Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Sailor Moon Crystal or anything to do with Sailor Moon for that matter. All rights belong to Naoko Takeuchi.
I do however own my own OC characters and Story :-)
Act One – Only the Beginning
It was all her fault.
That was the prevalent thought that had constantly whirled in her mind for the past two years. She hadn't seen any of it coming. They had been so wrapped up in their normal lives excited for the coming of their bright future, Crystal Tokyo. After all the fighting, hadn't they been promised that there would be no more trouble for a long time?
A heavy sigh escaped her tight line for lips as she pressed her lips together. No, they hadn't been promised that, they had been promised that Chaos was too small to cause any problems; the unforeseen was still capable of happening. What had occurred had nothing to do with chaos. What had happened was an extremely rare occurrence that hadn't been seen in hundreds of years.
It was all her fault.
She was the Time guardian, she had stood at the Gates of Time watching over people for hundreds of years and yet, she hadn't seen this coming. Was that the thing about a Time Storm; was it only something Chronos could feel and could see? She had experienced uneasy feelings two days before the catastrophic event happened but she had thought that it might have been a new enemy, and then she dispelled that thought. If only she had investigated it, if only, if only….
It was all her fault.
She had spent the past two years watching her Princess mourn struggling to cope with such a great loss. She had watched Minako battle internally with her own feelings, trying to remain strong but she could see it; Minako was desperate to simply break down and curse the world. But as Sailor Venus, she had a greater responsibility, that of protecting her princess.
She tried to stop the steady flow of tears but she couldn't, she had lost the strength to do so a long time ago. A young female stood in front of the crouching Time Guardian. They had been stuck at the Time Door for two years unable to leave for some reason. Saturn had gotten used to the quiet, the darkness, the swaying and swirling of the mists that shrouded them, cloaked them. She loved Pluto for saving her life. Pluto had become her mother and close companion. But there were times she would think about Uranus and Neptune. They were gone and she wasn't sure if she would live long enough to see them again. Then there was Small Lady, forever gone which then led her to thinking about Usagi. Out of all of them, she had experienced the worse of the loss. The sheer force of everything being ripped from her hands was ferocious. Looking down at Pluto a small smile crept of Saturn's face.
"It's not your fault Pluto, its no-one's fault" Saturn said comfortingly, she knew that it would help Pluto for a little while but then her shoulders would slump again and then she would cry blaming herself. There was nothing Pluto could have done. Saturn had felt the storm power before, it chose when to come and for some reason it chose to come in their time.
Being at the Time Door had given her a new perspective on life. She felt safe, secure and strangely enough, free. She was no longer just the guardian of destruction, she helped Pluto with an important duty but she knew her true purpose in life. It didn't matter how many times she would be reborn, the duties would always remain the same and they would always find her at some point. She had been grateful that at least she didn't have to destroy Earth. At least there were people still walking and breathing, still living out their lives.
"I still can't feel them Hotaru-chan" Pluto had said as she stood up.
"And I believe neither can Venus which is why she isn't searching for them; she knows where she belongs now. I just wish we could also be by our Princess side" Pluto said her sad voice being carried throughout the mists.
"We'll watch them from here, who knows, maybe the time will come when we can go and see them" Saturn said hopefully. Pluto nodded but said nothing more, hope was something she had lost when she had seen all her friends die.
Usagi didn't have any pictures of them. That was one of the things she had thought about when she opened the door to the apartment she shared with Minako and Kunzite. Kunzite had moved in at Usagi's insistence, they needed him now more than ever. Usagi could see that Minako had strong feelings for him, why would she get in the way of her friends happiness? It hadn't escaped her mind that Minako was still sacrificing herself for Usagi. Did Usagi deserve it?
That thought had littered Usagi's mind the first few days after the death of her friends and her love. That thought had remained with her for two years. She could hear the gentle humming of Minako as she took out their pepperoni pizza; Minako always timed things so well. Usagi could also see two wine glasses out and a bottle of red waiting to be gulped down. Placing her keys on the coffee table Usagi looked around their home. There had been no pictures. Both Minako's and Usagi's phones had fried when the Time Storm destroyed everything so they literally had no photos of their friends.
Usagi quickly placed a hand to her mouth to stop the gasp as it was ready to come out. She was going to cry. They had no photos. Photo's held memories; photo's captured a period in time, a period of time you could not relive. They had no photos.
"Hold it together Usa, you've cried enough" Usagi berated herself as Minako brought out the pizza with a tired smile on her face.
"You've had a hard day" Usagi said gently as Minako poured herself and Usagi a glass of wine.
