Those who have Power

"Man overboard!" the captain's cry came over the speaker. "All hands on deck! I repeat, all hands on deck! Man overboard to the starbord!"

There was instant chaos on the deck. One woman began screaming, and the crowd, being naturally curious, had hurried to the starbord side of the ship. The crew was trying to get to the lifeboats, but the sheer number of passengers was staggering.

Usagi watched all of this, a sinking feeling taking over her own heart. Neptune had been working on her abilities in the water, but she was nowhere near ready to take on a fully raging sea. However, if she didn't at least try, the boy would surely drown.

Turning away from the bow, the girl yelled to her parents, "I'll be back," before beginning to run in the opposite direction.

Usako reached out and grabbed her arm. "Just a minute. Where do you think you're going?"

"To save the boy. Where else would I be going?"

Usako's eyes widened as she pulled her daughter back to stand in front of her husband and her. "Have you gone completely mad?"

Usagi blushed a bit. "Uh, no. Why do you ask?"

"Usa, you are Sailor Chibi-Moon, not Sailor Chibi-Neptune! You have no idea how to control the seas…"

"But I'm also half Earth, right?"

Mamoru stepped in. "Yes, Usagi, Earth…as in land…not water!"

"So, technically, then, I should be able to control the land at the bottom, right?"

Usako fixed her daughter with a stone glare. "Don't get flippant with us, Usagi…"

"I'm not getting flippant. I'm just saying…"

"You still need the ability to breathe under water, and neither the Lunar Elementals nor the Terran Elementals have said ability. Only the Hydro Elementals have it."

"Look! I'm not as strong as either one of you. I am half of each of you, so I have to make the compromise for it. I can use the Terran Elemental part of my powers to heat up the mantle, which should create an underwater gyser, shooting up Carbon Dioxide, correct?"

"Usagi…"

"And there is carbon dioxide on the moon – more so than oxygen, which is what the Lunar Elemental breathes, right?"

"That's not the point!"

"No, the point is I have just come off of a massive evil streak, and you don't trust me to do this right!"

Usako looked directly into her daughter's eyes. "That is not true! We do have the faith you can do this…"

"Then let me!"

The queen grabbed her daughter's arms and made sure she was looking into her eyes. "Dammit, Usagi Small Lady Serenity, I nearly lost you once on this trip, and I'll not be in any hurry to do it again!"

Usagi was silent. She knew her ordeal had affected her parents, but her mother rarely showed her vulnerability. Carefully, she took her mother's hands and said, "Mom, of the three of us, I'm the most logical to go. Neither one of you can go without the other, but I'm both of you packaged into one. Neptune has been working with me a bit out on the sea, creating squalls and such. I'll treat this as a training exercise."

Mamoru put his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "Honey, Neptune's not here to pull you out if something goes wrong…"

"Dad, seriously? Have you trained with her? There is no 'pull out if something goes wrong.' She's tougher than Uranus when in training!"

"Captain," one of the crewmen's voice floated in over the roar of the sea, "we can't get the boats to stay upright. They're capsizing as soon as they hit the waves!"

Usagi looked at each of her parents, still blocking her way to the starbord side. Heaving a sigh, she stepped back slightly on one foot. "Well," she commented as she looked both parents in the eye, "I guess there's only one thing to do, then, since we can't come to a decision."

Mamoru held her gaze, sending her a warning glance. "We came to a decision, Usagi…"

"Well, then, I guess you'll have to catch me before I hit the water!" and that being said, the pink tressed princess dashed between her parents and toward the aft.

"Usagi, don't you dare!" her mother's voice followed her. She knew they were right behind her, but being shorter made it easier to dodge among the crowd on the deck. She was half-way to her destination when she pulled her broach out. "USAGI!"

As she reached the back of the ship, in one fluid motion, she lept up onto the railing and jumped, throwing her broach above her head.

"Moon…Crisis…Make…" Splash!

Had the monarchs been two seconds faster, they would have caught her. Now, the terror-gripped parents held onto the railing, their knuckles as white as the paint. She didn't surface as the glow in the ocean pinpointed exactly where she'd landed. Throughout the transformation, she swam, looking for the little boy.

Surface, Usa, Usako tried to project to her daughter after what seemed like an eternity. You can't go this long without air.

I'm fine, Mom, a response came back. After another beat, the queen heard, I've got him!

Good, now surface so we can get the two of you back on this ship!

I did! I can't see the ship. The waves are too high!

Hang on! Usako stepped to the railing and placed her hands in front of her chest, producing the Ginzuishou. Instantly, the deck was flooded with white light.

