We do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters.
This holiday tale that is our "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Stars" season movie, takes place in between Sailor Stars Episodes #187 Baseball "The Shining Power of a Star! ChibiChibi's Transformation" and #188 Plane ride "An Invitation to Terror! Usagi's Night Flight".
Story based on "Sailor Stars Merry Christmas" Poem, Prologue, & Song Album. Please watch for several scenes included in this story, based on artwork in the CD booklet and the Christmas songs sprinkled in as the Three Lights play and carols are sung by the five Inner Sailors on the CD. We wish you a Merry Christmas as we celebrate the gift of Jesus together in this four-part Christmas story, Sailor Moon style!
"Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon "
"Sailor Stars Merry Christmas"
Chapter 3
"Child of Light"
"URANUS WORLD SHAKING!"
"STAR SERIOUS LASER!"
Two mingling voices call out desperately when at the exact same swift moment, same-minded when it came to fighting passion, Uranus and Fighter's separate energies intend the same purpose—namely, to turn to dust the ceiling wall of the cavern that was about to come crashing down upon them all.
Yellow and steel blue energies burst in blinding lights, as shattered stalactites, igneous rock shards and sharp pieces of the distressed cave ceiling rain down over them all. Nobody was sure if the last minute rescue had arrived in time, not until the smoke cleared a few moments later.
"Princess!? Are you all right?" Super Sailor Neptune's first worry was for her fragile princess' safety as she calls out in the smoky darkness. The empathic aqua beauty already instinctively knew that Uranus was not too terribly harmed, feeling her partner's strong arms still protectively encircling her, though scratched and profusely bleeding.
"Yes, I'm fine. Thanks to Star Maker." Sailor Moon smiles up to the bruised cheek tall sailor soldier who was protectively encompassing her and ChibiChibi both. Sailor Star Maker was gentle, kind and would defend any woman, especially where an innocent child was concerned as well. With a generous nature, Star Maker had thrown all worry for his own safety to the wind, as he shielded Sailor Moon and ChibiChibi from the falling debris.
"Sailor Moon." Maker nods with a smile, extending a helping hand towards her, even as sedimentary dust falls from this strong Star soldier's back and tall frame. Maker once again wished that the three of them could trust Sailor Moon with their secret, ask her to join in their mission, and collaborate with theirs. They all seemed to have the same goal—but there were definite complications. Sailor Star Maker's violet eyes glance up to where that dirt-streaked Super Sailor Uranus was dusting herself and Neptune off.
All the while, the pair glared at all three Starlights—especially one in particular—with suspicious gazes. For whenever the three outworlders were around, ever since they showed up on earth, bad things inevitably happened. And that conclusion was one Uranus knew exactly how to deal with.
SLAP!
Uranus slaps Star Maker's helping hand out of the way, giving the mahogany ponytailed Starlight and the other Starlights a forbidding look.
"Like I said: We don't need your help. We can handle this enemy—as we always have—by ourselves. Intruders aren't welcome here. You only seem to bring trouble" Uranus' voice was as cold as the ice and snow surrounding them, as she pulls Sailor Moon up and towards her and Neptune protectively. She leads her princess away from the Three Starlights, somehow finding blame for all this in them.
'Fine. Do as you like. We don't require being here." Maker, though the soul of gentility, had his share of ego and the anger that came with it, especially concerning this unmanageable creature of a woman that stood before them, always questioning their motives. Maker exchanges a look with Healer, then leaps upward and out of the cave through the hole blasted out through its roof, with Healer right at his heels. A snide look and sneer overtakes Healer's cute features as he flips his silvery hair down at Uranus petulantly.
"Fighter." Healer says merely with a warning look for Fighter to follow his two partners, just before he too leaps out the cratered cavern ceiling, leaving Fighter to face the difficult soldiers of this solar system alone,
Sailor Star Fighter glances up to where his two lifelong partners disappeared and looks back at Eternal Sailor Moon. Fighter, for one, always felt a distinct…pressing protectiveness…for this winged girl soldier from distant galaxy.
How can I just leave her here in this godforsaken mess? Star Fighter was hesitant to just pick up and abandon Sailor Moon, and ChibiChibi, too. His passionate heart was also concerned for what had happened to Seiya's classmate Usagi. Those two crazies are on Bunhead's trail… Fighter hadn't seen her since then, and truly felt he should go and find the ditzy blonde…however…Sailor Moon needs my help, too!
"Fighter!" Maker's low-keyed voice had a commanding effect on his companion. Star Fighter looks up to where Maker's bass tenor was bellowing for Fighter to come. Star Fighter almost automatically followed the taller star soldier who was always the calm, level head that passionate Fighter needed in battle. Yet…he freezes in place, duty and conscience at war with each other.
"What are you waiting for? Get out of here!" Super Sailor Uranus breaks the last straw, as Fighter returns the glare to her hard green eyes. It flashes through Sailor Star Fighter's mind that he had seen and sparred with these same, intractable green eyes somewhere before, but Fighter quickly shakes the thought away. With an almost apologetic glance to Sailor Moon, the Starlight leader jumps up after his two colleagues. He didn't like caving in to that damn Uranus, but Maker and Healer were right. They do have—no matter how much Fighter's heart disagreed—only ONE true mission.
Star Fighter's long skinny leathered legs ascend in a single leap, leaving Eternal Moon and her three companions alone.
"Sailor Uranus! Why can't we work togeth-?" Eternal Sailor Moon's friendly soul wanted to reach out to those three desperately. Though they were a team together, the three Starlights seemed lost and alone in this world to her, she wanted so much to understand them, why they keep saving her…
And something in that Sailor Star Fighter's sincere eyes longing to protect her was…almost familiar…
…Feels almost like…Mamo-chan…?
"That's enough." But Uranus was in no mood for delicate arguments on that subject. The suspicion of dangers from those three unknown soldiers from another galaxy posed gave her hard line attitude no room for kindness or flexibility. The fact that they were "Sailor Soldiers" by name gave her no cause to believe any of them. The rest of their string of enemies were also so-called "Sailors"—"Sailor Iron Mouse", "Sailor Aluminum Siren", "Sailor Lead Crow"— for instance, So now, no one other than the eight Sailor Soldiers of this Solar System could be trusted. No one. Especially that Sailor Star Fighter and those dangerous, dark eyes… There is something disturbing to me about those eyes, though…
…Like I could see all the way into the soul of a star…Neptune finishes Uranus' bewildered sentiment with her own that had gazed for a split second into Star Healer's endless mint green orbs when the two had raced side by side through the cave alone before…
Uranus, too, shakes off the strange thought, and turns her face up to the cold wind streaking in through the hole in the cavern's ceiling.
"Sailor Moon. There's an enemy out there. We have to stop it and any other threats to this world. We can't be concerned by any outside forces. The only ones we can depend on—are each other. We were brought together a millenia ago by destiny—no one else. Do you understand?" Out loud, Sailor Neptune echoes her partner's sentiments—in a slightly more gentle tone—softening Uranus' rough way of shutting Usagi off, with this thought provoking advice of her own. She places a hand on Eternal Moon's shoulder.
"I—" Despite all the respect Usagi had for the two of them, seeing the genuine concern in their faces, Sailor Moon still finds herself disagreeing somewhere deep inside. She believed in the three Starlights who had bailed her out, time and again, and held a hope that one day they would all work together as part of one team.
Suddenly, a dark shadow falls over the cave opening they were just about to leap out through. A loud, high-pitched shriek follows it, eerily shaking the frosted fir trees surrounding the mountain cave.
"What the hell!?" Uranus, with a deep sense of the sky about her, since the planet of the skies was her guardian, felt the quickly darkening air as an unnatural occurrence that set her teeth on edge.
"The power that monster has!" The sailor of the waters comments in a high toned whimper at the dissonant sound that offended her musical senses. Letting her ears guide her, Neptune points to where the black shadow woman was standing, amidst the snow at the edge of the high peak they were on. Her arms were raised to the skies as if she were wearing the darkness in her ear-splitting screeches, almost in the compilation of a deadly dirge of a song. And within her unctuous strains, the black shadows continue to emanate, spreading out in claw-like prongs, crawling towards them hungrily.
"Give me back that child! Such energy! I need it! Sister, return to me the power you have stolen! I've tasted the raw energy again! I require it now! Return what is rightly mine!" Crying out in her desperate strains, Buttress' exhausted shadow arm grabs hold of the frightened ChibiChibi, attempting to tear her from Sailor Moon's screaming arms.
"Stop! ChibiChibi!" Eternal Moon holds on with all her might, ChibiChibi crying out in the bitter tug-of-war over her tiny body.
"CHIBICHIBI!" ChibiChibi calls for help, and Neptune firmly takes hold of her, while Uranus physically grabs the shadowy fingers wrapped around the child and tries to pry them off.
"ARGH!" But instead, she gives a horrible scream of pain, as, luckily, only her gloves take the brunt of the first contact with the energy draining, dark energy pulsating shadow, melting the fingers of Uranus' gauntlets right off. The shadows continue to steal ChibiChibi's life force, palpitating with raw energy while the darkest spectre intends to dissolve straight through Uranus' hands and body as well. It moves to absorb her whole in its inverse blackness, but this Soldier of Speed was far too quick, and loses her gloves only. Yet, it's undeterred objective was still bent on draining ChibiChibi's mysterious energies—
And no one would stand in its way.
"Uranus!" Neptune cries out in fear for her friend as Super Sailor Uranus was harshly thrown back several hundred meters towards the white forest by the explosive shadow, the sound of her bones cracking and certain whiplash sickening to hear.
"Ugh!" Smacked back herself, as well, by that same invisible shadow force, Neptune's grip gives out and she collapses to her knees in the snow, bound and tied by some unseen force to the ground.
Simultaneously, a screaming Eternal Sailor Moon and ChibiChibi go flying forwards, dragged towards Buttress' greedy eyed shadow. The dark monster pins Sailor Moon down and, seizing the little fuchsia pink girl, Buttress begins to feel ChibiChibi's energies coursing through her diaphanous body, black wings forming in actual ebony spines at her strengthening back...
Yes, Sister…perhaps a slow, painful death is more fitting for this century old life of torment you have put me through. Buttress justifies her energy drain in her mind, finding the torture of Galaxia's soul far more rewarding. I will dispose of you when my powers are fully restored once again! She vows as a helpless ChibiChibi, with Eternal Sailor Moon still holding on, is dragged towards her devouring drain...
