Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi-sensei and TOEI Animation, respectively.
Notes: I made an Instagram! You guys should follow me haha I'm 3oclock_fairy :3 I also finally posted something on deviant haha, go check it out! The link is on my profile :3
Sorry this is late, but I've been working on this other project for a Youth Writer contest, but I finished it! I've posted it on FictionPress, FanFiction's sister site :3 It was a 2000 word limit, and that's kinda hard for me, so sorry if it doesn't make much sense ^^' For now, enjoy!
Does anybody live in or around Medford, Oregon? That's where I'm gonna be from the 30th to the 8th! (I'm missing two very important dates in Moonie time though T^T Usagi-chan's birthday and Crystal's first episode! Q A Q Maybe my mom will let me use her tablet…)
Usagi wakes up in yet another room, but this time, she's not encased in a cold tube, and she finds Haruko and Shingo next to her. "Haru-chan! Shingo!" she says, shaking their shoulders to wake them up.
Haru sits up and yawns. Shingo rolls over, mumbling, "No…"
Usagi groans, and something buzzes in the inner jacket pocket. She gasps, remembering her duties. She fiddles with jacket, trying to find the thing that's vibrating.
She finds something star-shaped and warm. She pulls it out, and her throat thickens.
He brought their Star Locket. It plays a light melody as the crescent slowly spins around the small, lit dome. She wipes her eyes, smiling. "You sentimental boy…" she says, thinking of her Mamo-chan.
The door behind them slams closed with a bang, and Usagi jumps. An evil snicker fills the room, and she doesn't have to turn around to know who it is. She swallows her fear and looks at Haruko, who purses her lips.
On the outside, you'd think that Haruko would be afraid of even a tiny jumping spider because of her slight size, but in actuality, Haruko isn't even afraid of the Devil himself.
But when Usagi looks up at her eyes, they are filled with horror. And it's probably because when Usagi turns around, she sees that Lucifer is holding a very, very bloody girl under her knees and neck, her limbs hanging limply. He drops the girl to the ground, letting Usagi and Haruko get a good look at her face.
This girl happens to be quite long, maxing out at approximately 5'10". She has long, black hair and once-tan but now strikingly-pale skin, and wears a short, light-blue dress, obviously missing one important element: her cape. This girl is quite familiar to Usagi, and when it finally registers in her head that this girl is Sailor Earth, she lets out a loud scream, and then the ground is swirling up to meet her, vignetted around the edges.
She never expected for Akira Chiba, of all people, to be compromised, much less killed. Akira Chiba had always been the strong one of their group, the shoulder to lean on. But now, she's gone. Not like Usagi or Haruko's gone, but gone gone.
Tuxedo Mask kicks a wall so hard, he's afraid he's broken more toes, but he doesn't care. He couldn't protect his fiancée, and then he couldn't protect his sister, not to mention his parents when he was younger. He's the worst man in the world.
"Hey!" Jupiter says. "Calm down. We'll think of something."
"No, we won't, Jupiter, because we can't do fucking anything. We're probably gonna get captured by Lucifer Hades and killed just like the others."
"Just shut up, Mamoru!" Mars says. "We don't need your pissy man-PMS feeling-sorry-for-yourself pity party or whatever it is you're in right now. Just shut up! We're all just as stressed as you are!"
Tux clenches his teeth and fists. He wants to hit her so bad for that, but deep down, he knows she's right. He wants to be selfish though. He wants to march up to wherever Lucifer is keeping the others, kill him, and let them go home. He wants to turn back time to before anything like this happened, and kill Lucifer Hades before he has the chance to kill anyone elsw, but he knows he can't do any of that, because, if he's honest…
He's not strong enough.
He knows that people talk about Tuxedo Mask only being able to throw roses and say corny lines, but he wishes he could do more than that. He wants at least one cool attack like the others, besides Tuxedo LA Smoking Bomber, but it probably won't happen. Even Prince Endymion is stronger than him.
Maybe that's it! If he can unlock his future or even his past self like Usagi can in the midst of battle, maybe he can actually help. Maybe he can find them and slay Lucifer Hades for good.
He grins. He's so tired of just being in the way, so easily compromised, but if he can do this, maybe he can be productive. Maybe he can help them.
He closes his eyes, trying to focus. He wonders how he's supposed to do it. Does there have to be some flurry of power or adrenaline for it to happen? Usagi always used the Silver Crystal, so maybe he needs the Golden Crystal. He manages to slip away, around a corner, the others too distracted by plans to be made to notice.
"Helios!" he whisper-shouts, hoping to call the holder of his Crystal.
