Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing! It does not stop me from fantasizing though... Oh the fantasies. :)
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Fuseiseki : Failure
Chapter Thirteen : Return to Me
...
She was so still, so pale. Her breath came out in gasps sometimes, and he would lean close to her then, not trusting the machines to tell him she was breathing. His heart was sick, and though Quatre had tried a number of times, he had not eaten. It had been three days, and she still hadn't opened her eyes. He spoke to her sometimes, hoping she was listening. Pleaded with her to wake up with a voice that was not his own, one he did not recognize.
"How many times am I going to lose that little girl and her dog?" She stirred, just for a moment, and though he didn't know if it would work, he just kept talking. "My father was an assassin, but I don't really know his name, or mine. When I was young, the Doctor that trained my father took me in. Made me what I am. I trained to fight with mobile dolls, hand to hand, weapons of all types. The first time I took Zero out to destroy a base, at 14 years old, I also killed a little girl and her dog. It nearly destroyed me. I saw the mission as failed, so Dr.J saw fit to change that. I was to have no emotions. No connection whatsoever to what I was doing. And so I became the perfect soldier. I was asked to become a Gundam pilot, and took the name Hiiro Yui, after the Colony leader the Gundams were made to avenge. I didn't think about it then... but now..." He brushed his fingers down her arm slowly, staring at her face. "I suppose it could have gone any way. I was built to be a killer. Not for light or dark. But I learned to fight for what I wanted. It didn't bring me peace. But it brought me a sense of Justice."
She didn't move, but her breathing had evened out. It had been a long time since she'd shook with pain. He continued. "When I first met Relena, I told her I was going to kill her. No one was to see my face. But there was something in her, something that reminded me of that little girl and her dog, and I couldn't do it. It was the first time after Dr.J's training that I remember feeling something. Even though I didn't know what it was."
He reached towards Usagi's face, brushing a strand of black hair from her forehead, and clenching his fists in frustration. "I know now. Usagi." He whispered. "That she couldn't be what I needed. I know now that..." He leaned down, and kissed the pale skin of her forehead. "I need you. So please wake up. Onegai."
He cursed quietly when she did not move, pressing his forehead to hers. This was not working. He'd been stupid to think that it would. He clutched her arms to keep her from harming herself as tremors shook her body, wishing he knew what to do.
...
"Are you alright?" They laid on his bed, in his room, Hilde curled next to him in the dim light. He had pulled the shades, so though it was around 2pm, the room was dark and cool. Thin strips of light hit his far wall, and he stared at the contrast it made, giving her time to answer.
"Yes," She whispered, and then turned to look at him. "No." She reached a hand up to his face, stroking his cheek. "You're not alright."
He tried to smile for her, failed miserably. "I'll be alright when she wakes up."
"Do you love her Duo?" Hilde's tone spoke volumes of jealousy and hurt, and this time he really smiled. He never imagined he'd hear that in her voice. So many things had changed in so little time.
"Babe." He said softly, the smile still on his lips. And he reached to hold each side of her face as he spoke. "When you meet her, you will understand. You heard Relena. I can't speak for Hiiro, but for the rest of us, she's like a little sister. Something it's ingrained in us to protect." He laid a soft kiss on Hilde's lips, and she smiled back at him.
"I'm hungry." Hilde laughed as Duo's stomach reiterated his words, And grumbled irritably. She patted his stomach and moved to get up, giving him one quick kiss before standing.
"Let's go eat then."
...
He didn't usually sleep in, or take naps, but being so close to Usagi made him more tired than usual. Not to mention he was also taking the brunt of the swirling emotions of Hiiro, Duo, and all of the others. The only one who didn't tax him was Trowa. He had an innate ability to block Quatre's unconscious probing.
His dream had been about watching Usagi's chest blossom with red, again and again. He watched it with a heavy heart, eyes hard, and was surprised when the scene changed. He was standing at the edge of an ocean, and coming in on the waves, walking as if the water could not touch them, were two females figures.
