THEN AND NOW
Chapter 4: "The Reluctant Warrior"
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
Rei Hino walked down the palace corridor to the shrine set up inside the palace. It was a place of worship, a place central to the priest to communicating with the gods of the world - - and it was a sanctuary for her when the hypocrisy and pettiness of the world got to be too much for her. For even in Serenity's better world, there was still hypocrisy and pettiness.
At the moment, she had to consult one of the ancient texts she had accumulated over the centuries on demons and demonology. Puppet master demons were rare, but all of the ones she'd known were never able to control this many people at once. And they were never able to completely disappear from her senses once their spell over humans had been broken. These two facts disturbed her. They didn't bode well for the future. And there was also a gnawing fear in the back of her mind that she had missed something three years ago and her mistake was coming back to haunt her and the rest of Crystal Tokyo.
What she didn't expect to find in the shrine was her favorite person in the whole world.
"Any luck, Aunt Rei?" Usa asked. Rei didn't need her sight to see that the teen had been waiting for her and waiting a while.
"None," Rei admitted. "I can't find a trace of this thing, other than the residual energy it used to control all of those people."
"You think it could attack again?"
"I'm almost certain of it. Puppet master demons usually try to sow fear and chaos. They feed off of the fear, and the chaos throws other people into emotional turmoil and allows the demon to gain access to other minds. Since we weren't able to deal with this one, it will be back for more. Where and when are the big unknowns." Rei sat at a table and programmed a food dispenser - - one of her reluctant concessions to modern life - - for tea. "So how is Cere doing? I only just got back."
"Aunt Ami got her through it OK." The girl grinned fleetingly. "No big shock there. Aunt Ami's the greatest."
"And?" Rei prodded.
"Cere is really messed up by this," Usa confessed. "This was even closer than what happened in Sao Paulo. She almost died. And it really scared her. Scared her bad. Like she might quit. And I . . ." The girl paused. She seemed reluctant to go on. "Never mind. What do we . . .?"
"You don't know what to do to snap Cere out of this depression," Rei said. Usa's jaw clenched. She looked down reflexively. "Muffin, this is something Cere has to work out for herself. We all cope with things in our own way. I'm not saying ignore her. But don't press her. Risking your life is tough for all of us. If it becomes too tough for some, we can let them walk away and still be their friends."
"Should have known I couldn't hide anything from you, Aunt Rei," Usa mumbled. "I hear what you say. But I don't want to lose Cere from the team, either."
"Well, she was never very gung ho about being a senshi," Rei mused. "I've always known that and you should have."
"I did. I just hoped I was wrong."
Rei closed her hand over Usa's. "Muffin, this isn't a reflection on you or your leadership skills. Not everyone is cut out to be a senshi. And not everyone has the courage to face death on a recurring basis. Grandpa once told me that courage was the ability to risk something precious to you in order to accomplish a greater good. If Cere can no longer accept that risk, it doesn't mean you failed. And it doesn't mean she's a coward. And it also doesn't mean she isn't your friend anymore."
"I know that," Usa nodded. "Cere will always be my friend."
"THEM?"
The walls of the Royal Receiving Room vibrated for a few moments. Queen Serenity grimaced in the face of the withering glare of her fifteen year old daughter, the Princess Usagi Small Lady Chiba.
"Small Lady," King Endymion sighed with just a little frustration, "don't yell at your mother."
"Pop, I have ASKED you all to call me 'Usa'!" the Princess fumed. "I am fifteen now! I am NOT SMALL!"
"Not much of a lady, either," Minako murmured under her breath. She got a hip shove from Makoto for her comment.
The Princess Usagi, or Usa as she had begun insisting to be referred to, stood before her parents. Ringing the room were the elder senshi, in their civilian forms, as well as Serenity's most trusted advisors, Luna and Artemis. Diana, now grown into a sleek gray cat, was to Usa's left and looked quite upset. Near the door, flanked on either side by the elders, were the former Amazoness Quartet, who Queen Serenity had just introduced as her daughter's new senshi. Jun was wishing she was anywhere but here and Ves looked like she was two seconds away from attacking her new Princess. Palla-Palla, naturally, was blissfully happy and seemed in a world of her own. Cere, though, seemed harder to read.
"Very well - - Usa," Endymion replied in measured tones. "Your mother and I realize that your memories of these four aren't pleasant ones . . ."
"They tried to kill the man I love!" raged Usa. "Why would you possibly think that would be an unpleasant memory for me? And while we're at it, let's recall how many innocent people they hurt! And how they were working for a woman who was going to plunge not only this world into unending night, but Elysian as well! Not to mention how they helped Nehelenia almost kill you, almost kill me . . .!"
"Point - - taken," Endymion interjected.