Sure enough, the short young man appears, right hand over his heart as he bows. "Sir?"
"I need the Crystal."
Helios looks up, confused. "Sir?"
"Just give it to me, Helios!"
"Alright..." Helios reaches up to pull the stone off his head.
"Thank you."
"Of course," Helios says, and leaves.
Tux shoves the Crystal into his lavender pants-pocket. He feels cold and bare without his jacket and cape, not to mention he lost his mask long ago, though he knows it's for a good cause. Overall, he's just really confused.
"Ami, that's brilliant!" he hears Mars say to Mercury.
"Well, what did you expect?" Tux says, rounding the corner.
They all turn to watch him as he approaches. "Where were you, hotshot?" Venus says.
He smirks. They would laugh if he told the truth. Despite what Usagi told them to do before she left, be his friend and get along, they sometimes mock him for his utter uselessness, as does the rest of the world that knows him. He rises above. "What does it matter?" he counters instead.
Venus rolls her eyes. "So cocky and arrogant."
Tux snorts. "Speak for yourself, bitch." He doesn't like to curse, but Venus really gets under his skin. Even when neither of them were a part of the Inner Senshi, she still bothered the hell out of him when she would nab him for looking for the Silver Crystal.
Venus growls. "You tryin' to start something?"
"Just sayin' that I'm still older than you, and I have more power than you do. So look at it from my point of view instead of your narrow vision and see that, in fact, you are the cocky and arrogant one."
"Enough, you two," Mercury says. She's the only one who isn't a total jerk to him, and, well, Jupiter is kind, too. They're very neutral. Mars and Venus just don't trust him, because of something he couldn't help. They're still mad over the fact that he never responded to Usagi's letters, obviously forgetting the fact that he was preoccupied with being dead. Another reason why he wants to be stronger. "What would Usagi-chan say if she were here?" Mercury scolds. They go silent. Tux looks away, biting his tongue. He knows she wouldn't like them arguing, as he remembers how she reacted when he was fighting with Haruka a while ago. She would react worse over these girls. Sure, they helped keep him sane, but that doesn't mean he likes them.
Venus huffs. "In any case, let's go. I'm getting tired of standing here. It's hard to stand around in heels."
Tux snorts. "Pretty sure I'm the only one who doesn't share your pain."
"I wasn't talking to them. Our plan is to split up, and I happen to be paired with you.. Come on, we're going first, and they're gonna follow us later to watch our backs."
With a heavy sigh, Tux starts off. Slipping off her shoes, Venus follows. "Hey wait!" she calls, but he doesn't slow down.
"Death doesn't wait, and the Devil sure as hell doesn't, either."
Venus is silent, and Tux can't help a small smile. Has he finally shut her up? He hopes so.
Haruko stands wearily. "You won't get away with this," she says. She's full of anger, more anger than one could comprehend. She has moved from the sweet girl named Haruko to the demon nicknamed the Solar Flare.
Lucifer chuckles, then laughs, and before long he's enthralled in a fit of laughter, obviously at her remark. "You... You honestly... believe that?" He laughs so hard, it scares Haruko. When he finally calms down, he wipes away the tears of laughter, and tells her, "Listen, kid, if you haven't found out already: I already have. I mean, come on. I've captured your princess. I've captured you. I killed your sister and their parents and—"
"You what?"
"What, are you deaf? I said, 'I killed your sister.'"
"Cassie's death... was caused by you?" Her voice is calm and quiet because her anger is so hot it's cold. She can't even contain her anger. This anger is called Vortex.
Oh, he is going down.
When Haruko was four, her mother had another child, whom she named Cassie. The rest of her family thought it was odd, as Cassie is a Western name, but her mother said she had promised her old friend in America, where she grew up, that she would name her child after her. They were much younger then, but Haruko's mother Ayame kept her word.
They all loved Cassie. Haruko's twin brother Hikaru would play with her every day and their older brother Yuki would always take care of her while their mother was at work, feeding and changing her graciously. But Haruko hated her. She had always wanted a sister, but as soon as she got one, she hated her. You couldn't play with her like you played with older brothers. You couldn't punch her or kick her when you were mad. Whenever she tried, her mother would yell at her and put her in her room.
Frankly, Haruko felt ignored. Her brothers were too busy with Cassie to play with her. Sh despised her sister for taking away her spotlight as youngest and only girl.
One fateful Friday in November, when Haruko was seventeen and Cassie was thirteen, there was a shooting at the theater that Cassie and her friends were at, seeing an innocent child's movie. Cassie was shot in the head.