"Can anyone see them?" came the captain's voice from behind the two monarchs.

"No," was the unanimous cry to the captain.

"Dammit!" The captain of the ship paced back and forth along the rail. "What was that girl thinking? Now we have two kids to rescue!"

Mamoru looked up into the air and saw two familiar glowing balls in the air. Silently, he leaned to his wife. "The cavalry's here."

Usako looked to where he was pointing. Even though they were both above the clouds, she'd recognize the aqua and yellow glows anywhere. Uranus and Neptune have both joined them. She smiled and let out a small breath of relief.

"Thank God," the queen whispered to her husband. "No doubt Neptune is calming the sea, and Uranus reined in the winds."

Mamoru smiled as he nodded.

"Captain, the sea is calm enough now to get the boats into the water. Do we have a direction?"

Mom, the current is too strong. I'm not getting anywhere…

Usa, Mamoru's thoughts projected to his daughter, use your crystal; do what Mom's doing. They can put the boats in the water, but they don't know where to go.

Within a few moments, the white light of the Ginzuishou faded and the light of the princess's Pink Crystal shone brightly over the water.

"There!" someone yelled from beside the monarchs. "I see something…"

"That must be them," one of the shipmates commented as he and a few of his friends jumped into a lifeboat, and more of the crew lowered it to the sea. A few moments later, a call came across to the captain's radio.

"We have the boy," one of the shipmates said. "But the girl is just gone…"

Usako's heart faltered. "Gone?! What the hell do you mean, gone?"

Usagi! Usagi heard her husband mentally call to her.

The captain turned to his radio and asked the question.

"The boy got into the boat, and the girl just sank. We're trying to see her, but the water's almost too dark. This boy needs to get back on the ship."

Usa,the queen called as she turned into her husband. Where are you?

After another moment, both parents barely heard, I'm here on the other side of the ship.

Both parents took off toward the port, hoping they weren't too late to reach their child. Another moment, and they saw her being lifted up onto deck by a wave directed by Neptune.

As soon as Usagi was on deck, both parents threw their arms around her, holding desperately to her; one crying in relief at her safety; the other, attempting to chastise her for "pulling such a stupid stunt!"

After a moment, she turned and looked directly into the eyes of Neptune.

"She did well," Neptune said softly as her partner (and lover) landed next to her.

"Yeah," Uranus said as she offered one of her crooked smiles, "not bad for an ameteur."

Usagi panted as she took a seat on one of the outside benches. "Yeah," she breathed, "sure it wasn't."

"You kept your head," Neptune commented. "You should be proud." Turning to the two monarchs, she continued, "We'll be going now, Your Majesties," and with a slight bow, they were gone.

The two parents stood on either side of their daughter while she caught her breath and watched as the sea calmed and the skies cleared, thanking the two Senshi silently as the boat continued on to its destination.

Minutes later, the small family was approached by a couple, holding a blanket-wrapped child. The man looked annoyed, but the woman – angry would have been the understatement of the year.

"Did you have to undress him?" the seething female asked as she gestured to the boy in the male's arms. "That outfit cost us nearly six hundred dollars!"

Usagi stood on shaky legs. "I had to, Ma'am," she answered softly. "They were too heavy in the water and weighing both of us down."

"Why couldn't you have stripped your clothes?" The woman's temper began to flare. "Why did you strip my son?!"

Get a hold on yourself, Usa, she heard her mother's thoughts. Fighting anger with anger only escalates things.

Usa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, putting herself into "princess mode." "Ma'am, I will be more than happy to compensate you for the loss of the outfit, though I hardly feel it is necessary."

Careful, Usa, her father's voice came. That's treading dangerous waters.

"Necessary?!" If it had been at all possible, the woman grew angrier and began advancing on the pink-haired rescuer.

However, she stopped when Serenity placed a hand on her arm and said softly, "I do not believe in violence, Madam, but I do believe in protecting my daughter. You will step no further."

Usa continued, "If it is the money you want, then you will get it. I shall personally see to it. However, I do not see a need for any hostility. I think we should all just be thankful the boy is all right, and move on from this."

"I still say you did not have to strip him…"

"Ma'am, I was faced with a choice," Small Lady's voice began rising in pitch. At her parents' warning glares, she collected herself. "I tried to save him with his clothes on, but with the height of the waves, we were not reaching the surface. The clothes were absorbing too much water, and I could either strip him and have a chance at saving us both, or keep the clothes on and drown us both. Had I chosen the latter, two people would have died, so I chose the former.