"ALUMINUM SIREN TSUNAMI!"
A totally unexpected, soft spoken voice calls out from out of nowhere as a wave of tingling salt water flows over Buttress. But, unfortunately she was totally immune from its even galactic powered, physical threat.
Apparently, nothing could touch the bloodless, lifeless form of the shadow she was—but it was easy enough to blind the shadow creature for a minute with the resulting swirling, icy mists when Siren's warm water hit the cold ice.
"Sailor Aluminum Siren!?" Eternal Sailor Moon cries out in shock at her shocking rescuer, the long, pale blue-haired woman who had dueled with her and her Guardians as an enemy in the past. Siren appears beside her and ChibiChibi, trying to undo the shadow bonds around them with some evil enhanced energy of her own, granted to her by Madame Galaxia. Thank you so much for entrusting me with your power, Madame Galaxia-sama. I will bring you some of those yummy Girl Scout mint cookies Crow-san bought me at the hotel! They are so nice to eat on a cold day like this.
"How pretty and long your hair is Sailor Moon!" A she runs an admiring hand along Usagi's long, yellow 'spaghetti' strands, Siren had an uncanny way of dancing around the subject swimming through her sieve like mind, even in the worst moments of danger.
"Why are you helping us!?" Usagi could not understand why Siren would want to help them.
"Oh, so afterwards you can give me your star—AHHHHH!" In her dawdling supposition of the Star Seed that Sailor Moon was going to just gratefully hand over to her after she had been rescued, Siren didn't see an extremely angered Buttress lash out at her. The vengeful silhouette had wrapped one shadow tentacle around Siren's body as the winged, armored shadow now dragged all three victims towards her as well.
"YES! More energy! I can feel such energy from this blue fish, as well! Galaxia? Do I feel a part of you in this new one, too? What does it all mean?!"
"Sister! Evil darkness! Evil Chaos! Help!"
Her head suddenly spins from the two disparate persona energies of Galaxia emanating from ChibiChibi and Siren. Buttress' already depraved mind goes even more mad, as the converging pieces, one good and one evil, of what Galaxia was and what she now is, once again emanates. It destroys whatever control Buttress had forged over the years, now threatening to tear her apart.
And that distraction was all Sailor Lead Crow needed. She utilizes her own Galaxia-granted powers to blow this strange creature threatening Siren off the face of the earth if she could. She had heard the threats against Galaxia-sama as well, puzzled by this Shadow Buttress' resemblance to her leader, too. Now maybe Galaxia wasn't Crow's most favorite person in the world, her respect for her ruler lessening with each passing day, with fear, rather than loyalty driving her, for now. Fear for Siren mostly, fear that her beloved rival's time may soon be up. And for all this, Crow had only one solution.
"LEAD CROW TORNADO!"
She cries out, blasting the tormented Buttress with a force of wind of gusting proportions, the sudden tornado catches Shadow Buttress off guard. Shock written on her dark features, untested wings skewed by the tempestuous squall, she is forced off the edge of the steep, steep mountainous peak, it sure to be an end to any creature...
But along with Buttress, her shadow tentacles fall with her, catapulting a screaming Sailor Moon, ChibiChibi and the still attached Siren towards their demise over the edge, as well.
"Siren, let go! Siren! LET GO!" Sailor Lead Crow cries out with her loudest voice, she racing towards the descending group—
But it was too late.
"Crow-san! I can't! I-AHHHHHHHH!" Over the edge, the three fall in a bundle, holding tightly onto each other—for there was nothing else to grasp but the thin, cold air as they rapidly plummet downwards.
"SIREN!" Crow cries out at the loss of her finest rival and secretly, her dearest friend. The tears of horror spring to her eyes the first second—
And in the next, Sailor Lead Crow disappears downward in the mists, following after Siren, as she too plunges off, without a thought,.
"SAILOR MOON!" Uranus comes racing to the edge, despite her two sprained ankles and badly slashed arms. She feels her own pain was nothing compared to the heartbreak of watching someone you love plunge over the side of a cliff.
"PRINCESS!" Neptune echoes, the Buttress shadow bonds dissipating around her legs, instead enveloping the skies. It was unfitting that the sky should be bright when all was at sunset—in her embracing heart as well. Neptune runs to Uranus and bursts into tears as they both look down, seeing nothing but mist and snow in their sights, and not a sign of their dear, lost princess.
But then, there, through teary eyes, Uranus and Neptune's hearts leap at the sight of the group ascending through the mists. Their beautiful Eternal Moon, though dazed and nearly passed out, was brought back to them, ChibiChibi still safe in her arms. The enemy, Siren, her long waves of powder blue mermaid hair flowing in the breeze, was being carried up by Sailor Lead Crow's strained black feathered wings.
"SAILOR MOON!" In unison, Neptune and Uranus call out, joy in their voices as Uranus takes Sailor Moon in her arms from Lead Crow, and holds her close. Neptune hugs the fainted, but thankfully all right, little ChibiChibi to her grateful, heaving chest, and both of them look to Crow with standoffish appreciation.
"Tell your Sailor Moon to use her own wings next time, okay?!" Crow buckles under the slight smile and grateful look on Neptune's empathic face. Then, Uranus' still suspicious one reminds her of her true place, that they were her enemies, and yet…
Siren needed me! That's all I did! They were just…attached! Crow justifies her just now heroic actions, she, after all, Galaxia's finest minion in search of Star Seeds, so that Madame Galaxia may take over this galaxy and all the others, too…
"Crow-san, I'm a little dizzy. Crow-san, can we go home now? Crow-san? My head hurts, and I'm hungry." Whimpering little whines, Aluminum Siren gazes up to her rescuer. Lead Crow puts on her hard, commanding face, forcing away the pleased smile that her rival was still well enough to whine.
But in her dizziness, Siren could see it clear in Crow's eyes.
"Yes, Siren. Let's go home. Our target has disappeared, anyway." Crow takes charge and gingerly places Siren inside the appearing telephone booth teleporter they shared before carefully squeezing inside.
"You haven't seen the last of us! And next time we'll still be enemies! So don't get any dumb ideas!" And with that disheartening threat, Sailor Lead Crow and Sailor Aluminum Siren zap from the mountain scene.
"Are you all right?" Uranus asks the trembling young woman in her arms. Eternal Sailor Moon nods her head, still unable to speak after that close call. Usagi could have sworn she saw the snowy ground just inches from her spasmodic head before black feathers had scooped her up.
"Good. It seems our enemies did away with that shadow creature anyway." Uranus scans the area, the unnatural darkness lifted from the snow-covered landscape.
"URANUS!" But the sudden, clipped warning was the only thing empathic Sailor Neptune was able to cry out as the split second passes in between when she sensed that evil darkness again and it suddenly rose over them…
The last minute warning between partners was enough for swift Uranus to dodge the full blast of black energy descending upon them, pulling Sailor Moon and ChibiChibi away with her. Neptune too, sidesteps a dark bolt of lightning from the skies, as the three Sailor Guardians look upon their attacker's cackling screeching.
"Buttress cannot be defeated so easily, puny ones! I am a shadow creature now and always…I AM the darkness!" And with those laughing words, Buttress spreads her newly unleashed pair of bat wings wide enough to cast a huge shadow over all those below. She screams a hideous sound, causing deadly, red tipped blades of shadow knives rain down. They were more than mere shadows when they came in contact with flesh, the powers she had managed to drain from ChibiChibi gave her energies anew. The lethal edge razor tips rip through the cold air towards vulnerable Neptune, Uranus, Sailor Moon and ChibiChibi below…
"MERCURY ICE RHAPSODY!"
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!"
The first blast of Super Sailor Mercury's ice music freezes the falling razors to a halt, while the second wave of Super Sailor Jupiter's powerful oak leaves filled with nature's energy explode the frozen blades, clearing the skies with a strange mixture of blue cold and green nature.
"Hey, we don't know who you are, Lady, but if you want trouble, here we are!" Bold Sailor Jupiter had a temperament that would make her Irish ancestors proud as she shakes her brave fist at the unknown quantity.
"Sailor Guardians!" Sailor Moon calls out, elated to see the pair of her sailor friends.
"Nobody messes with our friends at Christmas' peaceful times especially, creepazoid." Sailor Mercury, though usually a shy and quiet girl, could stand up and shout when it came to her friends and the sanctity of the serene holiday season.
"Where'd you get a voice like that anyway, ugly!? Did you practice at the blackboard?!" Super Sailor Mars, now at Mercury and Jupiter's side, was a terribly honest soul herself and she never held back anything.
"Yeah! Go back to your bat cave, you waste of good Christmas Eve merriment!" Super Sailor Venus was still smarting that she had had to leave ice-skating and sleigh riding with the Three Lights on this Christmas Eve. Yaten even promised to skate with me when they came back! Well…sort of…
Ugly. A waste. Messed up. These words ring throughout Buttress' tattered remains of a soul. She always felt less than her perfect-adored-by-everyone sister and she was forgotten. But not again. Not ever again.
"Buttress! Can you hear me?" A small voice whispers inside of her throbbing head, but she shakes it off, instead turning to the Sailor Soldiers with an evil, angry face.
"No one speaks to me like that! No one!" Buttress, ferocious with raw pain and anger, lashes out at the new bothers on the scene. She was determined to smite them and their biting words with shadow daggers exploding from her bat wing tips, twice as large and twice as powerful as before.
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!"
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"
Though Mars' and Venus' attacks were just as potent as Mercury and Jupiter's, these shadow tipped blades were more wily, dodging their energy attacks, intent on sliding straight towards their startled faces-
"URANUS SPACE SWORD BLASTER!"
"NEPTUNE SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"
Sword and Mirror merge as they spread across the skies, dissolving the deadly razor blades in the two-pronged, combined attack.
"Fools! Fools! I'll destroy this world until there's no light left to spurn me any longer!" Buttress, filled with deep hatred for all things of light and beauty, prepares her shadows to swallow the entire world in unnatural night.
"Everyone! Join hands! Together we may be able to destroy this monster!" Tough Outers Leader Uranus had this domineering way—despite Venus being the appointed Sailor Guardian leader—of taking charge as she orders the rest of the Guardians to action. They all scurry together while Buttress soars higher above the horizon of the skies over them, about to launch her attack on the green planet, her red eyes mad with anger and fury.
"SAILOR PLANET ATTACK!"
