AN: Since I promised to update this month, I'm not actually late...
Back from my break and mostly ready to get back to it, here's an update a feel you've been sitting on pins for. I forgot I left this on such a cliffy! Probably due to the low review count on it. I saw a post by SmokingBomber recently about how comments/reviews motivate them the most. And that's 100% true. I don't really like to ask or mention reviews and such, but if I'm being honest, I update more often when people reach out about it. There's a serious lack of urgency for a story if no one is telling me they love/like it and want more. There have been many to say they want more of this fic. However, as I move into the teens with chapter numbers and compare review numbers based on that, it doesn't seem like you guys really want more of this story. I could be wrong, but how else would I know? I look at the facts. Numbers don't lie, folks. If you guys aren't interested, then, by all means, say nothing. I got tons of other things to work on (she says honestly and not in an angry or snappish way). I'm serious (not mad). I'm pausing on a lot of other things to update this for you guys but if I'm wasting my time, let me know!
Again, because we don't know one another and a lot of meaning is lost in the written word, this isn't me shaming anyone. It's not me begging for reviews or holding the story hostage for more comments. It's me showing you how a lack of reviews is received by authors. Or a lack of appreciation and love causes the author to lose steam. At least in the fandom realm. Keep that in mind if there's another story you love that hasn't been updated in a while. They might be busy, but they also might feel like there's no urgency. A friendly review letting them know you're waiting with bated breath might bring them out of the slump.
Chapter Fourteen
"The master says it's a glorious thing to die for the Faith and Dad says it's a glorious thing to die for Ireland and I wonder if there's anyone in the world who would like us to live."
― Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes
He was covered in spikes; all the ones Sailor Moon had cut from him were back in place, just like the rest of him, even after she had turned him to dust. Yet, even from across the field, his eyes met Usagi's, going wide before a smile creased his face. She didn't realize how badly she was shaking until Mamoru pulled her back against him tight.
"It's alright, Usagi; I won't let him touch you this time."
Even as her heart raced, Usagi's mind ticked more, wondering how the hell Mamoru knew that that creature had touched her in the first place.
"How is that thing even alive? I watched him turn to dust!"
Mercury glanced at Mars, shooting her a sad glance as she spoke. "Beryl must have been so...pleased; she brought him back. I'm so sorry, Usagi-chan."
Usagi took a deep breath and pushed Mamoru back. "No, it's fine. It gives me a chance to kill it again."
Wrenched around by her wrist, she had the angry dark blue eyes of Mamoru filling her vision. "You are going to stay far away and out of the fight."
Anger and frustration filled her from head to toe, the clock on her bomb ticking a little faster. "I am not just going to stand by and watch you guys battle forty Youma by yourselves!"
"He's right, Usa; you don't have a choice. You don't have your henshin, and we need to keep you a secret still."
Usagi looked back at the Necromancer, seeing it whisper and point in her direction, the other creatures getting even more excited as they looked over at her. "They already know!"
"But they don't."
She looked back, finding Makoto pointing at the crowd, easily ten or twenty thousand Youma in the group alone. And that didn't include the Beryl faithfuls.
"LET THE FUN BEGIN!"
The smaller Youma attacked first, everyone so busy trying to keep them from Usagi, it was all just a game of keep away. Playing the defensive instead of the offensive like they needed to win -to survive. And Mamoru saw it too.
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, just go, fight! I've got Usagi!"
They glanced back at the two of them, but only for a second before listening once again to Mamoru.
"It must have something to do with him being the Prince of Earth." Usagi decided. Something she would not forget to find out about once they were out of this mess.
The crowd's roar covered up the howls of the creatures, five jumping on Usagi and Mamoru at once. She managed to kick one away, but another landed on top of her, knocking her to the ground. Trying to put its claws through her neck, Usagi held it by its wrists and struggled to keep it from touching her flesh.
Ripped from her grip, Mamoru pulled the creature off, flinging it so hard it hit the arena's wall and burst into dust. Usagi's eyes were still on the falling ashes when Mamoru pulled her quickly to her feet, causing her head to spin.
"Are you alright?"
It was strange, the violence he had towards the monsters and then the gentleness he held for her; the two contrasted so intensely it was only adding to her head spin. "I'm fine."
Even with Usagi's whisper, he gave her a nod, not having the time to go into all of it any further than that as another wave attacked them. Taking a second, she looked over at the other side of the arena, seeing the Senshi hard at work against the big hitters. Each one was facing off against another, one at a time. But then Usagi caught Necromancer, who was standing to the side, waiting and watching her.