"It doesn't matter, its Friday right so let's forget about work" Minako said in a cheery voice. Usagi took her glass and sat next to Minako as she switched the TV on.
"Will Hiroki-san be coming home?" Usagi asked absent-mindedly.
"No, he has to stay where he is for the weekend, he's booked a hotel, we'll see him Monday evening now" Minako said almost dejectedly.
"But that means more time for you and I!" Minako said happily trying to lighten the mood. This was the part of Usagi she had not become accustomed too and to be frank, she wished this side would leave and bring back the old Usagi. Usagi didn't smile back at Minako. Instead, her eyes pierced into Minako' soul discerning her true feelings. It was scary how she did it. The old Usagi would have joined her in her cheery attitude but not this Usagi, not this emotionally bruised Usagi who hadn't touched the Silver Crystal since that fatal day, she still blamed the jewel for not saving her friends.
"I know you're sad Minako, you don't need to pretend but I see what you are doing, so yes, let's make this weekend about us" Usagi said trying to make herself more upbeat. No, she had killed Minako's mood a little so she sipped her wine quietly.
"They're still searching for us" Minako said abruptly. She knew this would upset Usagi as Usagi would know instantly what she was speaking of.
"They'll never find us" Usagi said in a rather clipped tone, this made Minako flinch a little.
"Sorry Minako-chan, it's just that, my time as Sailor Moon is gone and I will never be Queen, I don't want to be Queen or a Princess. I am just plain old Tsukino Usagi now, I can't do anything for anybody" Usagi said slowly with sadness in her voice as she swirled her wine around.
"I know Usagi-chan, I know. But you can't keep blaming the Silver Crystal, it did what it had thought best and that was saving your life" Minako reasoned.
"And what if you, Luna and Artemis weren't with me? I would be all alone right now, have you thought about that?" Usagi said through a strained voice. Luna and Artemis remained quiet as they knew it was best to let the two women speak with each other.
"That Crystal has been passed down through your family line for generations Usa, it saved this planet more times than we know and it has healed everything. If the Silver Crystal didn't react to your will to save people's lives then there would be no life on Earth. I just think you should at least give it a chance, besides, I think we might need it soon" Minako trailed off. Of course Luna and Artemis ears pricked up as Usagi looked at Minako waiting for her to explain.
"I can sense new guardians, not Senshi I think, so maybe they're not guardians but they have power. I can feel it…." Minako said looking away.
"What do you mean Minako?" Luna asked concerned.
"They haven't acted yet because there is no need to but I have felt this power, there is more than two people that is for sure but who or what they are I don't know" Minako said. She then looked at Usagi and couldn't read her look.
"Usagi-chan?" Minako ventured.
"It doesn't concern us, not anymore, if Earth has new protectors then we'll just let them get on with it" Usagi said flatly. Luna was shocked.
"You can't mean that Princess, surely?" Luna asked.
"I don't think I have the heart to anymore….my heart feels broken and it has been broken for two years now. I feel incomplete and I know you feel the same way Venus" Usagi stated causing Minako to blush a little. Minako couldn't deny she felt the same.
"I think we should just wait and see what happens first" Artemis suggested.
"I agree Artemis, this place is still our home right?" Minako asked looking at Usagi. Usagi slowly nodded her head but it felt forced. Minako sighed and then sipped her wine again. Minako already knew what she was going to do. She was going to investigate this new power and see if it was a threat, her duty was to her Princess's protection and she would continue in her duties no matter what.
Kunzite was glad to be home. It was late at night when he had finally arrived. Usagi was asleep but Minako was still awake with a cup of tea in her hands. She was dressed in a simple long orange shirt. He placed his suitcase by the side of their couch and then sat down. The moment he sat down Minako placed her head on his shoulders and sighed whilst closing her eyes.
"How was your weekend Venus?" Kunzite asked gently as his arm snaked around her waist.
"Fine" Minako stated simply.
"How was Usagi-chan?" Kunzite asked knowing the answer already.
"She's still the same Kunzite, still hurting. I don't think she'll ever be the same again" Minako said sadly.
"I miss her Kunzite; I miss the old Usagi-chan. She used to be so happy but now, I can't ask her to just be her old self again can I?" Minako said frustrated. Kunzite nodded.
"No, we can't ask that of her, all we can do is continue to give her time" Kunzite added.
"At least I had you to help me. If I didn't have you here I might be exactly the same way but, I miss them all too. I lost my whole team, my family. You lost your comrades, we're all hurting" Minako said before sighing again.