"Quatre." The voice was older, soft. For a moment he was painfully reminded of Iria, until he saw her face. Pale skin framed with shoulder length, wavy turquoise hair, and set with eyes of dark ocean blue. The girl next to her had eyes of blue as well, a shade lighter, and hair cut short, that perfectly matched her eyes. Her skin was slightly darker than the first. They both wore a short fuku, that he recognized from pictures Duo had shown to him. He blushed at their length. "Oh you are adorable." The voice continued.
The second girl blushed, and spoke. "Michi-kun." The first girl laughed easily, and bowed in apology.
"Forgive me Quatre. I forgot myself for a moment. My name is Michiru, otherwise known as Sailor Neptune. And my companion here, is Sailor Mercury, Or Ami. We've come to give you aid, in your coming battle."
"Give me aid?" He asked. Ami nodded.
"You who carry the love and pain of our princess, is worthy of our power." She raised her hand, and gathered a pool of blue energy, and The one named Michiru held hers beside it, gathering a pool of turquoise. They swirled together like water, and formed a silver key, on a long silver chain. They were on the beach now, standing before him, though he did not remember them moving closer.
"You will know when to use this power, when the time comes." Michiru said. "And we will be here, watching."
"As long as we are able." Sailor mercury said. "Our will grows weak with the loss of our starseeds."
"You are not alive?" he asked. Michiru shook her head.
"No more than Usagi is." She said, and he blanched.
"What?" Sailor Mercury shot Michiru a look that said she wasn't sure if she should continue, but Michiru brushed it off.
"He is the one Ami," She said softly. "The only one who can retrieve it." Her eyes caught his, and he felt she was staring into his soul, heard the crash of waves behind her.
"Not even our princess knows of it." She said. "But she is not complete. The crystal she used long ago to amplify her power, lost in her crash in this time, was actually a piece of her soul. It is the reason for her slow healing, and the scars she bears on her body and soul."
Ami spoke then. "You must find the ginshinzou. The last piece of her soul. You must not let her know of this. Or the others, if you can help it. You alone can retrieve it from it's place of rest. It will not be easy."
Michiru stepped forward, and he held out his hand for her to press the key in it, marveling at the warmth it gave off. "She cannot win if she is not whole Quatre. We, her sensei, have bestowed all the power we have to let you aid her in this battle, but without the Ginshinzou, it will not be enough. We lay our trust in your hands. Do not fail us."
He nodded, questions spinning around his head, and then the ocean was gone, the beach was gone, and he was staring at the intruding sunlight through his window, back in his room. He looked down at the key he held with awe. It was set with two gems, one ocean blue, and one turquoise.
A piece of her soul was missing? He sighed. And it was his task alone to get it back. Where was he supposed to start? Things just kept getting more complicated. He looked up as his door opened, and smiled softly at the sight of Trowa.
...
Trowa sat on his bed next to him, and he curled himself around him habitually. His presence was comforting. He could sense he had something to say, and waited patiently.
"I had a dream." Trowa's voice rumbled in his chest when he spoke. "Of two guardians of the Moon princess." Quatre's eyes lit up as he looked into Trowa's. "They said we were all given aid to help Usagi."
Quatre turned the key over in his palm, and at the same time, Trowa pulled a similar one from beneath his shirt. The colors of the gems were different, dark green and yellow.
"Me too." He whsipered. He kept the last bit to himself, though it pained him to hide something from Trowa. Michiru had said it was his task alone. "This certainly is getting more interesting."
Trowa nodded, and wrapped his arms around Quatre, letting the chain fall over his green shirt. "Certainly. We should talk to the others."
"Yes." He said. "In awhile." He looked up at the quiet man, and his heart melted in his chest as he smirked. His breath caught in his throat as Trowa leaned down, and thier lips met in a soft kiss. "Let's just lay here." Trowa brushed a hand through his hair, and he sighed in contentment. "Just for a moment, let's lay here."
...