The young women all cry out, hands joined as the seven pretty sailor guardians of this galaxy begin to spin. Rainbow energies from each palpitate from their bodies, combining into one huge ball of power enough to blow even the most powerful enemies away…
But a new energy they had not yet dealt with, in a force they had never encountered suddenly glows golden around Buttress, a protective shield going up around her. The energy the soldiers had accumulated towards her simply bounces off this golden barrier, and reflects back on the Sailor Guardians, exploding into them and blowing their circle apart.
"AHHHHHH!"
"UGH!"
"EGH!"
"OOF!"
"ARGH!"
"OHH!"
"NOOO!"
Seven cries of pain ensued across the snow fields, as the sailors were all flung over the mountain plains, weakened and drained from the reversed bombardment of their own powerful planet attack.
"This light! This energy! Sister! Sister! Where are you?!"
Sailor Moon was still able to look up from her fallen spot in the snow to somewhere closeby where the vehement Shadow Monster seemed to be talking to thin air. There was not another soul around, as she ranted like an insane creature, stalking up and down the snows.
And yet…and yet there was something familiar in her eyes—something Usagi knew she saw every time she looked in the mirror these days—the pain of old memories so dear coming back to haunt you; the longing to see someone you love again so desperately who had left you behind; the need to feel most important to anybody, so cherished they'd never want to let you go or make you sad…
"No! No! Go away! Go away!" And with this spurt of mad anger, Buttress sends blasts of shadow energy across the skies, breaking through the golden forcefield that surrounded her, decimating the fir tree line to black dust.
"Your sister wouldn't want you to do these things! If you love her so much to be so angry and sad that she left you behind, she must've loved you a lot terribly! Please stop!" With all the strength in her, using her own tested soul as logical example of true love, Eternal Sailor Moon stands as she tries to find some way to stop this powerful female. Usagi saw something in her that no one else could. That maybe this shadow could be brought back into the light…
"My sister loved me? No! No! No! You're siding with her, too! They always did! I'm so alone!" Buttress looks down to where Sailor Moon was looking up at her with those big blue eyes. Those innocent eyes! You look just like—
Buttress suddenly sees a resemblance in Usagi's sweet innocence, a remembrance of a time past, of someone so very special from an eon before…
"Please! I'm not siding with anyone! You're not alone. You still have your sister inside your heart. It's Christmas, after all." Though she didn't know a thing about this shadow's past and though she didn't understand what was going on, Sailor Moon had a heart of gold. A heart shining brightly to reach out to the fallen, to feed the thirsty and hungry, to care for the desolate and needy, to give comfort to the broken-hearted...
Usagi had learned well the lesson of Christmas and of He who came into the world to teach this benevolent path of true righteousness, learning the truth of selflessness, and embracing love and friendship for all life with her pure heart. And with this lesson, Sailor Moon would always extend an olive branch to anyone who could be saved from the darkness, and be called back into the light.
Yes, Galaxia…she is just as you were…..Buttress, suddenly lost and confused, was entranced in Sailor Moon's eyes. The dark shadow saw the glowing hearted Princess of the Moon as the sister whom once was, peaceful, loving, caring and compassionate to her when no one else was. When no one else understood, that she was different. That she had special powers that only Galaxia valued. She always did, even in the past…
...Flashback to Zero Star, a long time ago...
"Buttress dear, what are you doing today? Let's both go down to the garden and—" A young, beautiful golden and red haired girl asks her sister with an inviting, pleasant smile. But she was cut off suddenly.
"Leave me be, Galaxia. I'm busy." Buttress responds with a less than kind back glance. She seemed to be totally wrapped up in something absorbing, not to be bothered by her headstrong sibling's flights of fancy.
"With what, Buttress? Can I be busy in it, too?" Galaxia was a fun loving creature then. She did not want to miss a second of any enjoyment she could share with her sister.
"No, Galaxia! This is something I have found for my own! Just because you're the chosen child…just because everyone else likes you better…you can't take everything that's mine!" Buttress suddenly jumps up from the shade of the castle wall she was taking refuge in. Her face was now etched with evil intent, her beautiful golden eyes that once mirrored those of Galaxia, for they were identical twins, suddenly burned red. Her golden locks were tightly bundled atop her head, transformed her into a putrid shade of black. Her lips were traced with charcoal colored lipstick, making her look so very…wicked.
"Oh!" Galaxia was shocked and taken aback by the change in her usually quiet, sedate sister.
"What's happened to you, Sister?! What can I do to help?" Galaxia, though sweet and innocent, was not easily frightened especially not when it came to her sister. She truly did love her and always thought Buttress was the better—the more responsible and level-headed, sincere of the two. Galaxia had secretly admired her for who her sister was.
"What can you do to help? Ha ha ha!" Suddenly sedate and responsible Buttress turned as nasty as she looked. Her now fanged teeth glinted in the last rays of the sun. "DIE, Galaxia! You will not stand in my way any longer! YOU WILL BE MY SHADOW!" Buttress' hands choke around Galaxia's throat. Galaxia screams in horror, and opens her eyes to see the devil-horned silhouette of a shadow that now surrounded her sister's dark head.
In that shadow, the utter dark entity of Chaos, whom Buttress, through jealousy and pride, had unwittingly culminated the powers of inside of herself, releases what it had been hiding.
Galaxia may have been the chosen daughter to be the Sailor of the Galaxies, but Buttress was the shadow behind her golden star which was at the center of the universe. At Zero Star, between the fine line of darkness and light, madness and sanity, Galaxia's twin shadow come to life was vying to be dominant now where Chaos had placed her at the exact center and nucleus of all the galaxies.
"Buttress, stop! It's me, your sister! It's me!" Galaxia's choked out words hit the still only half-taken over Buttress somewhere deep, and she freezes in her attack. Just long enough for Galaxia to touch her newly bestowed Sailor transformation brooch. In so doing, Sailor Galaxia explodes in golden light, her metallic golden sailor uniform glimmers in the fading sunlight.
"You tried to fool me, as you always have, ever since we were young! I will be the one to control this planet! Every planet! Every galaxy! I will be the true Galactic Queen! And I will be the only one! Not you! Chaos has told me I am the better half! Evil energies coursing throughout of all time have been trapped within this planet, and I have called upon that power! I will release it everywhere! Chaos can no longer be contained!" Mad with that driven insane chaos running rampant inside of her, Buttress cackles maniacally her once soft, calm voice echoed in sinister masculine tones, her eyes a spiteful sickening shade of blood red.
With all this newfound malignant power, she forges a long, dark broadsword and plunges it into the luminary's earth. It cracks a chasm wide open as the wicked shadows she had called and brought forth to life to ease her own selfish sufferings and jealousies begin to escape. They tear the grounds apart, imploding from within this ordained Zero Star holy ground and soars out into the far reaches of space, encircling over the skies which were now pitch dark, of their once beautiful world where the sun never set.
"Buttress! What have you become?! Sister! Sister! What have you done?!" Her tender voice drowned out by the cacophony of pandemonium, Galaxia could feel the evils coursing around her, the ground shaking, thunder rumbling deafeningly. The shadows pull at her long, golden waves. Fearful shrieks and cries emanate from in the palace and from without, too, as the entire countryside screams out in the horror of what now was overtaking their once peaceful world.
But Buttress could no longer hear Galaxia. She, in releasing Chaos, had her soul ripped out of her, turning her shadow into purely evil ambition to now destroy the universe which formerly plagued her dark form. Whatever goodness was once in her soul was now absorbed by black malevolence. She was lost to the world as the hidden treasure of secret, patient light she was promised to be.
For Galaxia herself had believed that her beautiful sister—who was the unsung wind beneath her wings, the silent hero who was always standing one step behind—had within the true shine of the galaxies. But that was to be no more.
She now was the beginning of the darkness that could bring end of it.
"Your light's gone out, now, Buttress. I can't see your light of hope there anymore…But I won't—I can't let you go! But there are so many others now I must help. To protect, Sister. I can hear the cries throughout the galaxy, for a savior from the dark chaos you have just released. Please, Sister, you must someday find it in your heart to forgive me. But for the sake of the innocents of the universe entrusted to our care, I must do this terrible deed..." Sadly, Sailor Galaxia, in that moment, transforms from the sweet-faced girl full of dreams into a hardened woman full of strife. The decision she had to make steels her for what she must do to salvage the universe, now plunged into a tragic Sailor War. For Sailor Soldiers were the only ones who had any chance of stopping Chaos' legendary powers.
And since she was the greatest Sailor of them all, this was now her responsibility. This was now her cross to bear, for all forms of life in the universe, throughout each part of every galaxy. She must end what unraveling pendulum her sister had begun.
"For the greater good, Sister. Let me take your soul…" And with those last, fateful words the long-caped golden Sailor of the Galaxies grabs hold of her dark sister's broad sword, willing the mystical powers within it to do as she commanded now, as Galaxia plunges the sword deep into her sister's chest. Buttress falls to the ground, as her evil soul was washed away by the blinding golden light.
Her body dies, like a withered black rose. But the faintest spirit of Chaos' shadow refused to be vanquished, as what was left of Buttress' memories slink deep beneath the ground of this spinning Zero Star...
"Someday, Buttress, I will return for you." To the dark skies and cold earth, with the innocent Light of Hope yet glowing within her eyes, Galaxia vows to return to find a way, somehow, someway, for her lost sister to come back to the light again, as she herself rushes off into the unknown, to defend the universe from unleashed Chaos.
For, at this point, the destined Sailor of the Galaxy had no idea what awaited her own fated soul on this long and winding, hard road ahead…
"NO! Don't leave me alone! Don't! NOO!" The utter, empty loneliness of the past thousand years spent in shadowed exile had driven Buttress insane long ago. Her dark body and depraved mind do as they always had, lashing out at anything and anyone who represented the light she could never again be.
"BUTTRESS SHADOW SCREAM!"
The tormented wail from deep inside her broken shadowy form transmutes into pure dark energy, it exploding from every inch of her blackness. Everyone around shrinks back at the horrifying sight, as Buttress' jet-black bat wings spread wide and the ear piercing sound drives those Guardians just standing to their feet, back down to the ground.
"ETERNAL SAILOR MOON!"
"SAILOR MOON, WAIT!"
"USAGI! NO!"
"STOP, YOU STUPID MOONFACE!"
One by one the Sailor Soldiers realize that their own leader—their beloved Moon Princess—was still moving towards that chasm of darkness, despite their warnings.
