THEN AND NOW
Chapter 7: "Branded"
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
Cere watched from her spot on the floor. She couldn't move. She couldn't run. She couldn't think to change into Sailor Ceres. All she could think of as the woman and her son faced injury or possible death at the hands of a maniacal assailant was the thought of him turning back and attacking her again.
Then from nowhere a pink streak flashed into her field of vision. The streak knocked the woman and boy from the guard's path. Suddenly robbed of his prey, the guard stopped and turned. The woman and her son were sprawled on the floor near a nineteenth century painting of a Japanese samurai. Rising to meet the challenge and protect them was Princess Usagi.
"I don't know what the problem is here," Usa said, trying to sound at once commanding and conciliatory, "but we can work it out! You don't need to resort to violence!"
"Kill you all!" the guard bellowed with an unearthly glee. He charged the Princess, the jagged glass in his hand poised to slash her. Several people in the lobby cried out in fear for the beloved Princess.
And Cere still stared from the floor, still frozen with fear.
Most people would have backed away from the charge. Usa met him half way. The guard slashed down with the glass fragment. But Usa blocked with her left arm. She wasn't strong enough to stop its descent, but she altered the course of the glass for it to be non-threatening. With her right hand, balled into a fist, she punched up for the throat rather than the jaw. Her attacker staggered back, gasping for breath. The Princess locked both hands on the wrist behind the glass fragment and twisted his arm over her shoulder so the arm ended palm up. The hand opened and the glass fell to the floor, shattering upon impact.
Enraged, the guard grabbed one of the trails of hair from Usa's rabbit ear odangos and pulled. Usa bent backwards awkwardly. Then he caught her from behind in a bear hug. With his arms locked across her diaphragm, Usa had a hard time breathing. She jammed her heel down on the foot of her attacker and he howled with pain. But he didn't let go. The Princess struggled to get free as air came harder and harder to her.
And still Cere cowered in the corner, as did the other people still in the lobby.
Doggedly Usa fought to escape the grip of the mad guard. He began to laugh, as if he were enjoying her pain. She gasped for breath that wouldn't come. Again she lashed out with her foot, this time at his knee. But he only laughed.
Then, suddenly, he released. Usa fell to her knees and gasped in air. When she was able to think again, she looked back at him to see if he intended to attack. But the man lay on the floor, stunned and motionless. One of Sailor Mars' wards was stuck across his face.
"Burning," Sailor Mars shouted and everyone turned to her. But the senshi stopped. Usa watched her walk up to the prone guard and stare down at him in obvious frustration.
"Was it the Puppet Master demon?" Usa choked out breathlessly.
"Yes," Sailor Mars answered, then helped Usa to her feet. "But the demon has fled. And I can't even tell where."
Usa nodded. Then she turned to Cere. The Princess walked up to within three feet of the girl.
"You can get up now," Usa told her, the contempt in her voice obvious. "It's over."
"I," Cere began, her humiliation forcing her eyes to the floor. "It was . . .I'm sorry. . ."
"At least you didn't join up with him," Usa sneered. "I guess that's something."
Sailor Mars watched Usa turn and walk away, then shifted her gaze to Cere. She had read the word "coward" on her favorite person's thoughts as the girl passed. Curiously she read the same thing from Cere as the teen slunk off.
"I can't help feeling like I'm letting you down," Cere said in the present day. Usa was in her infirmary room visiting. "Just like that one time."
"You're not," Usa told her. "Being a senshi isn't something you should do if your heart isn't in it. I know that now. And this is totally different from that time. You almost died. That's going to get anybody's attention. It's not being a coward to be concerned about your own life. You've got a lot to live for. We all do."
"But you do it," Cere looked down. "Hotaru does it. Jun does it. Ves - - well, Ves is crazy. Bad example." She trailed off.
"You're still wondering why I do it?"
"No, I know why. You've got this vision of this perfect world where everybody's safe and happy. You got it from your parents. You want to finish what they started, or if they finally achieve it, you want to keep it going. It's so noble - - more noble than why I want to quit."
"Sure, Cere, but that's me," Usa said. "Don't go comparing yourself to other people. It can drive you nuts." She smiled sheepishly. "I kind of know that first hand. Thing is, you've got to do what's best for you sometimes. Sure, we all have to look out for each other, lend a hand when we can. But we've got to look out for ourselves, too. Being a senshi isn't an obligation. Being a good senshi is an obligation. If you can't do that because you're too worried about not coming back to what's important to you, then you can't be a good senshi."
"But I," Cere began.
"Look, the spot's always there," Usa assured her. "It always will be. If you ever decide that you need to do it again, we'll all gladly welcome you back. But don't feel guilty if you can't. You served with honor and distinction for three years. It's all anybody has the right to ask of you."
Just then Usa's personal com-link signaled her.
"Hello?" Usa inquired. "You did? I'm on my way!" After disconnecting, Usa got up from the chair next to Cere's bed. "That was Aunt Rei. She's got a line on the Puppet Master demon. I have to go."