"Do you miss her?" Sally was sitting in between his legs, and he was sitting on one of the fountains in the garden. She had found him there, training. He knew what she meant, and sighed. Merian.
"Everyday. Must you ask such a question, Onna?" It had come out soft, because he already knew why. "Do you think it diminishes what I feel for you?"
She looked up at him with a smile in her eyes, laced with underlying sadness. "Forgive me." She said.
"I already have." He answered, and leaned down to capture her lips with his own. She put her hand on his, and turned back to stare into the gardens.
"Have you forgiven yourself?" She asked. He was quiet for a moment, staring at the scenery in the cool shade, and spoke carefully.
"Many would ask what there was to forgive."
"Don't play with me Wu." She said affectionately. "We are the few, not the many."
He smirked, though she could not see it. Her fire was what made him adore her so. "No. I haven't. But neither has Quatre, or Trowa, or Hiiro, or even Duo no baka. Neither I think, has Usagi. Though she deserves it most of all. It is not an easy task, coming back from where we have been."
"I see why she has earned your respect." Sally said, and truly meant it. There was a tie between all of them, a thread that was frayed, but could never be broken. The remorse of war. Of lost lives. "Do you think she'll wake soon?"
"It is up to her, whether or not she will." Wufei said. "I can't say I blame her. To be thrust into war, time and time again, in every life. I am grateful to have only lived one, when I hear such a thing."
"And a hard one it has been." Sally said, wistfully. He nodded in the cool summer breeze. "Kuro Taiyou is mobilizing more troops as we speak. We cannot wait forever to move in."
"I agree." He said. "For though this battle is different from most, we still fight humans, with their greed and injustice. We are building our own army. Another war of the worlds." He put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him again, her eyes open and trusting. "Give Usagi a little more time. In this instance there is not much more we can do. I will talk to the others of mobilizing soon. I'm sure it is on all their minds."
"Yes Wu." She said softly, and he kissed her on the forehead, staring once again into the soft green of the gardens to calm his mind.
...
The rum was bitter. Noin wondered just how long it had sat in the liquor cabinet. Relena was not a drinker, but Milliardo was at times. And they kept a fully stocked closet on the chance one of the diplomats prefered a certain poison. She sat alone in one of the many lounges of Sanq, the bottle and a single glass her company.
She heard his footsteps before she saw him, an dleaned into him as he wrapped her arms around her from behind, breathing out.
"You smell like a bar." He said, with a teasing lilt in his voice. And then he moved to sit next to her, picking up the bottle of rum and making a face at the smell. With a shurg, he took a swig, and she smiled, taking another sip from her glass.
"Figured I'd take a page from Hiiro's book." She said. "Waiting is killing me."
He took another swig from the bottle. "It's killing us all." He said, and she held out her glass. He obliged by filling it to the top. She took a sip, sitting back in her chair with a soft sigh.
"How is she?" She asked, and Milliardo shrugged.
"The poison is filtering itself from her blood. Rashid checks on her when he can. Thank the Gods he doesn't fear Hiiro's glare. The boy hasn't left her side."
"It's strange." Noin said, and she was feeling tipsy now, her words loose. "To see him so focused on something that doesn't involve fighting."
"But it does, love." Milliardo said. "She is fighting for her life, and he is fighting all the emotions he wasn't supposed to have. There is more than just the battle for our world happening now. Such things usually speak of weakness."
"But I have never felt stronger." She said. He nodded in agreement.
"Nor have I. She is a remarkable girl."
"Is Relena okay?" He looked up at Noin, his eyes filled with the brotherly love she loved to see. He loved his sister so wholly.
"Yes." He said. "She is a strong girl. She worries for Usagi's condition, and has been holding up well enough under the pressure. Her speech is amazing. And she wouldn't let me help her write it. Many will rally to our side."
"Your pride is evident." She said with a smile.
"As it should be." He lifted the rum to his mouth, opening his ars arms Noin crawled onto his lap, drink in hand. He set the bottle down with a clank on the table next to him as he held her.