Eternal Sailor Moon ignores the shadow streams ripping towards her, through her, battering her winged body around, as she bravely walks towards it, against the pain and anguish, and all odds.
"Sailor Moon! DON'T GO NEAR THAT MONSTER!" It was Uranus' commanding voice that Eternal Sailor Moon finally pays heed to.
Usagi finally stops long enough to call back through the shadow's screeching dissonance to her Sailor Guardians with a certain, determined, caring look in her blue eyes.
"No! She's NOT a monster! There's a frightened person inside of there somewhere! I can feel it! And she's dying! She needs our help! I won't let anyone go towards death's darkness alone. Not without adoing my best to show them the Light of kindness and generosity first! Please lend me all of your courage! I have to try! It's what Christmas is all about! I HAVE TO GIVE MY ALL!" Upon hearing Sailor Moon's heartfelt speech, the four Inner Guardians and the two Outer Guardians present don't have to think twice to know what their true soul—their own Moon Princess—was asking of them. For she was their light, their hope, their Christmas angel, all year-round.
And from each forehead, their celestial symbol glimmers with power, adding to Sailor Moon's gleaming heart Tiare. Within her silver white light, its glowing rainbow colors of blue, red, green, orange, yellow, aqua and more, surge into her rod as it shimmers a sparkling fuchsia pink. She feels the boost of power growing within her, making each step easier, until the shadow streams hitting against her melt when they hit her shining, love shielded form—
"SILVER MOON CRYSTAL POWER….."
Eternal Sailor Moon begins to release her now enhanced power of rejuvenation, of healing, upon one soulless creature. Her heart begged for Buttress' spirit to return to goodness on this Christmas Eve. With a silent prayer to God for sharing the greatest Gift of all this Christmas season and blessing her with the ability to reclaim broken hearts, Usagi reaches out with all that was in her…
"…KISS!"
The child of moonlight's white rainbow light illuminates the shadow monster before them. Blue starts to breaks the forged ice, red fires up its dead soul. Green strikes lightning at the cold shadow, while orange lights a beam through its broken heart. Yellow quakes the barriers down as aqua flows a stream of emotions. A titanium blue laser of determination, a lavender sweep of gentility and a lime green inferno of feeling all fly in, too, as white and fuchsia combine in a final burst of pure goodness and hope as the white countryside explodes in the amazing light…
"Where am I? Sister, are you here?" Buttress' battle worn voice and vicious black appearance were all but faded and gone. She was adrift on a cloudy mist of rainbow colors. Her high pitched voice was now softer, sweeter, more of the quiet girl she once was long before Chaos had entered her life.
"I am, Sister." Echoing from no where and everywhere around her, Buttress' smoky eyes begin to glimmer a shine as they look hard at the growing brilliance wrapped in golden veils before her.
"Galaxia! Have you returned for me? I never want to be lonely again." Buttress cries out, rushing to her long-absent sister, for Sailor Moon's goodness and purity had melted away every ounce of her envious despise for the sister who she believed before had abandoned her so long ago.
"Buttress. You don't need to be alone anymore. Merge the remainder of your soul and powers with mine. We will be one as intended, and twice as strong. And I'll never leave you again. It is a promise." Soft strains of a voice Buttress both at once hated and loved, gives way to absolute love now, as the jealousy which so consumed her vanishes. For even scattered light years spent in torment could never abate the affection and loyalty between sisters.
Buttress reaches her hands out to the golden dazzle before her, taking hold of the perfect white palms open to her, The hands of another she knew and trusted so well. "Sister, did you know? Did you always know?" Buttress' high voice becomes a whisper, as she realizes all that she was-all that she would be—with the last of her individuality. Buttress lets her true spirit dissipate as her shadow body goes translucent, as she moves directly into Galaxia's gleaming form.
And after a forgotten time of being sliced asunder, the two separate parts—physical and metaphysical, reality and its shadow—were now fully one again.
"Yes, Buttress, yes. I always knew." The curtain unveils, as this ultimate Sailor of the Galaxies strides across her own Shadow realm she called 'Sanctuary'. Moreover, she deemed it the starting point from which she would soon take hold of the planet Earth—and now that she had reclaimed her own shadow, Galaxia was certain it would all be possible.
"You were nothing more than my shadow, Sister. By the brilliance of my perfect Star Seed you were given life. You were the other half of my immense powers split in two, since the moment of my conception. The fates had decided I was not yet ready—without the maturity or wisdom—for the full intensity of power granted me. For any one being with such energy would be enabled to rule the universe." She concludes to herself behind the glittering veil.
"And though I took your soul then, "Sister", I could not yet gather your essential spirit—seize that ultimate power—giving you your own self-awareness for as long as it took me to assemble all into my fold. But as you have proven, Buttress, there could be no you without me any longer. And now, there will be NOTHING without me any longer! Now this galaxy, EVERY galaxy will soon be mine! There will be nothing to stop ME! No insignificant Moon Princess…NO ONE BUT ME!" At long last, filled with the two parts which made up the whole, Sailor Galaxia felt the immensity of power surging through her, her vacant shadow at last returned to her. Her energy, her strength, her drive now doubled in her ambition of the singular right to rule over all the universe now.
"For the greater good, this day has finally come. Now I am whole." And as this Golden Queen of the Shadow Galactica takes her golden throne, a forgotten piece within her—the reclaimed sister who had glimpsed the Light of Hope that was now but a distant shadow within Galaxia—still cries out unheard in the shadows of the hole where a heart once existed.
At the same moment, from somewhere in the distance, not so far away, Chaos laughs insanely at the never-ending cycle of good and evil. Evil and goodness coming full circle until the anarchy of utter Chaos' psychotic pandemonium would one day be the one released to rule supreme over the Galaxy Cauldron...
Snow-blind. That's what she felt like. Sailor Moon's eyes were blinded by the sheer brilliance of light all-encompassing across the dark mountainside. But when that blindness faded, bewilderment set in. Quickly, she scans the countryside, only to find that the shadow she had been trying to bring into the light had vanished.
"Where did she—?" Sailor Moon asks in worry that she, in trying to help, had harmed the woman in need."Did I—?"
"She's received a gift, Sailor Moon. The same gift you've given all of us. Your goodness, your charity, and your love, you tried to reach out to her. That's everything any of us could ever hope for." Empathic Super Sailor Mars puts a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder as her purple eyes gleam her pride to Usagi in the darkness.
"Yes, Princess, we are all nothing without that." Super Sailor Neptune smiles softly as she leans her aqua head to Super Sailor Uranus', hand slipping in hand. Even tough Uranus nods in agreement of the sentiment.
"You're pure sunshine in a world of shadows, Pretty Kitten. Keep that light going, all right?" And with a final tender caress to Eternal Moon's cheek, Uranus and Neptune disappear into the dark night. They were both satisfied that the danger of this night was over.
"Uranus is right! Your shine is beautiful, Sailor Moon. You did a great job!" Super Sailor Jupiter smiles comfortingly to her dear friend, sensing how down Usagi was feeling at not being able to fully set that creature free from its shadows.
"You reached out. That's all you could do. Don't worry. I'm sure you got through to her presence deep down." Sailor Mercury joins in with a sweet and positive outlook.
"Yeah, you were great, boss-lady! We totally did our job here." Venus, a buoyant creature of light herself (especially on Christmas Eve) slaps Sailor Moon on the back with a loud thump of congratulations, causing feathers to lurch forward.
"And since you mentioned presents, Mercury, let's get to our Christmas Eve Party!" After all, Minako Aino was always in search of her next party as she gives a Sailor 'V' sign to the MoonPrincess and the other sailors.
"That's not exactly the "presence" I meant Venus…heehehe…" Mercury gives a soft, lilting giggle at her fellow Sailor Guardian's ditziness at times.
"Admit it, Mercury! You've got presents on your brain, too!" Venus shoots back, with a self-righteous air.
"We all know that's what you're interested in, Birdbrain! It's all you've been talking about all day! Presents, presents, and your 'sweetie' Santa!" Mars complains of Venus' excessive, inane babbling.
"Oh! We have to look for Seiya! He was hurt!" Ditzhead Usagi abruptly cries out for her injured friend when her eyes spy the turned over empty ski car at the base of the hill they were starting to climb. How could I have forgotten him!? Eternal Sailor Moon begins to panic, eyes looking to and fro as her ruffled feathers flap in worry.
"Oh, don't freak out, Girlfriend. I'm sure he's fine." Super Sailor Venus touches Moon's trembling cheek with the bolstering words and matching smile.
"Seiya is quite an athlete on the football field, Sailor Moon. So he's pretty resilient at taking a few punches. He surely made it back to the hotel, where they have great first aid to have patched him up." Intellectual Mercury offers with medical assurances and a nod.
"But wouldn't he have come back looking for me and ChibiChibi-chan?" Said in a small, insecure voice, the Bunheaded sailor Guardian was pretty sure he would be the one leading the search party.
Civilians that Sailor Moon was secretly glad didn't show up during the fierce battle with Buttress.
"They wouldn't let such a famous star go out again if he was hurt with even a little scratch! He probably told them where to send help, and would've joined them soon as he could, for sure." Jupiter tries to postulate reasons why Seiya Kou didn't return to find his missing friends right away already. It didn't seem like his go-getter, assertive nature to her either, but the tall brunette kept that quiet as not to disturb Usagi's mind further.
"Knowing that guy, I bet he's already snug as a bug in a rug back at the hotel being pampered, Usagi! People that dumb and irresponsible definitely have nine lives." With a critical smirk at her less than favorite rock star, Super Mars concludes convincingly of the brash Three Lights singer whose childish behavior often rubbed her the wrong way.
"You think so, guys?" Usagi muses softly to herself more than anyone else, eyes constantly scanning the now again still countryside turning up nothing.
"Nine lives are for felines, Mars! Seiya is more in the canine family, considering how dogged and wolfish he always portrays himself to be!" Over her head, Sailor V makes an attempt at light humor to dispel her friend's fears until they got back to the hotel to make sure Seiya was safe.
"Wolfish! Wolfish!" ChibiChibi wakes up in Sailor Mercury's arms to shake her fists and repeat the funny sounding word Venus had just described Seiya as, making the apropos comparison even funnier.
"Hey, Luna and Artemis are coming around the bend! They really do have nine lives!" Super Sailor Jupiter announces, recalling the last the four girls had seen of the two guardian cats who had come running to tell them about Sailor Moon's trouble with that monster, was when Luna was helping Artemis out of a snow bank he'd sank straight down into.