"Be careful!" Cere said anxiously.
"Tell you about it when we get back," Usa smiled confidently. Then in a blur of pink, she was gone.
And Cere laid her head back on the pillow and worried.
Three years ago: Tears running down her face, Cere burst into her quarters, praying that no one else was there. Of course, they were all there. Ves saw her immediately because she still jumped warily at every sound. That alerted Jun and Palla-Palla. Cere tried to go straight to the sanctuary of her room, but Jun intercepted her.
"Cere, what is it? What happened?" Jun demanded.
"Cere-Cere thinks she's a coward!" gasped Palla-Palla.
"WOULD YOU STOP THAT!" Cere screamed, whirling on Palla-Palla. "GET OUT OF MY MIND, YOU LITTLE SNOOP!"
"Palla-Palla didn't mean to do it!" wailed the girl.
"Cere, what happened?" Jun said forcefully.
"There was a man, in the lobby," Cere broke down haltingly. She hid her gaze in shame. "He tried to slash me. He was going to kill a woman and her son." She twisted up in anguish. "And I just sat there! I was going to let him kill those two people - - because I was too afraid!"
Jun noticed the dried blood on her arm. "Hey, you were hurt. It probably knocked you for a loop, getting attacked like that . . ."
"NO!" Cere bellowed. "The Princess waded right in! She took him on with nothing more than her bare hands! She saved them!" Cere sobbed. "I was going to let him kill them! I was going to sit there and watch him kill two people in cold blood! Maybe The Princess is right! Maybe I am evil!"
Cere slid out of Jun's arms and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing pitifully. Jun was about to kneel down next to her, but Palla-Palla swooped in first. She threw her arms around Cere and covered the girl with her body.
"No, Cere-Cere is not evil!" she wailed. "Cere-Cere is good and kind and Palla-Palla loves her! And she doesn't care what Granny Zirconia or the bad Queen or the Princess or anybody says!"
Wordlessly, Ves turned and headed for the door.
"Ves!" Jun shouted. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to hand that stuck up Princess her teeth!" roared Ves. "This is all her fault! We're trying, damn it! But all she's done since the minute we showed up is hate us!"
"She's right to hate us!" Cere shouted. "Look at everything we've done! We're the ones who got sucked in by Nehelenia! We're the ones who did her dirty work! We knew what we were doing! We just didn't think about the consequences!"
"Bull!" Ves snapped. "It was the orbs!"
"We could have thrown them away at any time! We just didn't want to! Think about how many people we hurt! Think about how many lives we disrupted! Think about everything we did to her!" Cere pulled her legs to her chest and pressed her cheek into her knees. "She's got every reason to hate us. I hate myself. I wish he HAD killed me!"
Ves stared, stunned to silence. Palla-Palla hugged her more tightly. Jun began crying herself. And then the door opened. Ves and Jun looked and found Queen Serenity in the doorway.
"Forgive me for intruding," she said, gently but solemnly.
"Come to kick us out?" Ves asked fatally.
"No," Serenity assured her. "I just heard about what happened and I wanted to see if Cere-Cere was all right." Unbidden, the Queen glided over and knelt down next to Cere. Feeling her aura, Palla-Palla released her adoptive sister and deferred to the Queen. "Cere-Cere, please don't blame yourself. It doesn't matter who stopped that poor man from hurting people. The important thing is no one was badly hurt. Although I do wish you'd let Ami look at your arm."
Cere didn't answer. She wouldn't look at the Queen.
"The will to survive is a powerful one," the Queen continued. "Finding the courage to risk one's own life in order to help another isn't something everyone finds immediately. My first mission as Sailor Moon ended with me sitting on the floor crying, terrified for my life and being saved by Tuxedo Mask. Fear was my constant companion in those early days and on a lot of missions after that. But courage is born of the need to protect something precious to you, something more precious than your life itself. For me, it was the need to protect other people from harm. It gave me the strength to drown out that overwhelming urge to save myself," and she smiled self-consciously, "just long enough to protect that precious thing."
"I don't think I can do that," whimpered Cere. "I'm - - too selfish."
"You can do it," Serenity said, rubbing the girl's arm with her hand. "You just have to find that precious thing to protect."
"What if I can't?"
"Then we'll find something you're good at," Serenity smiled. "Cere-Cere, I'm not trying to force you into doing this. I just happen to think you'll be good at it. But if you're not, we're not going to send you away. You and the others have a home here for as long as you want to stay. No strings." Serenity thought. "Well, one string: You have to be nice to people. But even if all you become is the palace gardener, I won't think any less of you."
Cere looked at her. This was so unlike anything she'd experienced under Nehelenia and Zirconia, or at the orphanage before that. She hadn't experienced this kind of unconditional love since she met Palla-Palla. Or since her parents died. This woman radiated so much love that it seemed to ooze out of her pores.
Maybe she had just found that precious thing.
"She's late," Rei fumed, her arms crossed over her chest.
The four elder senshi were sitting at a table in a conference room off of the room where Endymion usually met with his cabinet ministers. It was where the royal couple and their four most trusted advisors often met to discuss affairs of state.