"Are you ready for this?" Noin asked, and he rubbed her back as she took another sip.
"We all are." He said. "Of that I have no doubt." She leaned in for a chaste kiss, and he returned it, making her heart beat faster.
Yes, they were ready. But it didn't mean they would win. She took another sip of her rum, and sighed, comfortable in his arms.
...
She could hear his voice through the fogginess of her brain. Heard him spill his deepest secrets to her. Some things she could tell he'd never said aloud. It broke her heart to hear of his life. Yes, her own had been hard. But she'd had a childhood. She'd had a mother, and a father. She wanted to wake up. To tell him that if he would let her, she would always be here to hold him. To remind him that his past was just that, the past.
The pain raced through her veins, and she struggled with opening her eyes. Everything hurt, but her heart most of all. For him, for the battle that was coming. For the lives that would be lost. She had saved just one. So many more were in danger. His was in danger. She was falling apart with the stress of it all.
His voice was keeping her together. His random touches, kisses, slowly bringing her back to life. Goddess she treasured him. Treasured his strength, his presence. She wanted to tell him. But her lips would not move.
It would be easy to give up now. Though she knew death would not claim her. It would be easy to stay right here, in the darkness, with his voice and nothing else, and forget about the threat. But the will to fight was still strong. Less intense than that of wanting to speak to him maybe, but so strong it could not be ignored. It was ingrained in her, no matter how much she cursed it. No matter how scared she was. She had promised her life to protecting those who could not do so for themselves. But did it mean she couldn't promise herself to him too?
She understood his reluctance better now. Emotions made it all so much more complicated. If she didn't survive, if he didn't, would they be able to bear it? The cost was always too high. But didn't that mean it was worth it? To hold the things you wanted in the wake of devastation close to your heart. Because tomorrow could take them away. She knew from experience. She had lost it all, and still her heart held on to their memories. Pulled on them for strength. Love made you stronger.
There was a resolve in her, and she fought harder. Pushed the pain from her limbs and struggled to force her tired body to do it. Open your eyes. She repeated it like a mantra. Open your eyes. Open your eyes, Open your eyes. For them. For him. Keep fighting. Open your eyes.
And with a groan, and a breath, she did. She looked up into his Prussian blues, her eyes watering. The pain was more fresh here. Stung more. But she had done it. With a shiver that embraced her whole body, she breathed out to steady herself, and smiled at him.
...
She was nervous. She always was before she had to make a speech. It was something that did not go away, no matter the reason, no matter her resolve. "Are you ready Miss Relena?"
Pagan stood beyond the camera, with the crew they normally used for such events at the ready. She was grateful for his presence. Usually Milliardo would be with her, but she had asked him to stay away. She could not lean on him. She would do this herself. "I'm ready."
The cameraman counted down, and she stood with her hands clasped together, waiting until he raised his hand to signal they were broadcasting. When he did, she started, her voice clear and strong.
"We face a new threat, my fellow people. One that threatens to claim lives in the thousands, should we let it run rampant. Kuro Taiyou had staked his claim on the Earth Sphere and the surrounding colonies, and I can tell you without pause that his reign promises only pain, suffering, and death."
She paused, and her voice grew stronger. "I come to you to today to ask you to raise your weapons, your arms, and your hearts with us, to destroy this threat. We will not be silenced, nor will we be defeated if we work together."
She paused, letting the thought sink in, and began again. "I have said before, that although pacifism is ideal, there are times when you must fight for what you believe in. This is one of those times. We call you to arms, to aid in the battle against one who would end our peaceful world. I, Queen Relena of the Earth Sphere, ask this of you. And the Preventers and Gundam Pilots stand behind me."
"Those who wish to fight, who are able, should go to the Preventer's head quarters at each colony and Earth. I thank you for your time, and your strength, and hope you answer my plea. Thank you."
She sighed as the cameraman signaled the transmission had ended, and sat hard in the chair that was behind her. Pagan was at her side after a few quick strides, and he laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It was wonderful Miss Relena."