"Hee hee! Careful, what you say about kitties with nine lives around Artemis! Luna already teases him about 'teaching the old cat new tricks on cloud nine'." Minako's mangled proverbs cause the Inner Guardians to all chuckle at how their combative cat friends always ragged on each other.
"That's 'You can teach an old dog new tricks', Minako-chan. The saying has nothing to do with being on 'cloud nine'." Super Sailor Mercury corrects in her matter of fact way as they walk side by side.
And as her friends chatter in that comforting way that always reassured her soul, Eternal Sailor Moon's eye catches the cat-like movement of long, midnight blue-black leather legs leaping in the distance against the misty starscape. She gives a small smile, knowing that the three Starlights, despite strained relations between the two teams, had added their energies to hers when she needed them most.
And that definitely told her that there was such a thing as hope to believe in and hold onto.
That's why He came to this world, too, wasn't it? To give us all hope when everything seemed lost. How could I ever lose my hope with all of you guys with me?
"You guys are the best friends in the whole world!" With a zealous cry of gratitude, Usagi unravels from her Eternal sailor soldier uniform and links arms with her four companions. Detransforming as well, Ami scoops up the happily playing in the snow ChibiChibi, as they all then race down the hillside towards the distant light of the ski lodge, their hearts and souls all full of hope.
Soon, all five girls were again in their festive winter suited up forms, On the way back to the resort, to brighten things up for an anxious Usagi on this cloudy night, our singing stars Minako and Rei both keep trying to outdo each other in Christmas caroling.
"Rei, 'When You Wish Upon a Star' is NOT a Christmas carol." Minako criticizes Rei's dreamy, slow ballad.
"Well, I think you made that "Sweetheart of Santa Claus" song thing up, Minako! Don't talk to me about that!" Rei snaps back.
"It is a REAL song! Look it up, Wishy-washy Wei-chan!" Stressing her w's, the blonde idol believed she was the expert on all things songful about Christmas.
"Well, let's sing something else now, guys. Any suggestions?" Mediator Makoto interrupts the argument, stepping between the pair.
"How about a Christmas carol sing off? We'll each sing something to make the trip seem shorter." Ami suggests in her tinkling tones.
"ALL RIGHT! I'll begin." Bossy Rei takes charge, considering herself the best singer of the group.
"Here Comes Santa Claus.
Here Comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!"
Minako goes next with a jaunty Santa song of her own, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."
"….Santa Claus is Coming to town!
He sees you when you're sleeping!
He knows when you're awake!
He knows if you've been bad or good,
So be good for goodness' sake!"
"Yeah, like you know what that means, Minako! No Christmas presents for you then, if you go by those rules!" Zinger Rei always had a saucy retort on her lips, as Minako maturely responds with a simple stuck out tongue, the temple maiden unable to refrain in the tongue razzing, until they all start laughing at the silliness.
"Okay! My turn, guys!" Giggling along, Usagi happily starts to sing out, in a better mood now than before.
"Oh, when the Saints
Come marching in!
Oh when the Saints go marching in!
I wanna be in that number!
When the Saints go marching in!"
"YAY!"
Finally, the whole group ends the trek home with the infectious "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as they enter the grounds of the ski lodge hotel.
"We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year!"
Indeed, the ski lodge was decked from top to bottom with every kind of Christmas decoration imaginable. Red and green streamers adorn the halls with multi-colored lights embellishing all around. Between 'oohs' and 'ahhs', Usagi and the girls rush in from their long, cold journey in the snow, going straight to the fireplace to warm frosty cold fingers.
That's just when three more frozen figures come in from the cold, just a few moments later.
"There you are! Why'd you disappear on me like that, dummy!? I was so worried!"
"There you are! Where the hell did you go, Bunhead?! I was searching for you forever!"
Usagi and Seiya yell at one another in unison, neither of them knowing what happened to the other after their ski car was attacked. They had been separated, both having their own secret identity reasons to not be entirely candid about what had really transpired earlier.
The two, in blame-filled noisy reunion, run to each other under everyone's suspiciously concerned gazes in the Love Resort's lobby. But when Usagi noticed everyone's prying eyes, she stops short just inches in front of hugging the dark haired boy reaching out to her and instead pokes him right in the center forehead.
"Where've you been? I looked all over for you after the crash!" Usagi demands, her fear for Seiya turning into annoyance, now that she had been worried for him over nothing.
"Where have I been?! You're the one who took off! Where were you, Bunhead!?" Seiya defends his own guilty self. He, after a little "Sailor" outing, had dragged his two annoyed brothers—make that one annoyed Yaten. Taiki had been genuinely concerned—back out in search of the missing girls.
"I don't have to tell you where I am all the time." Over her concerned fears, Usagi pouts a little, proving her independence from this aggravating teen who was prone to continually stalk her. Besides, she was not able to answer publicly the full truth of her own whereabouts.
"There's gratitude for you." Yaten comments from the side, sarcastically irritated to have been wasting time looking for this nuisance girl just because Seiya stupidly thought she may be in danger from the villians. Who would bother to target such an airhead?
"Did you get all those nasty wounds bandaged up good?" But soon, the softer, truly kind and gentle side of her comes out, as, gazing at his scratched neck and bruised face obscured behind that turtleneck, Usagi Tsukino honestly searches Seiya Kou's now sparkling eyes that sensed her caring.
"Yep. Taiki and Yaten took care of me. Wasn't that bad. I'm a sturdy man, after all." Seiya shows off a flexed arm muscle, with only a slight wince, more for effect than actual pain.
"Ha ha. That's a joke! You were squealing like a girl…hehehe!" Smirking with the underlying innuendo, Yaten could not refrain from chortling at Seiya, despite how cold he felt. His own hands were buried in his thick sealskin grey jacket pockets, so that Yaten looked more like a cute, frosted frozen ice pop with his nose all red from being out in cold so long as he shivered inwardly and out.
Ami kindly offers the sleek, style-sensitive singer and arranger of the Three Lights a cup of hot cocoa, coffee or tea as she brings in a tray from the lobby, to which the refined lad chooses the classier beverage of 'earl grey'.
"Hey~y! At least I can handle the cold like a man!" The dark navy blue ponytailed young man retorts, obviously in fine health from the volume of his vigor as he grabs a mug of the more 'manly', black java fare.
"Thank you, Miss. We are all indebted for your kindnesses." Gentlemanly bowing Taiki was the smooth-talking brother, as he smiles in gratitude to Ami for his thankless brethren, and then at a blushing Makoto when she hands him a mug of specially brewed mocha, as well. For Taiki truly was the most adult of the trio, he actually not minding spending time with these sweet girls.
"Since the roads are still blocked, the lodge has decided to have the guests staying to help out with the cooking and decorating if we want, to give their Christmas Eve party a real, homey feel! You guys want in tonight? Makoto, you know I didn't get much of that cake of yours yesterday. So you owe me some cooking–and eating—lessons!" Rushing into the room, Minako explains in excitement as she comes back from chatting with that cute guy at the desk. Frowning Artemis leaps off her shoulder to the couch where Luna had been nuzzling against Yaten, 'to help the poor boy warm up'.
"Sounds good to me!" Makoto enjoyed cooking almost as much as others enjoyed eating what she made.
"Yes, it'll be fun I think!" Ami's sweet voice nods in agreement.
"Let's get changed, then! Christmas Eve is flying by!" Rei nudges Usagi who was still standing next to Seiya.
"Great!" Usagi smiles, too, her spirit brightening around her friends.
"Hey, Bunhead? Were you really worried about me?" Seiya suddenly grabs hold of Usagi's arm stopping her as she turns to follow Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako, his eyes begging for an answer.
"Maybe." Usagi always avoided giving Seiya a straight answer on her true feelings for him, and this time was no different, as her eyes avoided his. But Seiya was in a festive mood.
"I'm glad." He smiles that gorgeous smile for Usagi, and for once she doesn't avoid his handsome, Kouy-eyed blue gaze. Rei had to back track and pull her ditzy blonde friend away from the dangerous wolf giving her a thumbs-up grin. As soon as the five girls disappear in the elevator, he claps his hands together, fire in his passionate eyes thay were ready to party tonight.
"All right! You guys ready to put some rock into these "Jingle Bells"?" Seiya had a winning way about him, outgoing and exciting, that made his good as gold, older brother Taiki chuckle, and sulky, silky silver haired brother Yaten sigh in frustration.
"Here we go again…" Yaten's frown follows Seiya and Taiki all the way up to their hotel suite.
Back in the Love Mountain Resort, that evening...
"I Saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus
Underneath the mistletoe last night."
All around the Love Mountain Resort, Christmas tunes echo. Minako's buoyant voice and Makoto's strong one leading the chorus of visitors joining in like a family, all cooking and decorating and baking together. Minako soon pops in the kitchen from her own noisy "fa-la-la-la-ing" and she wriggles off a piece of the roasting turkey in the oven that Makoto was just checking if it is done or not. Impetuous Minako, as a result, burns both her fingers and her tongue.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" Her squeals could be heard in the hotel's starting to bustle lobby.
"Okay, I'm ready in here!" Rei's voice calls out from the dining rooms, having lit endless rows of red and green candles on the long tables.
"Turkey's finished, everyone! Bread's just about done, too!" Makoto calls back, the heartening scent of delicious hot baked bread and rolls crackling in the oven fills the hotel as everyone works together to set out the dinner.
"Can I help, Mako-chan? Can I?" By now, Usagi was full swing into the Christmas spirit as she forgets all her worries. She had been busy doing the only thing Rei had deemed her capable enough to do-shredding lettuce and cutting up tomatoes and other veg for the big salad bowl. Usagi had even done that in her own way, with the chopped tomatoes in happy face shapes, one eye winking on each. "Please, Makoto! Let me take that." Usagi was vibrant in her new, vivid yellow apron just purchased.
I borrowed money for it from Ami-chan, hee hee, Mamo-chan….
The apron had been in the hotel gift shop window, and Usagi had been dying to try it on, if just for this occasion. She donned it so proudly, that Makoto couldn't help but smile, as she also wore a chef's hat and jacket that the kind hotel chef had let her borrow.
Makoto holds her breath when Usagi gets right into the spirit and grabs hold of the big turkey tray.
