Chapter 8-Sailor Uranus
That night I couldn't sleep at all. I tossed and turned as I thought about Haruka. Perhaps I was too harsh on her tonight. Perhaps I rushed into it without preparing her for what was to come. Would I have embraced my destiny so readily if I wasn't in danger at the moment? If the transformation pen wasn't there during Alex's attack, I would have died. I didn't have a choice.
Haruka was being honest about her feelings. She found her purpose and she wanted to pursue her dream. Was it fair that just because Sailor Uranus reincarnated inside her, that Haruka would have to give up her dream? I started to doubt my resolve about my own destiny…
The day of the race, I got to the track early. Elsa said she would meet up with me at ten. I wanted to see if I could talk to Haruka one more time, in private. I spotted her from afar. She was talking to her crew, bossing them as they run around servicing her racing car. Her face was so determined. I couldn't help but smile at how annoyed she looked when one guy screwed up. Haruka pushed him aside and she went under the car herself, apparently to fix whatever the other guy messed up.
After she was done, Haruka left the crew and walked toward the garage. I quickly followed. I was just around the corner of the building when I sensed danger. I started running towards it, realizing it was coming from the garage Haruka just went in.
All of a sudden, a bright orange light flashed through the garage. "No. Could it be…her awakening?" I thought as I continued to dash toward the source. I saw Haruka on the floor, facing a giant worm-like monster. The Uranus transformation pen was blinking and floating in midair. Haruka was reaching for it.
"No. Don't. The moment you grab it, you will never return to your mundane life." Surprised, Haruka stopped and turned to look at me. I raised my pen and yelled, "Neptune Planet Power Makeup." I decided, at that moment, that I didn't want Haruka to suffer like I did. I could shoulder the responsibility myself. Let me be the only one to lose dreams. Let me be the one to bear blood on my hands in the name of saving the world.
I quickly threw one attack at the monster, knocking it hard toward the wall, crashing into the shelves. As I got ready to push another attack, Haruka stepped in and shielded the monster from my attack.
"No, you can't. He was a human just a minute ago. Are you all right dong this? This is murder." Haruka said accusingly.
I lamented at how innocent Haruka was. "The silence is approaching. If I don't do this, there will be even more victims! I don't care what means I use!" I explained.
Just then, a loud rumble came from behind Haruka. The giant worm re-emerged under the shelves. Without thinking, I lunged forward and knocked Haruka out of the harm's way. I felt the worm's sharp teeth sliced through my left arm and back before I landed hard on top of Haruka. Without a moment's pause, I turned and threw another attack at the worm. "Deep submerge." I collapsed into Haruka's arms as I used up the last of my energy.
When I came to, I was still in Haruka's arms. "Where is the monster," I asked.
"He turned back into a human. He was alright," Haruka replied. I was relieved and surprised to hear that. Usually, my attacks ended up killing the monsters.
"I might have killed him. Next time, I am sure I will kill again. It is not that I am fine with it. But I am a soldier. I chose to do this." I turned away in shame.
"Why did you cover for me just now? If you hurt your hand, you won't be able to become a violinist," Haruka said as she gently raised my injured arm.
"Because I wanted to protect you. You are the one person I don't want to see walking the same path that I did. When I realized you were Sailor Uranus, I was happy. I am sorry, I didn't mean to tell you all this."
Haruka gently laid me down on the floor and walked toward the wand. My feelings were mixed as I watched her picked it up. The power from the wand flowed into her, along with her past life's memories.
"Uranus Planet Power Makeup."
Sunlight beamed from the wand and surrounded Haruka. Sailor Uranus had awakened.
Sailor Uranus walked toward me and helped me to my feet. She raised my chin and gently kissed me on the lips. Basked in the brightness of her light, I felt warm.
"Thank you, Neptune, for waking me. You don't ever have to fight alone again."
Up to this point, my journey as Sailor Neptune had been excruciating and painful. Then, she showed up at my most desperate moment. Her warm light touched me and wiped out the darkness. At that moment, I felt hope. I haven't felt hope in a very long time. Hell seemed less scary now, now that I had her by my side, fighting till the end.