"Thank you Pagan." She said, but stayed where she was. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be left alone." He nodded, and motioned for the crew to take their leave.
She sat alone silent, a Queen on her throne. A queen who's world was rapidly falling apart. She wondered if Usagi had felt like this. When the chips were down and she'd had to turn her own hands on her court. And then she decided, that it much be much worse. She would be strong in the face of the coming threat. It was all she could do. Her friends would have to handle the rest.
In the silence, she put her head in her hands, content for the moment with doing absolutely nothing. Thinking, absolutely nothing.
...
He was just staring at her, and she back at him. He didn't know what to do at first, but then a feeling rose in his chest, so powerful it hurt, and he assaulted her with his lips, needing, wanting. She gasped into his mouth, and he pulled back, seeing the pain in her eyes and putting a hand to her face.
"Gomen Nasai." He said. Seeing her open her eyes had filled him with more emotion than he could handle. He had nearly forgotten she was still wounded.
"Hiiro." She whsipered, and smiled, and his heart sung with the sound of his name from her lips. He wanted to kiss her again, and he did, this time softly, carefully, she smiled at him when he broke away, and he laid his forehead to hers, staring into her eyes.
"Daijoubu?" He asked, and she laughed, wincing at the movement.
"It says alot about us that this is a regular thing." She said, her voice still hadn't come back strong, and he moved as she pushed herself to a sitting position. "How long have I been out?"
"Three days." He said, supporting her back with a strong hand. "You shouldn't be moving Usagi." She smiled at him, bringing a hand up slowly to touch his face.
"You've been here the whole time." She ran a hand through is hair, and he reveled in the touch, closing his eyes for a moment.
"Not the whole time." He opened his eyes and looked deep into hers. "You can thank Duo for reigning me back in."
"How is Hilde?" He leaned into her hand.
"Your frame of mind amazes me. She's fine. A few bruises, a broken rib. She didn't take a blade through the chest, thanks to you."
She smiled. "I'm hungry Hiiro. Help me get up?" He smirked at her. She was amazing. Simply amazing. And she was his. The thought came on it's own, but he liked the sound of it. His beautiful Tenshi. He gently pulled the IV's from her arms, leaving the catheters for Rashid to deal with later. Then he removed the monitors on her heartbeat and breathing, ignoring the dull tone they made at detachment.
As he lifted her into his arms, the door burst open, and there stood Rashid and Asiya, their mouths twisting from panicked frowns to relieved smiles.
"She's hungry." Hiiro said, and Rashid bowed low.
"I shall cook a meal for her myself, right away Master Hiiro." And left to do just that.
"Good to see you again Asiya." Usagi said with a soft smile, and the girl bowed with the smile still on her face.
"As it is to see you Usagi." She said. "Shall I come to your room to change your bandages later?"
Hiiro shook his head. "I will change her bandages." He said, and Usagi looked at him with shining eyes, laughing a bit. "You will have the implements sent to her room."
Asiya bowed again, smiling, and let them past. "As you wish."
He carried her down the hall, and looked down on her when she whispered. "Let's go outside Hiiro." He obliged by carrying her down the stairs, through the lobby and the lounge, and out onto the Veranda. Duo sat there, and Hilde, as well as the rest of the Pilots, Relena, Milliardo, and Noin. And a new face, who she realized must be Catherine.
He smirked at her as all of their mouths dropped open momentarily. "You knew." He said. She smiled wide.
"I guessed." He gave her a quick kiss, and she laughed as she was assaulted by happy voices, truly elated. "Hiiro." She said under the noise. "Put me down!" He smirked again, and the triumph in her eyes at the twich of his lips was evident.
"No." He said, taking a seat with her on his lap, and positioning her there. She ruffled his hair affectionately, and turned to the friends she had made in so little time.
"Ohayo Minna." She threw up the peace sign, and smiled. "How are you?"
...