"I…guess, Usagi-chan. Sure you can handle it? It's pretty heavy…" Makoto almost changes her mind at the wisdom of letting her klutzy friend be in charge of carrying the fully dressed Christmas bird out to the table. But Usagi looked so eager.
"Uh huh!" Usagi doesn't show her uncertainty, as the heavy turkey tray wobbles only slightly while she carried it out into the dining hall.
"All right." Makoto smiles with a sigh as she lifts the fully decorated by many helping hands three layered cake and carries it out to the table that Minako, Ami and other women had set out beautifully in sprays of fresh red poinsettias adorning the tablecloths.
"Looks great, gang!" Makoto compliments everyone's work in making the place a Christmas wonderland.
"The champagne is perfectly chilled." Ami holds the cold bottle to her cheek.
"Oh my gosh! You let Usagi carry the turkey out!? Are you nuts, Makoto!?" Christmas Eve did not dampen Rei's sharp tongue.
"Nyah, nyah, Rei. I made it!" Usagi sticks out her tongue, which was bright purple from eating all the strawberries and blueberries meant for decorating the cakes, as she triumphantly takes her place at the table. See, I am mature now. She proudly thinks, just about to set the bird down into its place of honor.
"Ooh, Mako-chan's cake and roast turkey, too! Which one? Which one?!" Minako comes pushing in, shoving Makoto aside and almost knocking her chef hat right into the salad. Having had one apple cider too many, the holiday giddy girl then decides to swipe another piece of perfectly browned turkey skin from Usagi's tray when—
"HO HO HO! Merry Christmas!" Everyone turns around to where one super skinny Santa Claus comes bounding through the door. The red velvet hat donning, fluffy white bearded lights gent up all the girls eyes when they see the huge bag full of presents and goodies that he was hefting heavily over his red velvet shoulder.
"San-ta!" So excited by the sight of the jolly old saint Minako, Rei, Ami and Usagi had been talking and singing and showing pictures of to her for days, ChibiChibi gets all tangled up in the tablecloth's decorative ribbons as she goes to run to him. Usagi and Minako at the moment were both connected to the turkey, and get knocked off balance by Makoto who was trying to hold the cake on the table after ChibiChibi almost pulled the cloth right out from under in her enthusiastic running...
"I think this dinner looks far too delicious to end up on the floor, Ladies." Gallant Taiki's deep voice speaks from out of no where as he heroically holds both Usagi and Minako from pitching forward with the humongous, over thirty pound bird. Quick and sleek as any magician, Yaten takes firm hold of the departing tablecloth and steadies the teetering cake on the other side of the group as Ami hurriedly untangles ChibiChibi from the ribbons.
"Taiki-san, you're wonderful!" Minako, sings happy to be in Taiki Kou's strong arms almost as much as she was to see the yummy holiday edibles saved and securely placed on the table.
"Santa!" Though grateful for the rescue, Usagi and ChibiChibi were more interested in getting to the nowcrookedly white bearded man still standing in the doorway. Never losing her childhood innocence,, Usagi drools over the sight of Santa Claus almost as much—no, probably more—than baby ChibiChibi.
"Wait for me!"
Taiki-san, turkey, Santa….Taiki-san, turkey, Santa-ojisan….oooooooh!
Santa wins out over all the tasty treats, apparently, as Minako races from her nice spot in Taiki's arms to where Usagi and ChibiChibi were going to beat her to the head honcho, master elf full of presents himself.
"I've been a good girl all year and so has ChibiChibi-chan, Santa." Usagi states, rattling off her list of who's been naughty and nice for this skinny Santa to hear. "And so has Makoto and Minako and Ami, and….I guess even Rei-chan, too. So you might as well give her a present, too." Usagi could feel Rei's stuck-out tongue from somewhere behind her, but to Santa of all people, Usagi must be absolutely truthful.
"Have you really been a good girl, Bunhead?" The smooth, crystalline voice could not be disguised, nor the laughing, star-bright, deep blue eyes answering at her innocent sweetness. Usagi purses her lips when she realizes just who this Santa impersonator was.
"You're not Santa Claus!" Usagi declares with a pout, hoping still somewhere deep inside her childlike soul that there was a real jolly old St. Nick, who would really come on Christmas Eve to all the good girls and boys around the world, by magic.
And with those words at Seiya, she rips the beard and wig and jaunty Santa hat from Seiya's dark, youthful head. His black curls falls onto his forehead messily, the tied and scrunched up four foot long ponytail unraveling down his guilty-as-charged back.
"But I fooled you for a minute, huh?" He giggles in that boyish way as Minako rips the sack of presents from his back. She for one, having more than a suspicion of the rock star phony Santa, was more interested in the present aspect than in the existence of the old elf anyway. She tears it open, expecting all kinds of gifts and presents and yummy treats that she, spying earlier, saw Seiya buy in the gift shop.
But instead, almost fittingly deserving, the greedy gal finds the heavy satchel filled to the brim with red and green beans.
"BEANS!?" Minako demands the iniquities of life in a high-pitched incredulous screech.
"Hey! Don't knock them! They're not just any beans. They're special, imported beans, just this morning arrived! The guy at the store said so." Gullible to many a sales pitch in his zest to believe, Seiya begins to explain what he thought at the time to be an exciting find and a lot of fun, too.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Minako starts screaming as the bag of beans begin to all move, taking on a life of their own. She throws down the sack, surprised by the eerily buggy movement of the decorated red and green Christmas beans, as they spill out onto the floor and begin to dance, dance, dance quite festively.
Shake! Rattle! Roll!
These special Christmas colored Mexican jumping beans bounce all over the hardwood floors.
"Hee hee hee hee!" ChibiChibi starts giggling when she watches the happy beans dance all over the floor. She in her velvet dress, join in on their hopping up and down to the Christmas music currently now playing, just happening to be "Feliz Navidad" in the background.
Everyone begins to laugh at the sight of the little girl amongst the red and green beans all dancing to the happy Spanish flavored tune, each person around clapping at her festive display.
"What happened to all those cakes and treats I saw you getting from the gift shop, huh?" Minako, her mouth still watering at what she thought was intended as delicious gifts for her and her friends from the generous rock stars, demandingly looks at the rascal playing games with her stomach.
"Oh, those special Christmas chocolates and cookies direct from Switzerland? Yaten ate most of them. I only had a few." Santa Seiya points the blame of the missing, empty cartons of chocolates and sweets on his smaller brother. Mild minty eyes going livid lime, Yaten's jaw drops in anger.
"I ate them!? You were the one who pigged out on the chocolates, Seiya, until your stupid fingers were all brown with them that you messed up your guitar!" A big temper inside that slim and trim, fashionable model's slender body, Yaten Kou gets right in Seiya's noisy face with an accusing finger. His angry lips purse in shock at how Seiya could tell fibs so spontaneous smooth to cover his own guilty backside.
"I only had a couple of chocolates, Yaten! You devoured that entire box of shortcakes! Get it?! Shortcakes? Haha! I slay me! Heeheehee." Chuckling as he ribs his height challenged, argumentative sibling, Seiya never saw himself as lying, exactly. He only omitted some other parts of the truth like how many choco bonbons he had to down, right before the dinner, in search of the dark chocolate ones with nuts he really wanted.
"I'll slay you all right…Seiya, you are an assho—" Muttering threats and expletives under his breath, Yaten was on the verge of setting explosive Seiya off in a name calling bout again. Peacemaker Taiki was seeing his brothers on the point of no return, as he steps in between Yaten and his Santa suited arguing companion.
"Seiya, Yaten, please. Remember the generosity and forgiveness that the Christmas spirit is all about." Mature and sedate Taiki, though a foreigner to this world, had taken the time to learn everything he could about it—including this earth's historical traditions. His genius mind had absorbed every tidbit of information about varied subjects and this particular one called Christmas interested him to no end.
His intelligent, curious soul was intrigued in the many aspects this worldwide holiday represented. Of an unconditional Love kind of faith born again through an immaculate conception of Someone of goodness, of sacrifice, of infinite sharing and compassion offered freely to all nations, and all races of people, right across the lines. Of a hope instilled in so many who believed in a benevolent, charitable God's amazing grace to overlook and guide them away from their sins.
And though he himself was having a difficult time with belief and hopes of late, this religion built around the free gift of a Savior who endlessly blesses hearts with peace on earth was still a beautiful and pleasant, encouraging thing to behold. The least the three of them could do to observe the season was to get along with each other.
"Yeah. Yeah, Taiki-san's right. Don't you know Santa isn't supposed to be a meanie to anybody?" Usagi agrees with intelligent, thoughtful Taiki, Christmas being her favorite time of year for so many reasons. All the friendly faces and getting along with everyone was so wonderful for this soldier of friendship. She gives the white beard now back on Seiya's face a tug and its elastic slaps his chin back in the face with a smack.
"Ouch! You're definitely off the "nice" list, Bunhead!" Very un-Santa-like Seiya sticks his tongue out, his blue eyes laughing as he removes the beard and hat, expertly ditching the rest of the hot Santa outfit in a slick, second-nature quick-change.
"Enough fun for now, guys! Dinner's getting cold!" Makoto calls, nothing making her more frustrated than a slaved over meal being ignored.
"Since you naughty boys already ate all those sweets, I suppose you're too full for turkey dinner, huh?" Rei, in a persnickety mood, now that she and Ami had been stuck cleaning both messy ChibiChibi and sweeping up the hundreds of jumping beans someone had carelessly spilled on the floor, asks with a hand on her perturbed hip.
"Pass up a turkey dinner? No way! We're growing boys, don't you know?" Seiya, who was always loaded—perhaps overloaded—with frenetic energy especially when it came to chowing down, grabs Usagi's surprised hand and bounces towards Makoto and the scrumptiously beckoning turkey dinner set on the table.
Usagi, being dragged along, finds herself giggling like a schoolgirl again, with not a thought in the world other than the fun ahead. She harbored not a single care or worry being at Seiya Kou's vivacious side as he amused her endlessly the entire meal with his attentive antics and funny ways.
And that thought in itself, at the end of the joyous evening, begins to creep anxieties into Usagi Tsukino's mind.
As soon as Christmas Eve dinner was over, an impromptu party begins. However, one yellow, bun-haired girl sneaks away unawares from her friends and their festivities to an upstairs meeting room of sorts. Its still, silent vacancy and quiet loneliness was somehow calling to her aimless wanderings.