It's been a sore spot in Haruko's heart ever since.
Haruko laughs lightly. "You killed… Cassie? My Cassie? Cassie Taiyono?"
"'Fraid so."
"Do you even realize the gigantic amount of trouble you are in for this?"
"Your laws can't—"
"Oh, no, I know. That's why this is perfect. You're in trouble with me. You killed my sister a few years ago, and now you've killed the love of my life, not to mention my poor princess who lays half-dead over there, and myself who also stands half-dead. But I assure you, I am not powerless."
He scoffs, folding his arms. "What're you gonna do? I can control you."
Haruko smirks. "No, you can control the average human. You cannot control a senshi, and you surely cannot control one of the Celestial Trio, for we have the strongest minds, above all. Go ahead and try, but it's futile. You can't touch me."
Lucifer Hades narrows his eyes at her. "Is that a challenge?"
"I do believe it is."
"Oh, my God, how much longer?!" Sailor Venus groans.
Tuxedo Mask rolls his eyes. "Will you quit your whining? We've only been at it for twenty minutes!" He checks his pocket watch. It's actually been thirty, but he does have a soul, and isn't going to make her feel hopeless by how long it's taking. "And besides," he says, "we have to go to the top floor. Just chill."
Tux can feel her eyes glaring into the back of his head, burning a hole through his hair, skin, and eventually his skull. He wonders if it would hurt. He imagines finally dying, finally being free of this world of pain. He imagines living in paradise with his Usako alone, finally able to enjoy life without frowns, without tears, without blood. He sighs giddily, and puts a little hop in his step. If he works hard enough, that can be a reality without death. He just knows it.
There seems to be a gravitational entity pulling him, so he follows it with hope. It feels somewhat like Usako, but different. Maybe it's because she's… He clears his throat. He doesn't want to go there.
"Halt!" a voice says. Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Venus turn to see a full army flanking a man whose uniform is different from the army's, probably making him a leader. But the weird thing is... they're all skeletons, except the leader, who looks more like a demon. "Go no further! You're surrounded!"
Tuxedo Mask looks behind himself in the narrow hallway. Sure enough, a whole other skeleton army is standing there, ready to shoot at the first sign of resistance.
Tux swallows. What's he supposed to do in this situation? "Listen, uh, sir," he says calmly to the leader.
"That's Commander to you."
"Right, uh, Commander. Listen, there're some girls that need rescuing and I—we, that is—need to go save them. So why don't you and your army go on and let us do our job. We'll let Lucifer Hades know you did your best and call it a day, how's that sound?"
"I have strict orders to eliminate you," the Commander says. He raises his rifle and aims it at Tux's head.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Tux says, raising his hands in surrender. "You don't wanna do that."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because I can make your life better, if you just— GAH!"
Tuxedo Mask falls down to the ground in agony, gripping the arm that the Commander had shot.
"Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Venus shouts. "Rolling Heart Vibration!"
The Commander dodges the attack, allowing some of his soldiers to take it, though, being dead, it doesn't affect their ability to fight.
Tux stands warily, grunting and gritting his teeth against the pain. "Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber!" he shouts, and then falls again to his knees, for the pain in his arm is too great.
"Venus Love And Beauty Shock!" Venus shouts, then screams as she's shot in the stomach. She coughs a little and she stays down on her hands and knees. Tuxedo Mask notices blood dribbling down her chin. Internal bleeding. He shudders.
"Hey, Venus. We have to retreat."
"You kiddin'?" she responds weakly. "What 'bout... Usagi?"
"We'd be of no use. We'll probably die if we stick around any longer."
"She's my... princess... can't just... leave her!"
"Might I remind you," Tux says, irate, "that she's my fiancée, and they've also got my sister and her partner, as well as my parents and future brother-in-law, as well as his parents. Venus, as much as I'd love to stick around, we don't have all the strength in the world. We have to go."
The Commander shoots again, nailing Tuxedo Mask in the thigh, making him cry out. "Come on, Venus...!"
"Fine, we'll... go... But we'll... come back."
Tux takes her hand.
"Neo Venus Power!" Venus calls with all the strength she has left. Though Tuxedo Mask doesn't say anything, he contributes his power as well, and together, they say, "Sailor Teleport!" and then, they're gone.
That's right. I killed off Akira. Real kill, not sort-of kill like Usagi and Haruko and the others... Dayuuuuumn, Haru's piiiiiissed XD Let's see how this unfolds! c; Also, only 8 more days! Aren't y'all totally stoked?! I know I am, this is so rad!