"I would have thought that you would be a bit more thankful, rather than critical." The woman opened her mouth to say something, but Usa cut her off, "Maybe not to me, or the crew, but thankful in general that your son is alive and will recover. Or perhaps I'm just spoiled, because I know for a fact that had this situation been reversed, my parents would be standing there with me wrapped in a towel, thanking you, and to hell with the six-hundred-dollar outfit. That can be replaced, Ma'am. Your son cannot."

"And I believe that is all that needs to be said about that," came a new voice. The two families (and the now gathered crowd) turned their heads and saw the captain standing just outside of the ring of other passengers. The passengers all parted as the white-clad captain approached the incognito monarchs and irate family. He took his place in front of the monarchs and faced the ruddy woman. "You are to leave this family alone. Had it not been for her bravery, your son would have drowned, as we could not get the boats in the water without them capsizing. If anything, to avoid this fiasco, you should have had more control on him and taught him to listen when someone in authority speaks. That, alone, would have stopped him from going over the railing in the first place and stopped this girl from risking her own neck to save him." He turned around to face the princess and her parents. "That being said, on behalf of the crew and myself, thank you." He bowed slightly.

Usagi blushed as she bowed slightly. "Anytime, Captain."

He winked and nodded at her before turning around and dispersing the crowd.

"It's shall," her mother said softly as she guided the tired teenager toward a bench.

Usagi threw her mother a confused look. "Huh?"

"You said, 'I will be more than happy,' and so on. It's shall. I shall…you will."

Usa looked at her mother briefly before placing her head in the palms of her hands. "Only you," she said, the hint of a giggle on the end of it.

Mamoru and Usako both joined their daughter in the laughter as the boat once again began course for their destination.

***

Peace.

That really could be the only word that could describe what Serenity felt as she lounged on one of the chairs on the deck of their tiny bungalow. No storm clouds haunted the horizon; no old archenemy lingered in the shadows, waiting to possess her daughter; no money-hungry crazy woman trying to rip her daughter's eyes out for saving her son…Usako breathed in deeply, allowing the salty air to penetrate her senses.

This sunset is beautiful, she thought as a slight wind blew across her forehead, and she brushed her bangs out of her eyes. I really should get them cut, she thought to herself. I need a new hairstyle.

No, you don't, came her husband's thoughts.

Surprised, Usako looked over her shoulder and saw her husband leaning against the doorway.

"Your hair looks great just the way it is," he said as he came and knelt beside his wife, taking her hands into his.

Usako screwed up her face. "I don't know. I think something different may be in order…"

Mamoru looked down at his knees. "Honey, I don't know how to tell you this, but…"

She threw him a side-ways glance. "What?"

Heaving a sigh, he continued, "If you would change your hair, I'm fairly certain we'd be looking at a civil war among our people."

"What?!" Serenity could barely contain her mirth. "You can't possibly be serious!"

"I am being very serious." He fixed his wife with the sternest gaze he could muster. "The wrong hair-style could send the wrong message. I mean, what would the other political heads say?"

"They'd better say it looks wonderful, or the best style they've ever seen…"

"Or what?" He had that mischevious look again.

"I'll have them beheaded," she replied very bluntly. Her eyes narrowed as he began laughing. "And," she gently poked him so he fell back on his backside, "you'll be the first to go."

He reached up and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the chair and onto the top of him, entangling their bodies on the wooded deck. "And you'll soon follow, my love."

"Not this time," she commented softly as she pushed herself up on her hands, being careful not to dislodge the rest of her body. "I," she started as she lowered her face to her husband's, "have a daughter to raise."

He twisted, and Serenity soon found herself underneath her husband. "We have a daughter to raise."

Her eyes sparkled. "Not if you're beheaded…"

Mamoru slowly lowered himself onto her small body, transforming himself into the Endymion she married. "Do you dare to threaten the king?" he asked as he began nibbling on her ear.

She moaned softly as she arched her back and whispered softly into her husband's ear, "I dare…"

He pressed himself against his wife, sandwiching her between his body and the deck. He could feel her arousal, and he smiled. She was hungry for him – as much as he was for her – and he knew it.

His mouth closed on hers, each kissing the other as though they hadn't in months. Slowly, he dislodged his tongue from hers and traced her jaw bone to her neck. Hearing her gasp, he continued across her collarbone to the other side – to her other ear.

She melted into the wooden boards as his breath caressed her ear, "Sorry. Not tonight."

He got up, leaving her paralyzed on the deck, trying to get control of her senses.

He was so dusted!