"But she's lost her love and nothing can repair that, only she can if she wants to. She blames the Silver Crystal still and she doesn't want to be Princess Serenity or even the future Queen. I don't feel our lives are meant to carry on like this, I feel like something will happen, something has to happen right? This can't be it for us" Minako said desperately before burying her head in his chest. Kunzite chuckled a little.
"We don't know what the future holds Venus, all we can do is carry on. I lost my sense of purpose for a while. I had no Prince to serve and no comrades to follow me. With Usagi I feel I do have a responsibility to her. We both do so we will wait on her and do whatever she wants to do" Kunzite said in a serious tone. He knew Minako would agree but it wouldn't take the pain away. Nothing would for either of them.
Usagi had kept her hand over her mouth to try and stop herself from making any sound. She found herself often doing this, listening behind closed doors. Sometimes she heard stuff she didn't want to and during those nights she would escape outside via her window. It was one of the very few times she would tap into her powers as a Senshi running through the night to no place in particular. She hadn't told Minako because she knew Minako would freak out. But standing there listening to them talking about her made her feel, upset. Was she holding them back? Did they only stick around because she was Princess Serenity? Was that why the Senshi stood by her? No she couldn't allow herself to think like that. Usagi had felt it, sensed it, this feeling that had always been foreign to her. She had seen many of her opponents wear this feeling like a garment; her greatest enemies had used this feeling against her, bitterness.
Usagi realised she had first become bitter a year ago. She had been so happy for Minako finally getting another chance with Kunzite. It was about time, but as the months rolled on and she came to realise that Mamoru wasn't coming back and neither were the rest of the Senshi, she receded into herself and started to become unhappy. She kept it a secret from Minako because she was ashamed of this feeling that had lodged itself in her heart. And now that feeling was back as she listened to Minako and Kunzite, talking together, finding solace in each other.
They didn't know what to do with her. That was the thought that Usagi let her mind drift towards. She was nothing more than a duty. The thought was starting to take root and Usagi knew she needed to try and push it out. Minako could have left her, especially after Kunzite returned but she didn't. Usagi still felt cold inside, dead almost thinking about the life they had before. All the fighting for their futures and yet, was it worth it?
Two young women appeared with a young man standing in the middle. They had come through a black portal that disappeared gradually behind them leaving them in an empty park. One of the women had long black hair and violet eyes. She wore black leggings and a black vest with red high heels and red beads around her waist. The other woman had hair brown hair held into a messy ponytail. She had long droopy rose earrings and she wore the same outfit as the woman with black hair but instead of red shoes she wore green short boots and had green beads around her waist. The man had short blonde hair and blue eyes and he was also dressed in all black with a black biker jacket. Placing his palm forward a black stone appeared and started to glow. He then threw it high into the air and then it landed by a tree.
"No-one will see it there" he said evenly.
"By morning it should start working sucking all these humans energy" the black haired woman said.
"And draw out Sailor Venus and Sailor Moon, then we can take the Silver Crystal and give it to our master" the brown haired woman said smirking as the black portal appeared again and they all walked through it.
Hi Everyone
Thank you all for the lovely reviews, I really appreciate them as they keep me going.
Astraearose-silvermoon: Thank you for the review, I was hoping it would be a little emotional and I hope this one too is a little emotional. The story picks up in act 2 with new OC characters and some more familiar returns too :-)
Mercedes1312: Thank you for the review, it looks bleak at the moment but promise that there will be hope later on
Kayla Tsukino: Thank you for your review, its encouraging to know that hopefully you would read a story with Usagi paired with an OC that I have. I will put it up soon.
Guest: Thank you for the review, yes I will make a Sailor Moon crossover, I know I keep mentioning it, I am just a little nervous about it at the moment. Hopefully I will post the first chapter of my Sailor Moon Crossover within the next couple of days. Sailor Venus is one of my favourite characters in Sailor Moon so I have always wanted to do a story with her more in the centre with Usagi.
Flareup4Ratchet: I am really happy you liked this story so far, the review you left with my 'Broken Soul' story about Venus being your favourite inspired me to actually put my ideas down for a story with Venus in more focus so I am happy you like it so far :-)
So now we know that Pluto and Saturn survived but they are not able to go to Venus and their Princess yet. I hope I have given you guys a clue as to who the three bad guys are at the end. We also see the dynamic of the relationship between Minako and Usagi as well as Usagi battling her own emotions.
I will update 'A Timeless Love' maybe tomorrow as I have finally finished a chapter on it. By the following weekend I should hopefully put up my first Sailor Moon Crossover and after this story I will put up my story with Usagi paired with an OC.
See you guys soon and thank you all again for the reviews and for those reading the story :-)