Tiptoeing to the huge glass window, Usagi gazes out, pressing her hands to the cold glass and looking out. Her face reflects back at her, with a slew of mixed emotions.
What's wrong with me? I should be downstairs having fun with the rest of my friends but…
Even upstairs, Usagi could still hear faintly the loud Christmas music being played in the party hall. She could imagine all the fun and excitement that Minako, Makoto, Ami and Rei were enjoying. Dancing and karaoke singing was being played. Usagi cocks her head with a smile when she distinctly hears Rei take center stage, crooning two more modern Christmas songs in a row, to the delight of the lodge audience.
"Last Christmas I gave you my heart
But the very next day you gave it away
This year to save me from tears
I'll give it to someone special."
From that Christmas themed pop song, Usagi could hear Rei begin to emotionally sing another, more traditional song from Hollywood's golden age:
"I'm dreaming of a White Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow..."
Her good friend Rei's voice was so pure and clear that one's heart could break at the sound of it. Especially the way Usagi was feeling, tears hiding behind her big trembling eyes when the crescendo verse where Rei sang 'May your days be merry and bright!', when the broken-hearted girl missing her boyfriend she believed may have forgotten her, could not find it within her to be either very merry or bright. But still, she didn't feel like she could belong down there with them all—not yet.
The Three Lights were there, too. The cool idol Yaten that Minako and Rei were sure to be tagging along with; sweet, gentleman Taiki that Makoto and Ami were no doubt in the company of, and fun, full of heck wild boy Seiya was down there waiting for…
"Oh, Mamo-chan! I miss you so much!" Usagi suddenly leans her forehead to the glass, ignoring the cold shooting through her body, as it trembles with sadness, loneliness…and guilt, as well.
Guilt that she was capable of having fun here with these new friends—one special one in particular—and of smiling, without him near.
"I shouldn't!" Terrible pangs of guilt that she could actually be enjoying herself without her beloved Mamo-chan gnaw at her and she closes her eyes, wishing that there wasn't such a lonely distance between them at this time, so precious to her. She wished that she and Mamo-chan could be together again.
"Shouldn't?" Like a little tape recorder, ChibiChibi's tiny voice comes out of nowhere, echoing back Usagi's last words spoken to the cold window. Although, she did not understand them, giving her blonde guardian a cock of her cute fuchsia head.
"ChibiChibi-chan, how did you get up here?" Usagi kneels down to where the little sprite was physically looking up at her.
"Up here?" ChibiChibi had a way of displaying that she possessed approximately zero brainpower. She never seemed to comprehend many more words than a two-year-old required and was only able to repeat them in questions.
"ChibiChibi-chan, you'd be having more fun downstairs at the Christmas party, than up here with boring old me. I'm sure I'm no fun to be with right now, all alone." Showcasing her own maturity and caring, Usagi smiles softly to her bright-eyed little charge, sighing at her own depressed state on this Christmas Eve.
"Not alone!" ChibiChibi surprises Usagi by going right up in her face and shaking her little head so hard and with such conviction that her tiny curls swish about. Her fuchsia eyebrows were set and determined to prove something which her limited language skills could not to Usagi.
"I'm not alone?"
Repeating the words in a daze, Usagi was always shocked at how easily she could pick up what this clear-eyed little angel was trying to tell her. She found this tiny little mite comforting in such sweet wisdom.
"You're right, ChibiChibi-chan. I'm not alone, am I?" Usagi whispers, the tears forming in her eyes from before fading away as she hugs ChibiChibi tightly. A smile creeps to Usagi's lips, just thinking of Makoto's trust in her, of Minako's funny jokes, of Ami's sweet smile and even of Rei's bossiness that had all made her push aside her sadness this Christmas Eve. You guys really are the best.
She then thought of Haruka-san's caress to her cheek, Michiru-san's soft giggles filling her ears this morning. Dear, dear friends to my heart. Even those who aren't here. She buries her eyes in ChibiChibi's magenta curls, as fond memories flash through her mind.
Hotaru-chan's pretty little face, Setsuna-san's gentle voice, Dad's kind words, Mom's tender advice, even Shingo's…well, she couldn't think of something good about Shingo right off, but she still missed him this family holiday. Usagi even felt pangs of missing ChibiUsa's big mouth and…
…Mamo-chan's warm arms…
...Mamo-chan…
Usagi's promise ring left hand slides a metallic sound along the cold glass, when suddenly she stops frozen still with a soft gasp.
She starts praying that somehow the image she saw reflecting of her handsome Mamoru striding up to stand behind her was indeed real this time. That he had returned to Japan from his college in America for the Christmas holiday and had sensed she was not only at this Love Mountain Resort on a detour from her grandparents' house up this way, but he also felt her so sad that he rushed up here to be with her on the Christmas Eve. So she wouldn't feel this guilt of having fun without him.
Seen through her mind's hopeful eye in the window's reflection was a handsome man with deep blue eyes, dark hair and a warm smile, standing behind her in the soft flash of red satin, all her senses telling her every Christmas wish was about to come true. Here and now.
So, Usagi spins around, with pure joy and anticipating love glowing in her ecstatic smile to be reunited with her beloved Mamo-chan for Christmas—
"You been hiding from me, Bunhead? The party downstairs is dull without you, you know?" But instead, a silky smooth voice enters the dark, silent room with such soft tenderness that Usagi was not at all startled by it. In fact, she was pleased to hear Seiya Kou's velvet, compassionate strains, even as she tries to cover her disappointment that he wasn't who she believed.
"No, Seiya. I'm not hiding. Just missing my family, that's all." Usagi stands, trying to wipe the inescapable tears from her sad eyes and look into Seiya's with a forced smile. "My family…" But quickly, she had to turn and gaze out the window again, trying to hide the tears that she just couldn't stop, despite her best efforts.
Yes, it was true, she missed her parents and even her little brother Shingo on this Christmas Eve. They had spent every Christmas together as a close-knit group, every year for as far as this sixteen-year-old could remember. But at least she was comforted by the thought that she would certainly see them tomorrow. In that phone call Taiki suggested she make to her grandmother's was so nice to hear all of their voices, Each one wished her a Merry Christmas Eve and spoke to her as if they were not separated at all. They were such a good family to her.
It wasn't the thought of her present family's absence that brought tears back to her eyes as she stared out the window at the dark night, hoping to glimpse the actual owner of the black and red caped tuxedo of her dreams. It was the idea of not spending this important day with the man who represented her future family…
"Hey, Bunhead. He wouldn't want you to cry on Christmas Eve…would he?" Seiya sincerely asks, he, for one, would do anything to keep this shining light from tears on this supposedly joyful holiday.
Beyond that he was Bunhead's boyfriend who had left her high and dry for months on end, Seiya had no idea who this Mamoru Chiba she eternally spoke so fondly of really was. He didn't know what kind of man could leave such a special creature to go off and do something so unimportant as studying abroad. It made him angry to see her so sad, bringing out this Fighter's protective side, too.
How could anyone do anything to make those beautiful clear blue eyes cry?
Shaking her head in answer to his question, Usagi turns to the hand on her shoulder to recognize there was another man with deep blue eyes, dark hair and a warm smile reaching out to teach her that there was no such thing for a loving soul to be alone.
First, ChibiChibi-chan, and now you, Seiya.
That's right, Mamoru wouldn't want her to cry or miss out on anything—he was with her inside her heart, inside her soul, wherever he was, even right at this moment, enjoying Christmas Eve with her in spirit, just like ChibiChibi and Seiya were saying.
"You're right, Seiya. I just miss him so." Usagi found she could tell this boy she had only recently just met about anything, even things she couldn't share with anyone else. Just because we're friends. Mamo-chan would want me to have such a good friend who makes me smile and feel strong. Usagi finds herself truly smiling up to Seiya now.
"'Absence makes the heart grow fonder', I have read." Tall Taiki Kou's deep voice enters the room with the uplifting, fitting quote.
"Taiki, you've always got your nose buried in a book. Seiya, are you ready to perform?" Grumpy Yaten Kou lifts his half keyboard, half guitar keytar from the corner of the music room, motioning to the door, for the three of them to perform downstairs at the party, as Seiya had offered to for the girls before.
I don't know why, don't we sing enough on stage for girls? Oh well, at least I managed to get Seiya to try on his new well-dressed outfit I chose for us that he's been avoiding…
"Never mind that. Let's just jam here instead." Seiya, his eyes never leaving Usagi's, grabs hold of the bright red electric guitar leaning against the wall of this otherwise empty hall that matched his vibrant crimson pants. He looked quite trendy wearing a light red (don't anyone dare say pink or I'll kill Yaten for buying these girly outfits!) ruffled shirt that their most stylish brother Yaten had selected for the trio to wear this night. Taiki wore the same attractive fashion, in orange trousers and white poet shirt, while Yaten was decked out in chic light minty green frills and aqua slacks.
"Here? But…" Yaten wasn't one to let Seiya have his way without an argument. "Why?"
"Because I feel like it. And your keyboarding could sure use the practice, Yaten." Seiya smirks at his whiny brother.
"You are so annoying, Seiya." Yaten grumbles, taking a seat on the hardwood floor with his keytar as he leans against the window. Yaten knew it was just a waste of breath to argue with Seiya when it came to anything about music and singing. Seiya had the most pig headed way of doing whatever he wanted on the subject.
"I think it is an excellent idea." Taiki smiles down in understanding and a bit of almost paternal pride in wild, thoughtless Seiya's compassion towards this sweet girl. "May we have the honor to invite you to be the sole audience of our first, impromptu Christmas concert performance, Miss Tsukino, if you'd be so kind." His mild purple eyes offer with utmost gentility in his lofty words that mad Usagi feel very special indeed.
"Okay! Sounds like fun, ChibiChibi-chan! Front row seats to a Three Lights' concert! Heeheehee!" Laughing as the little girl coos in happiness when tuning guitar music starts to play, Usagi takes ChibiChibi and the two of them sit in the center of the window seat ledge.
"Here you go! You can join in, Bunhead. ChibiChibi too." Seiya scoops up a triangle from the hotel's montage of musical instruments in this practice ball room and sticks one in Usagi's hand, the other in an intrigued Chibi's. Then he agilely hops over Yaten's head and takes the open seat left in the window next to Usagi. He leans against the side, and snakes one long, wiry leg behind the two girls, propping the other up in a casual position. He exuded such confidence and when it came to music.
But perfect, smooth voiced, natural performer Seiya Kou had a reason to be so overconfident.