Her clock was ticking, fast and hard the longer she looked at the smug look on his face.
Grabbing and pulling her hard, Mamoru pulled her out of her daze, a threatening look on his face. It was clear Mamoru didn't want her going anywhere near the creature. But last she checked, she didn't answer to him.
That said, without her henshin, she wasn't sure she could take Necromancer out. Not without getting poisoned again...and probably going back to sleep.
Mamoru took out the remaining Youma that swarmed them, a hard kick to the chest and a jolt of electricity to another. Neither of them noticing that Necromancer had left his perch and was making his way over to them.
Standing before them, Mamoru pushed her behind him, and a hush fell over the crowd. Usagi had no clue if they grew silent for Necromancer or Mamoru, but either way, it was eerie.
The closer Necromancer got, the darker the sky became, a dark cloud covering up and blotting out what little sun had been there before. It only fueled the beating of Usagi's heart.
Necromancer's chuckle rang out over the silent arena, the only sound the popping of Jupiter's lightning and Mars' fire while fog began to spread across the field. "You failed to protect her last time. What makes you think you won't fail this time?"
"Mamoru?"
Her unasked question went unanswered. Usagi was so confused, but Mamoru wasn't. "That was five years ago, and I am no longer a weak little fool."
"You look pretty foolish to me. Why not come out and play? Surely you don't plan on facing me as plain old….Mamoru, was it?"
"I don't need to be anyone else to pound you to dust."
It looked around Mamoru at her, "Aye, but she might. So tell me, Sailor Moon, were you just as surprised to see me as I was you? How are you still alive?"
Swallowing her dread, she glared back at Necromancer. "Takes a lot more than that to kill me."
"Hmmm...let's find out!"
Necromancer leaped up, hurtling himself at them, and Mamoru shoved her back, planning on taking the blow all by himself. Instead, her scream caught in her throat as a sword appeared out of nowhere in Mamoru's hand, blocking the impact. Necromancer pulled back and swung at him again; this time, the blade sliced through the spike instead of just blocking it.
A howl came from the creature, the spike falling to the ground in a thud while the crowd remained silent. Eyes found hers, her Senshi standing off to the side, having finished off their partners, and now waited as Mamoru finished his. Mars and Mercury bounced on their toes, looking as if they were struggling from holding back. They continued to let Mamoru handle it all on his own, confusing Usagi once more.
She remained on the ground where Mamoru had shoved her to, watching. Mamoru never faltered, the spikes falling to the ground like leaves off a tree in fall. And he was yet to get a scratch, Necromancer not laying a single hit on him. It wasn't long at all until the creature only had a few spikes left, Usagi's deja vu causing her heart to hurt. Once again, here she was, being weak while others put their lives on the line.
A whimper escaped her. It was small, but Mamoru heard it, turning to her instead of watching his opponent. Necromancer didn't hesitate, backhanding Mamoru hard and sending him flying. The only saving grace was the arm he hit him with was utterly lacking in spikes. Nevertheless, Mars and Mercury didn't wait for Mamoru, hitting the creature with ice and fire while Jupiter stood back, letting them have this moment.
And Usagi probably should have done the same. But here was the creature that took five years of her life away from her. The cause to the world they currently lived in, this nightmare. Even though Usagi mostly blamed herself, this creature was still the reason it all happened in the first place.
Mamoru was just getting to his feet, Mars and Mercury managing to still the beast and keep it from getting any closer to her. She still sat on the ground, her killer a few inches from her. And just like before, Usagi picked up a spike, got to her feet as quickly as her sore body would allow. Taking one second to look it over, Usagi stood before the creature once more and rammed its spike into its heart. It turned its eyes to her, shock covering its face before she pounded the back of her hand to push the point in the rest of the way. Not even a second passed before it turned to dust.
The crowd was still and silent, all while a bad feeling crept up Usagi's spine. An arm wrapped around her waist, and she was pulled tight to Mamoru's side, a glare on his face. "You enjoy teasing death, don't you?!"
She remained silent; the tension in the air and Usagi's growing annoyance with the enigma that Mamoru was, left her with nothing to say. Then, without another word, the crowd stood and started to file out of the arena. They all looked like they were in some kind of trance; the only ones not moving were the ones that came with them, finding Toki's green eyes again filled with fear.
The seats were bare, the wind picking up and blowing around the remaining trash. "Well, well, well, you certainly are all impressive, aren't you?"