"Come on, Rei. Serenity's never been the punctual type," Makoto replied with good humor, "unless it's dinner time, of course."
"She CALLED this meeting," Rei said in exasperation.
"And your point?" Minako asked.
"Sorry I'm late!" Serenity exclaimed as she breezed in the room. "I wanted to check on Cere-Cere after that awful incident in the lobby!" She took a seat. "And DON'T glare at me like that, Rei Hino!"
"Did you see the recording on that?" Minako marveled. "Usa was kicking his butt!"
"I know!" gasped Makoto. "I swear, I just taught her those moves yesterday! She is the quickest study I have ever seen!"
"Yes, she's very good," Serenity said with some trepidation. "At least in the parts I saw. I had my hand over my eyes most of the time!"
"She seems to be progressing into her chosen role very adeptly," Ami suggested. "Perhaps you could have a little more confidence in her?"
"I can't help it!" wailed Serenity. "She's my baby! I worry!"
"Too much," Rei commented acidly. Serenity stuck her tongue out at the priest.
"Anyway, that's what I want to talk about," Serenity continued. "Poor Cere-Cere is a wreck over what happened down there! And those two innocent by-standers were nearly killed! This has to stop! We have to find this whatever it is demon and stop it before anyone else gets hurt!"
"We're doing what we can, Serenity," Rei said. "So far I haven't found any concrete leads on where to find it. The fact that it attacked in the palace and not The Promenade blew up the theory I was working on."
"Ami?" Serenity asked.
"There's nothing traceable I can find that can account for the sudden loss of voluntary muscle control and submersion of personality," Ami replied. "Although some supernatural entities have measurable magnetic or biochemical components, many don't. This entity seems to fall into the latter category."
"Any common characteristics to the victims?" Minako suggested. "Maybe we can predict who its next target might be."
"Nothing that we've found," Makoto explained, "other than what Rei suggested - - that they all had an unusual amount of psychological turmoil recently in their lives."
"That must attract it," Ami surmised. "But how much? And are there other contributing factors? For example, Cere-Cere was in a great deal of emotional stress during the attack. Why wasn't she victimized?"
"Maybe you can use the crystal to just wish it here," Minako joked.
"I'll do it if it helps!" exclaimed Serenity. "Thank you all for your efforts. Please keep working at it. We need to stop this now."
Everyone got up. As the others left, Ami stopped Serenity before she could leave.
"How is Cere-Cere doing?" Ami asked.
"I don't think she's adapting very well," Serenity admitted. "Maybe Small Lady - - um, I mean Usa - - maybe Usa was right. Maybe trying to make them senshi wasn't a good idea."
Evening in The Promenade: business was brisk, though down some in the wake of the recent mass slashings. In a way, it was a good thing for Rei Hino and Sailor Moon. There were fewer potential victims for the Puppet Master demon, and fewer of the public to interfere in their mission just because they wanted to touch or talk to the Princess.
"We're here," Rei announced, stopping the procession of herself, Sailor Moon and four of her five senshi. "Sailor Pallas, use your telepathy and try to sense anyone who might be thinking violent thoughts, particularly if they come on suddenly."
"Yes, Miss Rei-ma'am. Pallas will do that," Pallas said, then set about concentrating.
"The rest of you look for anyone acting suspiciously," Rei told the others. "Darting eyes, nervous posture, acting aggressively or stalking someone."
"Oh, you mean someone who acts like Ves?" Juno cracked. Everyone smothered a smile, while Vesta made a rude gesture at Juno.
"You're certain it's here?" Sailor Saturn asked as she scanned the throngs.
"It's here," Rei replied. "I can't pinpoint it, but I can sense it. This demon is tied to this area. And I still think it's something about that curio shop."
"Pallas felt something just now," Sailor Pallas reported.
"Was it violent or aggressive?" Rei asked.
"No," Pallas shook her head. "Pallas only heard it for a moment. Somebody was telling somebody else what to do, but with their head. The voice sounded familiar."
"Could be our demon?" Sailor Moon asked.
"Something's up," Vesta looked around suspiciously. "There's something not right about this place. I don't know what, but something's not right." Vesta listened for a beat. "Fauna Assimilation, Timber Wolf!"
The senshi transformed into a gray timber wolf. She sniffed the air and immediately let out a guttural growl. That put everyone else on edge.
"Look!" Juno exclaimed.
Filtering through the evening crowds, several people were approaching the senshi. They came from several angles, all walking as if nothing were wrong. But they were approaching.
Rei acted instantly. Several wards appeared in her hand and pressed to her forehead as she mumbled the chant to infuse them with her spirit energy. The Moon Tier appeared in Sailor Moon's hand. Saturn and Juno crouched in readiness, while Vesta growled out a warning. The milling crowd reacted to the sudden movement with surprise and confusion.
Then a shriek split the air. Everyone turned to it. A man was poised over Sailor Pallas, ready to plunge a long kitchen knife into her.
Continued in Chapter 8