Hilde had been in the middle of a conversation with Sally, seated comfortably on Duo's lap, when she just stopped speaking, and stared. All eyes had turned the the bay doors of the Veranda, and there stood Hiiro, with a smiling Usagi in his arms.
She looked no worse for wear. There were a few bruises that painted her arm, and was practically covered in bandages under her black tank top and black shorts. She still had the ducts for her Iv's in her arms, but she was awake, and looked content.
"Usa!" Duo shouted happily, and stood so fast that Hilde had to scramble to balance on her own two feet. He rubbed his head and looked apologetic, but she just smiled at him. Happy to see him excited. As they all were. The voices of welcome rang out all together, and even Hilde was warmed at the reception.
"Hiiro, put me down!" She cried, and Hilde smiled as Hiiro smirked at her, something she'd never seen without hint of malice, and he answered.
"No." he sat down in the chair across from her own and Duo's, and positioned her in his lap.
"Ohayo Minna." Usagi said, and Hilde was sure she'd never heard such a sure and confident voice. She threw up a peace sign, and continued. "How are you?"
Hilde wasn't sure how her face looked at the moment, but she bet it matched that of her comrades. Disbelief. This girl had taken a blade to the chest, survived it, and was asking how they were? She was all they had made her out to be and more. The love blossomed in her chest at the mere sight of her, and now she understood. She was the essense of light and purity. To be near her was to bask in her glow. To know her was like no other joy. They were the lions, but she was the pride.
"Onna if you weren't injured I would show you how I am." Wufei said, and blocked the hit from Sally he knew was coming with a smirk. "It's good to see you awake."
"You had us worried Usa." Duo said, and sat back down, smiling. Hilde did not. Instead she stepped before Usagi, her eyes shining as she spoke.
"I cannot thank you enough." Usagi smiled up at her, her hand in Hiiro's.
"No need." She said, and Duo laughed. He had said her reaction would be as much. "Stop laughing Duo-chan!" She said, but she was laughing with him, clutching her chest to relieve the obvious pain in caused her. When she could breathe, she addressed Hilde again. "I am glad you are okay. Please don't think too much of it. You are important to Duo-chan. And so you are important to me."
She was amazed at how easily she brushed off risking her life. Perhaps it was why she and Hiiro were so compatible. For different reasons maybe, but both more than willing to jump right into the fire for a good cause. Reckless, admirable, beautiful. Hilde sat back down on Duo's lap, reveling in her presence.
...
"You must be Catherine." Usagi smiled up at the brunette. The woman nodded with a smile, as she took her in. Beautiful, lithe, with an air of wisdom. She wondered if Trowa knew they really were related. She had awoken with an innate sense of everyone and everything around her. Information was spilling towards her at a rapid pace. The powers of Cosmos were rising without her bidding now. Each release brought her closer to the power that this world depended on. Her wounds itched with the healing.
"I am pleased to meet you Usagi."
"As I am, you." She said, and then grew rather somber.
"How goes the battle?" Usagi got straight to business when the welcome backs were finished. She had not forgotten they were in the middle of a war, and didn't want them to either. It would do no good to forget.
"Relena made her address to the earth and Colonies this morning. The Preventer offices are practically overrun with willing soldiers, young and old." Milliardo said. "And the production of Mobile suits is going well."
She nodded. "And Chaos?"
"Is unfortunately gaining followers as well." Quatre said. "I'm glad to see you are awake Usagi, but would take this moment to ask that all of the pilots join me for a conference of our own."
Hiiro gripped her hand hard, and she patted it with her free hand. "Any harder and you'll crush my fingers." She joked, and smiled when he looked apologetic. "I will survive without you dear one. Leave me with the girls. We can speak when you are finished. I'd like to be in the sunlight."
At that moment Rashid appeared with a few plates of food, and as he stood, Hiiro grabbed a cheeseburger from one, giving her a chaste kiss before taking a bite and following after the rest of the pilots reluctantly.