The air shifted, feeling a little less oxygen saturated, then popped back out with a man floating above them. His long brown hair curled prettily over his shoulders, and his arms crossed firmly over his chest. His words spoke of admiration, but his body language told Usagi he was pissed.
"I had hoped to get a thrill out of killing you all, let you go down in blazing glory. But no, that was too good for the likes of you. So now, I will just kill you myself, and no one will remember your names."
The wind picked up tenfold, swirling dangerously around them. Mamoru pulled Usagi into him, guarding her eyes and face against the bones that now swirled in the air like daggers. His arms around her like a shield, she let him press her into him when suddenly the wind stopped. Twisting in his arms, she looked out just in time to see Jupiter tackle the man, bringing him down to the Earth painfully.
She held him down, her hands on his wrist with her knees on his thighs. He didn't even twitch, just laughed hard and loud. "This brings back memories now, doesn't it, Love?"
"Love?"
No one answered Usagi, all eyes on the couple on the ground. "Snap out of it, Nephrite! You are just under a spell, just like Jadeite!"
The amount of hope in Jupiter's voice had tears brimming in Usagi's eyes. "I am under nothing but you, dear, and as much as I would love to do more, I have to kill your friends first. So be a good girl, and I might let you live. You can stay in my room, chained to my bed."
The slap rang out across the open ground, Nephrite's head twisting awkwardly away. "Snap out of it! Please!"
He growled, shoving Jupiter off of him hard and jumping back. "You stupid bitch. Now you can die just like the rest of them!"
Usagi wasn't sure; he was so different from Jadeite. Jadeite seemed to have remorse, whereas this guy, Nephrite, was more like pure evil. His eyes landed on Usagi's, looking over her and Mamoru, who still held her tight. His head flew back in a barking laugh before bringing it back to glare at her.
"This is all too perfect."
Nephrite shimmered, his figure disappearing, only to reappear in front of them. His hand reached out for her, but Mamoru grabbed it first, twisting it away as sparks flew from his body to Nephrite's. The man howled, stepping back and out of Mamoru's reach.
"My Lord looks like you have learned a thing or two in my absence."
Another one of Mamoru's….friends? How many were there? And did they all have relations with her Senshi?
One thing was clear; Nephrite was just like Jadeite. He was human and, therefore, could be saved.
Nephrite lunged for Usagi again; this time, Mamoru flung her out of his arms, the two of them locking fists. Their hands were intertwined, finger laced together, and Mamoru did not hold back. When he released Nephrite, smoke was billowing off of him, and he was panting hard.
"Still protecting her over all others, I see."
It felt as if Usagi's mind was going to explode, her confusion overloading her senses. And her clock was ticking.
"I will always protect her. With my dying breath if I have to."
Another shiver rocked her hard at Mamoru's words, a whimper escaping. But this time, Mamoru didn't look at her. "Ah, but would she protect you? Or her precious Senshi? Knowing that you are a traitor? Of the highest level?"
"Traitor? What are you talking about? Mamoru isn't a traitor!"
The words spilled from Usagi's mouth without consent, her desire to stand up for him coming from somewhere deep inside her. "Oh, he isn't? So they don't know, do they? Just as I suspected. Otherwise, they would have fed you to the lions by now."
"Mamoru-san, what is he talking about?" Ami flinched when Mamoru turned his glare onto her.
"Yes, Mamoru-san. Just what am I talking about?"
"Shut the fuck up, Nephrite!"
Nephrite smirked, "Why don't you make me? Come on, pull out that rose of yours and shut me the fuck up?!"
"Rose?"
Now Usagi was spinning, nothing making sense. What the hell did a rose have to do with anything right now? She glanced over at Toki for some reason, knowing he had the answers, which was confirmed by his nervous twitch when their eyes met.
"Come on, Tuxedo Kamen! Come on out and play!"
Usagi's heart and clock stopped, not even able to breathe and barely able to turn her head back to the scene before her. Mamoru wore a heavy grimace, not taking his eyes off of Nephrite, who did the same. A second later, his hand reached into nothing, reaching into the pocket of space that didn't exist, a rose coming back out in his hand. In a blink, Tuxedo Kamen stood where Mamoru had a second ago. It felt like the whole world shifted. She couldn't see anything, only hear the angry words spat at Mamoru or, rather, Tuxedo Kamen. The word she listened to the most was 'traitor'.
AN: Uh-oh, Mamo a traitor? No, no way!