"Usa," Serenity began, gently, almost timidly in the face of her daughter's genuine hurt and rage, "one of the best ways to combat evil is to find a way to take those who do evil and give them a means of using the energy they expend for constructive purposes. That way, they have a creative outlet for their energies and ideas and can benefit society rather than harm it. Now you're just starting your career as Sailor Moon. If you can manage to take four girls who were once bitter enemies under your care and show them the right way to affect change and help people, it would be a gigantic accomplishment for you and a great advantage for society in general."
"Not - - them!" Usa replied, her voice quivering with rage.
"Um, Your, um, Majesty?" Cere spoke up.
"I much prefer Serenity," Serenity gently cautioned her.
"Uh, OK," Cere stammered. "Look, maybe we should just go back to Brasilia. Maybe this was a bad idea."
"The Hell it was," grunted Ves. "This could be a really good gig for us. Why should we be run off by some stuck up . . .?"
"Ves!" Cere hissed. "Please forgive her."
"Not in a million years," Usa muttered through clenched teeth.
"Usa," scowled Serenity. "If you're going to be Sailor Moon, you'll need senshi. And they're very qualified. They understand danger and risk, they're very athletic and very decisive in battle. We've all seen that. And they just want a second chance, Honey. A chance to prove that they're not evil, that they're not beyond redemption. And the true mission of Sailor Moon isn't just to protect those who need protecting. It's also to provide a chance for those people who want to prove that they're capable of helping others and enriching their lives. If you're going to be Sailor Moon, you have to understand that."
Usa just stood there, her emotions boiling just under the surface. Everyone watched her. For a moment it seemed like she was about to burst into tears. Another moment and it seemed like she was about to explode in an orgy of violence. Her mouth pulled thin and her eyes clamped shut. Her hands clenched into fists and shook by her sides.
"Fine," she huffed angrily. "You win again. But I WILL NOT LIKE IT! And I WILL NEVER TRUST THEM! And when this BLOWS UP IN EVERYBODY'S FACE, like I know it will, you just remember whose grand idea this was and who told you it was going to flop!" And the Princess whirled and stalked toward the door, Diana scampering after her. "But you won't!"
The door hissed shut behind her. Serenity closed her eyes and put her hand to her temple. The elders all looked uneasily at each other. Ves fumed silently.
"I think I preferred the jungle," Jun muttered.
Ves searched through the rows of flowers and trees in the Queen's Garden on the grounds outside of the Crystal Palace. She had gone looking for Cere, but the attendants at the Infirmary had told her the patient was well enough to be out of her room for short periods. Naturally her first thought was to find the nearest vid-phone because Cere would be there talking to her boyfriend, "the great artist". When that lead failed, Ves next thought to look in the garden.
She found Cere there, sitting on a bench amid the flowers in her infirmary gown. Her eyes were closed and she seemed at peace - - more at peace than Ves remembered her being since the attack. It was like the flowers were singing to her, serenading her with their chorus of admiration and affection.
Of course, that was stupid.
"You OK?" Ves asked. Cere seemed to come back to reality. She kind of seemed disappointed, but Ves attributed that to her own presence rather than any sentience flowers might have.
"Feeling a little stronger," Cere murmured. "It let me get out of that drab, stifling little room in the Infirmary." She looked up at Ves. "You talked to Palla-Palla, I suppose."
"News like that, it's hard to shut her up," Ves replied. "You actually thinking of quitting?"
Cere looked down and took a shuddering breath. "I almost died, Ves. And this soon after what happened to us in Sao Paulo. . ."
"Yeah? And?"
"I figured you wouldn't understand."
"I understand," bristled Ves. "Marcelino Acosta came this close to killing me in Brasilia a couple of times."
Cere looked up to her. "Then why aren't you scared?"
"Every day's been a fight to survive for me," Ves told her. "You don't look back on something that almost got you. You keep going. Dwell on what already happened, the next thing that's out to get you will have a clean shot." Ves thought a moment, struggling to find the proper words. "You got to live every day like it might be your last - - 'cause one day it will be."
Cere shook her head. "Well I can't do that."
"Sure you can."
"No, Ves. I can't. Because I've got too much to live for. I'm young. I'm beautiful. I'm popular. I'm seeing a wonderful man. Do you know he wants me to move in with him? The minute he heard about what happened, he asked me to move in with him," and Cere dropped her gaze, looking around anxiously, "and away from all this."
"You gonna?" Ves asked suspiciously.
"I ought to," Cere answered. "I don't want to leave you guys. You three filled an important void in my life. And I don't want to let down Hotaru or Usa. But I don't want to die and being a senshi means risking dying every time we go on a mission."
"Yeah and an air car could fall on you, too," Ves grunted.
"There's nothing wrong with living a nice, quiet, peaceful life tending a floral shop and being with the man I love," Cere argued. "Maybe you'd find that boring, but I wouldn't."
"You know what it sounds like to me?" Ves said. "It sounds to me like you're running. Well running never got anyone anything except attacked from behind."
