.
"Vesta?" Pallas asked after she turned and found Vesta gone.
Juno looked over the Senshi's shoulder curiously. Vesta had been right there. The two Senshi checked inside the quarters they all shared. No one was there except Ceres and she was sleeping soundly.
"Vesta, where are you?" Pallas called out telepathically, pausing on the step outside the door. The teen looked around, growing more frantic with each passing second.
"Maybe she's checking on the Princess," Juno suggested, as much to assuage her own growing fears as to assuage Pallas's.
"Why doesn't she answer?" Pallas exclaimed. "Vesta!" When there was no answer, Pallas whirled on Juno. "She's going after Mr. Na, Sir, I know it! She's going to do bad again! Juno, we have to find her and stop her!"
"Let me see if I can get her to answer her communicator," Juno said.
She pressed the stud for Vesta and hit send. Pallas watched as Juno waited for an answer. Juno could feel the fear radiating off of Pallas. She could sympathize. This was an all-to-frequent occurrence with Vesta. When she had made up her mind to seek retribution, it was hard to dissuade her. Recently they'd all seen a change in her, a dedication to Sailor Moon that had brought her street tendencies in check. They'd all hoped that Vesta was finally turning the corner and joining the civilized society that she'd been an outsider from all her life. But now . . .
"She's not going to answer," Pallas squeaked. "Vesta never answers when she's hunting."
"Yeah," was all Juno could muster.
"She's going to do bad again! She's going to do bad and get sent away, and Pallas will never see her again!" Desperately Pallas turned and ran off into the night. "Vesta! Please answer, Vesta!"
"Pallas! Don't run off!" Juno shouted. Her first instinct was to run after Pallas, but if Vesta was Hell bent on revenge, she was going to need help. The Senshi ran back into the guest quarters and began shaking Ceres.
"Nnnnnhhh!" groaned Ceres, still in the dying throws of intoxication.
"Get up!" Juno growled, shaking her harder. "We've got trouble!"
"Ohhhhh, stop shouting!" wailed Ceres. "You want my head to explode?"
"Get up! Vesta's on the loose and she's got blood in her eye again!"
"Oh, my head," Ceres moaned as she sat up. She held her head in her hands, bent over, for a few seconds.
"Come on!" Juno fumed impatiently.
"I'm coming!" Ceres snapped. "Honestly, I wish that girl would grow up!"
They exited the guest quarters. Led by Juno, the two Senshi followed in the general direction Pallas had run in.
"So what happened now?" Ceres asked. Juno glanced at her and noticed Ceres looked a little green.
"Remember that couple that had the blow up at the festival?" Juno asked. Ceres nodded. "The guy tried to force himself on the Princess. They had to pull Vesta off of him, in tiger form. Now she's disappeared, and Pallas and I are afraid she went back to finish the job."
"So where's Pallas?
"She ran ahead. She's afraid that if Vesta gets to this guy before we get to her, it's going to be her last act as a Senshi."
"She's probably right," Ceres affirmed. "Too bad, too, because this is actually one time where I don't blame her." They continued running. "So how does something like this happen in Elysian? I thought Elysian was supposed to be the home of happy dreams."
"I don't know," Juno shrugged as she ran. "Maybe one person's happy dream is another person's nightmare."
Ceres glanced at her ruefully.
Saturn awoke to a strange sound. At first she thought that Na was back. Warily she looked around without moving, so as not to betray that she was awake. But she quickly realized that it wasn't the sound of an intruder. The sound was from Sailor Moon.
"Sailor Moon!" Saturn cried when she realized that her friend was choking across from her.
Leaping up to a kneeling position on the bed, Saturn reached down to roll her friend on her back. As if they knew to activate, candles on the night stands on either side of the bed came to life and spread light over the room. As Saturn's hand neared her friend, she felt something. Instinctively her hand withdrew. She looked. Nothing was there. Then Sailor Moon's gasps for breath shook her back to reality. Forcing her friend's mouth open, Saturn brought one of the candles over and peered down her friend's throat.
"No obstruction," Saturn mused, pinning the girl's tongue with her thumb. "She doesn't seem to be having an allergic reaction. No swelling in the throat or glands to account for it."
Her first thought was a tracheotomy, but she had nothing to act as an airway and nothing to cut with save her glaive. Realizing she and Sailor Moon were running out of time, Saturn hit emergency general send on her communicator, then placed her hands on Sailor Moon's throat and chest. The hands began to grow violet while her eyes receded into her head and her eyelids closed. She hoped to heal whatever was wrong with her power, but her main concern was to at least keep Sailor Moon alive until help could arrive.
All at once, Saturn pulled back her hands as if something had snapped at them. She stared down at the choking princess. She couldn't see anything, but Saturn could sense something peripherally - - something fearful. But with Sailor Moon quickly losing color, Saturn couldn't succumb to fear. Her hands jammed back down and began glowing violet. Hopefully help would get there on time.
"Do you know where we're going?" Ceres heaved. In spite of her Senshi stamina, she was beginning to tire.
"Pallas ran this way," Juno replied.
"So how does she know where to go?"
"How does Pallas know anything?" Juno answered. Ceres had to concede the point. "Hey, up ahead! There by that tree!"
Juno looked and saw a figure sitting against the trunk of a hundred year growth apple tree. Even though she figured the figure was sleeping, Juno headed toward it. If nothing else, she could ask the figure if a tiger with a bad attitude had passed.
But the two Senshi slowed to a stop when they got close enough to see the unnatural angle of the head and the vacant, glassy eyes.
"That's the guy," Juno said softly. "Na I think Pallas called him."
"Is he . . ." Ceres asked uneasily. Juno knelt down next to Na and felt along his neck. Instantly she withdrew her hand because he was cold to the touch.
"Yeah," Juno sighed. "Looks like Vesta beat us to him."
Continued in Chapter 4