"Thank you Rashid." Usagi said, and he bowed. "For everything." She had heard his voice too, in the blackness. Knew he and Asiya had been the ones to care for her ailing body. He left with a smile and a bow.
She picked up a cheeseburger with arms that felt like putty, and took a bite. "Mmm." She said, and spoke to the food. "I missed you cheeseburger."
"I'll leave the girls to chat." Milliardo said, and stood, excusing himself with a soft brush of Noin's hair. When he was gone, Hilde spoke.
"I've never seen Hiiro like that." Usagi shrugged, and took another bite, talking with her mouth full.
"I won't be satisfied." She swallowed, wiping her mouth with a napkin. "Until I get the full smile." She turned her eyes to Relena, who smiled warmly at her. She worried sometimes that seeing her with Hiiro hurt the girl who had once vied for his love.
Relena cured her worry by moving to take the open chair next to her. "I don't doubt you will succeed." She said. Usagi gave her her brightest smile.
"Arigatou Relena-chan." She took the last bite of her burger and licked her fingers with relish.
"Usagi..." Hilde started, and the dark haired beauty turned to her with soft grey eyes. "How did you manage to get in front of the blade? I thought for sure..." She stopped, looking as if the memory pained her.
"Time stop." Usagi said simply. "I wasn't sure if it was gong to work really. It did just barely. I only had enough time to stop the blade with..." She looked down at the bandages as if they meant nothing. "Well, with myself."
"You say it as if it was nothing." Catherine said. She too had moved closer, they all sat in a circle now, around the table in the warm sun. "It was very brave of you...and.."
Usagi cut her off. "Reckless. I know." She waved her hand in the air lazily. "It's how I've always been. Rei and Makoto would be right there with you right now."
"You certainly fit in with our boys." Noin said with a smile. "But why try a power you weren't sure would work?"
For a moment, Usagi had been lost in the voices she remembered. Her friends scolding her after every battle, worried for her safety. She snapped back with an answer. "When I was dropped here, I lost all of the starseeds of my friends. And my most powerful weapon, the Ginshinzou. I haven't even been able to feel them out, not for lack of trying. With them, I was granted their Sailor Powers. In the first fight with Chaos on this Earth, I pulled Mars Flame Sniper out, one of Rei's attacks, by pure will." Her eyes hardened a bit as she spoke. "I was not always Cosmos. My previous battle with Chaos, and the merging of myself with The starseeds created her, me. I don't know the limitations to this power. It seems I can transcend using the crystals. Chaos holds Pluto's crystal right now. So they must be somewhere. I just can't find them." She sighed. "The transition is at times painful, and very confusing, but Cosmos and myself are slowly becoming one on our own. I don't fully understand it." She smiled softly then. "But why question a good thing?"
"You are truly a wonder to behold." Noin said, and laughed. "A Goddess eating cheeseburgers. Who'd have thought?"
Usagi laughed with her, clutching her chest, which still ached. "Oh, don't make me laugh." She said, and took a deep breath. "Itai." She was still very tender, but her powers of healing were accelerating rapidly. "I'm no Goddess." She said as an afterthought. "Doesn't everyone want to save the world?"
"I'm not sure everyone has your guts Usagi." Sally said, with a smile.
"All of the women I'm sitting with do." She said. "I know only bits and pieces of this Earth's past. But I know it must have been hard for all of you. It warms my heart to see such strong women. In my day, though there were Sailor Scouts, men usually fought the wars."
"Can't let them have all the fun, now can we?" Noin asked. And they all burst into laughter. She loved it. She loved them. And while the impending war was still fresh in her mind, she enjoyed this moment with the girls. It was like old times, she thought wistfully. Different people maybe, but the same heart, a heart that beat a fine song. A song that sung of friendship, hardship, and triumph.
...
Alright! Another chapter finished. I must admit my inspiration is dwindling, but I'm hoping the next chapter won't be so forced. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter... but it will make a transition into something greater soon. Usagi is awake, and the battle continues. What happens next? Find out in the next chapter of Fuseiseki.