"And you know what it sounds like to me?" Cere locked eyes with her. "Some people know enough not to pick up a hot coal after it's burned them. And some people just keep burning themselves."
A nurse appeared near them and interrupted the conversation.
"Please forgive me," she bowed. "Dr. Mizuno says you need to get back inside before you overtax yourself."
"Coming," Cere said. She rose from the bench and gingerly walked toward the palace, the nurse hovering by her.
"Cere," Ves said. Cere turned to her. "Quitting would be the biggest mistake you ever made."
"No, the biggest mistake I ever made was following you into the jungle," Cere chuckled. "But a lot of good came out of that mistake. And a lot of good could come out of this one."
"Well that went well," Minako said three years prior. She was still in the Royal Receiving Room with the others. The four former Amazons had been dismissed and Serenity had left to try to talk to her daughter.
"I don't know why we're surprised," Rei replied. "After what happened, after everything she and we went through at the hands of the Amazoness Quartet, of course she isn't going to trust them. I wouldn't trust them either if it wasn't for the fact that I can read that they're sincere about changing." Rei thought a moment. "Well, most of them anyway."
"Ves-Ves will come around," Makoto assured her. "I recognize her type. Life has dealt her a bad hand and she's got a king-size chip on her shoulder. But you're right about the way the kid took it. Honestly I don't know what Serenity was thinking when she came up with this whole scheme."
"She was thinking of saving four lives," Endymion said. "Four lives that, without this opportunity, might have fallen back into old habits or easy answers. That's how you change a world: A few people at a time."
"That's a noble goal, Endymion," Ami countered. "But she should have anticipated the ill-will Small Lady would have had for these girls. And I also question making them her senshi. The role of senshi is both guardian and friend. It's going to be very difficult for each side to overcome what has happened in the past. And it will be equally difficult to fight by her side if she does become Sailor Moon, and defend her as well without any supernormal abilities or attacks. What they told us is true: Zirconia repossessed their Dead Moon Circus powers."
"They're not adapting to the training you're providing?" Endymion asked.
"Well, Ves is a natural scrapper," Makoto surmised. "She could hold her own with anybody before, and once she gets a little martial arts training under her belt she'll be all right. And Jun-Jun is learning it well enough. But Palla-Palla is a hopeless case. She can't even understand the training, let alone perform it adequately."
"And Cere-Cere's heart really isn't in it," Rei added. "She wants to stay with the others, so she does it. But she doesn't like it, she's not very good at it and she doesn't have much motivation to improve. If it weren't for the other three, I think she would have already left."
"Yeah, I got that impression, too," Minako agreed. "But even if we managed to turn them into four lean, mean fighting machines, that's not going to be enough if some of the things we all fought come back. And the kid isn't going to be much better if all she can muster is Pink Sugar Heart Attack and those fancy moves Makoto is teaching her."
"Small," Endymion started, "I mean 'Usa' will be more equipped to take on the burden of Sailor Moon when she matures."
"You're certain?" Ami queried.
"Let's say I feel confident in it," Endymion replied. Then he sighed. "The problem is she's so stubborn and so desperate to prove herself and so anxious to grow up that she's going to rush the process and risk getting hurt. That's another reason Serenity and I wanted her to have senshi. She needs someone her own age who can be her friend now that Momohara has returned to the twentieth century and she's separated from Hotaru. But just as importantly she needs someone who can be there to protect her until she can develop."
"Perfectly logical reasoning," Ami nodded. "I just question your choice of potential senshi."
Endymion sighed and went introspective for a few moments. Makoto and Minako exchanged glances.
"I'm not ready to give up yet," he stated. "Bringing peace to the world has never been an easy task. Serenity and I have met with resistance and untenable circumstances more than once. Pushing on until the goal was accomplished was always the best way to go. That's what we'll do here. Besides, Serenity thinks they'll work out and I've learned to trust her instincts in matters like this. You continue working with the girls. Do what you can for them. Be their teachers, their friends, their parents and their role models. Serenity and I can - - hopefully - - get through to Usa and get her to accept this plan." He shook his head. "I am never going to get used to calling her 'Usa'."
"OK, Endymion," Makoto said skeptically. "We'll keep on them. Maybe you're right. Maybe it just takes perseverance."
"After I test Palla-Palla for her PKE potential, I might be able to find a means for her to use it in lieu of, well, more physical means," Ami offered.
"Pity they don't have their powers anymore," Minako mused. "This would be a lot easier if they still had their powers."
"But they'd also be a lot more dangerous and harder to control," Rei cautioned. "It's probably better they don't."
After the four elder senshi left, Luna jumped up on the arm of the King's chair.
"Your Majesty," the cat began, leaning in. "What Minako said was true. These girls would be better able to serve and protect the Princess if they had some of their old abilities."
"Do you know of a way to accomplish that?" Endymion asked. Artemis looked on from the floor, wondering what his wife was hinting at.
"I believe I do," the black cat replied.
Continued in Chapter 5