With the first pluck of the electric guitar, Seiya lights excitement in the empty room. He never held anything back, for the whole world was one big stage. Particularly for these three shining stars, whose hearts were full of such beautiful music, born of love for someone dear and their Creator's gift of song instilled within their shining souls.
Yaten's keyboarding—no practice required really—added class to the fun time beat Seiya's lead guitar was strumming out. He proved there was music in his soul too, as Taiki's tambourine backed the trio up all the while, keeping perfect rhythm with the pair of them. He for one, always let his two, oft warring, siblings take the spotlight, just pleased enough to stand in the background behind them, shining his own bright light of contentment.
"Come on, Bunhead, you, too!" Seiya eggs Usagi on as ChibiChibi, eager to get in the spirit with all the loud, happy music around her, grabs hold of the triangle stick, banging and binging at the triangle in Usagi's hand. Usagi giggles at the silly way her little partner was trying to keep in time with the music the professional musician boys were making.
"Me?" What can I do—?" Usagi points to her own musically un-inclined self, wondering what Seiya could even imagine she could do, guitars and keyboards and such instrumentation completely beyond her.
"Sing!" Seiya laughs out loud at the girl's quizzical face, while not missing a single beat of his own music, so in tune with it was he.
"Sing!? Me!? What?! I don't know the words!" She tries to cop out, but Seiya was doggedly determined, never taking 'no' for an answer, if he could do anything about it.
"Just make some up as you go!" Seiya cries above his electric guitar's excited strings. Usagi couldn't believe how such a famed, proficient rock star could want to hear her voice sing some made up lyrics.
"Sing what you feel inside. It's what we do." Yaten finds himself surprised to say. After he speaks, something about glancing over to where Usagi was sitting with that child, warmed his heart to be kind, at least for one night.
"Yes, I believe you have more than enough heart to do it. Improvise." Taiki, standing to the other side of her, tambourine in hand, looks down with a supportive smile.
"Go on, Bunhead! Whatever pops in your head right now! Sing it out! It feels good to let your inner imagination fly, believe me." Seiya adds with just the tiniest, last bit of pressure. Ensconced in the beat of their festive themed music building all around her, Usagi just gives in and laughs at all their encouragement. Then she looks out the window for inspiration, her eyes entranced at the dark indigo colored sky.
"Blueberries coloring!
The skies we wait for him to come!"
She belts out in her loudest voice, indeed finding that it did 'feel good' to sing with no restraints. She felt not a bit embarrassed amongst these friends as she usually would around boys. Because they were no longer just "boys" to her. They were becoming dear, dear friends.
Usagi almost laughs at her own made-up lyrics she felt in her heart as she continues to 'improvise', as the Three Lights had advised. Visions of a red sleigh and reindeers appearing from those blueberry colored skies made her feel light and happy inside, at the chance to be a young girl again, with not a care in the world and good friends to have fun with.
"Since the beginning stars were twinkling towards each other
Waiting and longing for this Eve!"
Four more friendly voices from out of nowhere enter into the happy song. Usagi waves to Rei, Makoto, Minako and Ami to join in the fun, impromptu sing along on this merry, starry Christmas Eve.
"Oh Mr. Moon, don't you look?
Like a super big yummy cake!"
Usagi belts out her funny lines, causing everyone to laugh, with extra joy that she was truly smiling again. The six girls join in with the three boys' enthusiasm, all laughing the moments of the night as they fly by, filled with music and song, of caroling and fun times. Every single one of them, even usually irritable Yaten and crabby Rei, had Christmas spirit touching their hearts, too.
The young group have a grand time together, teasing and singing, playing along with the Three Lights, just as they would any lifelong friends. The three entirely foreign boys find Christmas time on this green star to be quite enjoyable, making them feel their mission here might still have hope. It was more and more possible that their Princess would choose this bright planet amongst countless others to come and hide within its radiance and light.
Together making Christmas Eve special, each one of their celestial bound souls fill with promise as the happy night draws to a close.
"I had fun, Bunhead," Seiya says, putting back up on the wall rack his borrowed electric guitar, which had seen much use tonight, as the practice had stretched deep into the night. They never got a chance to perform downstairs for the guests. But that didn't matter, they all had fun here.
And Seiya could feel Usagi needed a little more of his kind of fun and joy than the sadness that guy left her with on this holy night.
"So did I. Thank you, Seiya." Her hands were full of ChibiChibi, as she smiles across the way to the dark haired boy while the other girls start filing out.
"For what? You were the life of the party with your song…and your shine, Bunhead." Seiya gives a wink and a smile back to her in his winning, more honest than flirty way.
"Me? Heeheehee. Merry Christmas, Seiya." Usagi shakes her chuckling head at the charm he wasted on her. She went off to where the other girls were waiting with her coat to go to Christmas Eve services at the local little chapel Makoto had found for a midnight Mass.
"Merry Christmas, Bunhead. Keep that light of yours shining all year 'round for me, okay?" Seiya says, unknowing that 'some other jerk' else had said something very similar to her this very day, making Usagi smile at the comparison of the two most unlikely sources thinking essentially the same way.
"I will try, Seiya." She whispers to the dark-haired young man in response as he passes by her to place the keytar Yaten had left on the windowsill on the shelf.
"You had better, Bunhead. You know I can't stand people who give up!" Seiya winks back with his contagious smile.
"Merry Christmas, Tsukino-san." A handsome Taiki comes up from cleaning up the rest of the mess—that ChibiChibi had mostly made—in the empty ballroom. A pleasantly smiling (wow) Yaten was right behind him, nodding the sentiment with a thumbs up, with unusual warmth towards Usagi for the surprisingly enjoyable evening they had shared.
"Merry Christmas, you three! She smiles with a wave goodbye to all Three Lights, as Rei, who had stayed behind for Usagi, relieves her of ChibiChibi, laying the child down for a night of sugar plum fairy visions.
The five girls then return to their rooms to struggle into their coats and warmer wear in order to go out once again for a trek down to the village church.
They all revel in the pristine snow and brilliant moonlit night as they walked arm in arm together to the cute little chapel on the outskirts of the town.
"Wait a minute." Usagi whispers, feeling she had to whisper on a night like this in the utter darkness, save for her own inner light and the stars above.
"What is it, Usagi-chan?" Minako asks with a smile. The five of them stop just before entering the church.
"Usagi-chan?" Ami asks again, seeing her friend silently gazing up to the moon. But the smile frosting over Usagi's sweet lips was answer enough.
Rei and Makoto, also stop to look up to the huge celestial body that so ruled over their friend's life, watching over her as it spun around and around in its own silvery white dress of glass.
"I just want to tell you guys how much you mean to me. You're the best Christmas presents God could have given me. I love you all so much." A few sincere words, a caring smile, a crystal clear look in those eyes—that was all the other four Sailor Guardians could ever need or want.
Their precious Moon Princess was the truest gift of love to them all. too.
"Usagi!" Lost in a big group hug, Usagi's eyes fill with tears of joy to have met these people in her life, not once, not twice, but for all time and to treasure such friendship for those who shared this incredible story with her. To have the gift of this moonlit destiny she had miraculously been granted with so much enduring strength to have rediscovered the love of her life—
For, wherever he was under the moon, he was no further from her right now than her own heart, tonight.
"Thank you, Baby Jesus, for coming to us. Thank you for the hope and peace promised. And the love You've given me to share with so many others. Happy Birthday, too." This child of light whispers with gratitude and peace in her soul to the truest Child, One who brought Light to a dark world a thousand years before the ancient Silver Millennium even existed.
"Merry Christmas, everyone in the universe! Merry Christmas!" Usagi's joyful voice rings throughout the countryside just outside the small chapel, making all in hearing range smile at her innocent sparkle that could light up the world.
"Ave Maria
Waga kimi
No no wate ni nag kou
Otome ga ii nori bo
Awa reto ki ka sa tamae"
Mimoto ni yasurakeku
Iko washimetamae
Na yameru kono kokoro
Kimi ni negimatsuru
Ave Maria."
As the holy hymn emanates from the chapel choir. Makoto beautifully lends her deep vocals to the timeless composition as the friends walk arm in arm into the church, while Christmas hymns echo throughout the hearts of Usagi Tsukino and her companions.
Wherever you are, like the moonlight that connects us, I'm with you…Merry Christmas, Mamo-chan…I love you…
And with these final thoughts of sweet pure love, of kindness and warmth, and of a peace on earth shined on by the Christ-child's Light of the World, Usagi's mind glazes over. Her heart, her soul, her entire chosen being bathes in the quiet reflection of His everlasting goodness and undying hope for endless tomorrows, as a special Star twinkles from Heaven above down upon them again this night…
…to someday forever shine…Eternal…
Merry Merry Christmas, dear Sailor Moonies!
May that same selfless gift of Baby Jesus shine His neverending Light of childlike joy to your heart too, now and always! Merry Christmas, dear friends!
We hope you enjoyed our cherished Sailor Stars movie – 'Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Stars Merry Christmas' tale, updated in this, its 25th Anniversary year since it was written. It featured not only Sailor Moon and the Sailor Guardians, but also the Three Lights, Chibi Chibi Moon, Lead Crow, Aluminum Siren and Galaxia herself (as well as her shadow 'Buttress' who was inspired from the Seramyu Eien Densetsu) based on 'A Sailor Moon Christmas" album and artwork, inspiring scenes and music playing throughout this short story movie!
We would really love to hear your reviews on this Christmas story ^0*, otomodachi (friends). And please share with us your favorite parts and how Sailor Moon's Light has touched your world over these wonderful decades together with our favorite superheroines and Starlight soldiers, finding romance and adventure and friendship and most of all, cosmic Moon magic.
It continues on in our full-length novel "Sailor Moon Eternal" 6th season story, almost complete, starring the Starlights and the Outer Guardians in destined romances of their own! Please check it out!
God bless you & yours this Christmas season where we share in Jesus' generous Love, given freely to all.
Thank you for all your support and friendship and love over the years! We'd truly appreciate hearing your reviews on our tale! Talking to dear new friends is a wonderful Christmas present the Lord blesses us with!
"STARLIGHT HONEYMOON THERAPY KISS!"
MERRY CHRISTMAS! May Jesus' grace and goodness be with you all year round!
And as Tiny Tim said: 'God Bless Us, Everyone!'
~ HarukaKou
'For unto us is born this day, a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord."
