Usagi sat at the table eating the chocolate cake her mom had made and thought to herself for a moment, thinking of many different things. Dead Moon Circus, what were they after? Helios, who was he really, and why hadn't he appeared lately? Frankly, Usagi didn't mind much that he wasn't appearing because she was still miffed he kissed her, but it was strange because Helios had needed her help, and now he didn't appear to her at all.
Usagi picked up her empty plate, stood up, and placed it in the sink before she walked back over to the table and, picked up two bags and a bento off the table and, made her way to the genkan, and slipped the slippers she was wearing off, and put on her shoes. "Usagi, where are you going?" Usagi heard her mom ask, and she turned to see her mom standing in the hallway, looking at her.
Usagi smiled, "Remember that friend I told you that was sick? I'm going to go visit him."
_
Mamoru coughed as he sat up in bed. It was a violent cough that made his throat burn. Ever since he had gotten back from the hospital, the sickness had gotten worse. Mamoru looked over at the desk beside his bed and saw the stones of guards, and vaguely, Mamoru could feel their energy buzzing; it was like they were watching over him. Mamoru sighed; they were still watching over him, yet he could do nothing for them. Mamoru coughed again, this time more violently. After he coughed, Mamoru looked at his hand to see it splattered with black blood. Black blood? What did that mean? Mamoru did not get much time to ponder it as the doorbell rang. Mamoru forced himself out of bed and picked up a cloth to wipe the blood off his hand.
Mamoru opened the door, and his eyes widened when he saw the blonde girl with buns and pigtails and blue eyes. "Ser-Usagi, what are you doing here?" Mamoru and asked and didn't miss the way the girl in front of him suppressed a flinch. Mamoru felt bad because he had almost called her Serenity again, which was something that clearly bothered her. Nonetheless, Mamoru pulled out a pair of slippers and stepped out of the entryway to allow Ser- no, Usagi, it was Usagi inside.
"Well, you're sick, and I remember you were always bad at taking care of yourself when you were sick in our past lives. So I thought that even if we're not together anymore, I could at least bring you some medicines and a bento because you're my friend." Usagi spoke as she slipped her feet into the slippers and stepped inside the apartment. Mamoru watched as Usagi placed the plastic bags and the bento on the table.
"Usagi, thank you for thinking about me, and I'm sorry that I keep calling you Serenity. I'm sorry it's very hard for me to differentiate this life from our previous one. I feel more like Endymion than Chiba Mamoru." Mamoru spoke, and he looked at Usagi, who only smiled again,
"It's alright, I understand."
Mamoru felt guilty that she had come here just to see him, and with how sick he was, he might get her sick too, and she definitely didn't deserve to get this sickness and cough up black blood. Maybe it was best to ask her to leave. "Usagi, do you think you could leave? It's just that I don't want to get you sick too."
Mamoru watched Usagi's face carefully, and he saw no trace of hurt on her face; she just kept smiling. "Alright, if that's what you want, I'll leave. Though Mamoru, I suggest you get out of this apartment and walk around Juuban some who knows, it might help you feel better."
Mamoru watched Usagi leave feeling conflicted because he still love her, at least he thought he did, but he also wanted her to be happy. If she was happy that's all that mattered to him. Mamoru sighed, and looked at his hand where we had wiped away the black blood, and promised himself that he''d never let her see the black blood he was coughing up.
_
Usagi walked along the sidewalk; it was dark out, but it wasn't actually that late. She had just been wandering since she left Mamoru's as she hadn't felt like going home. So she was just wandering around. Usagi looked up at the sky, where she could see the moon shining so brightly in the sky. Usagi liked to look at the moon, a planet that once upon a time had been her home. However, maybe Usagi should have been looking where she was walking because Usagi vaguely registered to step into something wet. Still, she wasn't paying enough attention, and she slipped and fell backward.
Usagi, however, did not fall on the hard concrete below her; instead, she fell into a pair of arms and only looked up, not quite registering what had happened. "Our Princess really needs to pay more attention to where she's walking." A voice spoke, and Usagi blinked, finally registering what had happened. She saw that she was looking up at Haruka. Usagi blushed, and one wondered how her girlfriends always had such good timing. Usagi was about to push herself back onto her feet but was stopped when Haruka's grip on her tightened, and Haruka properly pulled her into her arms, holding her bridal style.
Usagi's blush grew, and her face was probably completely red now, "H-Haruka, I appreciate you catching me, but could you put me down?" Usagi didn't get an answer; she only heard the soft sound of laughter and saw Michiru, who had plastic bags in her hand. Michiru had stepped closer to her, reached forward, and tapped her on the nose with her free hand.
"You need to be more careful, Haruka, and I won't always be there to catch you," Michiru spoke, though she sounded amused. Usagi looked at Michiru, and now that she thinks about it, Michiru and Haruka do tend to show up a lot. This wasn't even the first time one of them had caught her when she had fallen. This was like the third time, maybe? Now that she really thought about it—it was kinda embarrassing they kept showing up whenever Usagi tripped. This, in particular, was embarrassing because she knew she was dating Haruka and Michiru, but that didn't mean she needed Haruka to catch her and hold her bridal style in the middle of the sidewalk. Someone could see! Actually, people had already seen them and probably had been glancing at them strangely.
"Alright, I'll be more careful. Can I be put down now?" Usagi spoke, and she didn't want to sound annoyed when she spoke because she actually rather liked the fact that she was in Haruka's arms, but at the same time, she didn't like it because they were in public. Like, okay, she was fine with some forms of public affection, like hand holding, hugs, and maybe a few kisses, but being held bridal style in the middle of the sidewalk where people could actively see? No, she didn't really like that.
"I suppose," Haruka spoke and slowly and gently placed her back down on the ground with a small sigh. It seemed to Usagi that Haruka hadn't wanted to put her down at all. "Do you need to go home now, kitten?" Haruka asked as she reached out and gently caressed her cheek.
Usagi nodded, "Yeah. Mom is going to get worried at this rate." Usagi heard Michiru laugh softly, and Usagi looked at her, a bit confused.
"Well, you'd better go home then, bunny. We wouldn't want you to get in trouble because then we wouldn't be able to see you. But be careful, alright." Michiru spoke before leaning forward and leaving a quick kiss on her forehead, causing Usagi to start blushing again.
"R-Right. I'll be careful." Usagi slowly started to walk away but stopped and looked back to wave. She saw that both her girlfriends waved at her in return, and Usagi smiled brightly. Though Usagi walked back home, she kind of wished she had gotten more than one kiss.
_
Makoto stumbled out of the circus tent, the girls stumbling beside her. She was dizzy, and she couldn't think straight. Her steps were uneven and wobbly, and it might look to a bystander that she might be a little too drunk. "Today, the elephant and motorcycle show was awesome!" Makoto found herself speaking, and she wasn't quite sure what she was saying. She was just so dizzy. Makoto tried shaking her head back and forth in the hopes it would help the dizziness, and it helped a little bit.
"Well, how was today's show? Are the other people who watched the show okay?" Ami asked, and Makoto found herself looking around to see if anyone else was sharing in their symptoms. But it was futile; as she looked around, she noticed nobody else seemed dizzy or confused. Instead, the people around them were laughing and talking about how they enjoyed the circus and what fun it had been. They had been coming to the Dead Moon Circus every day since it opened. They were trying to find the enemy from inside. But it was to no avail. There had been nothing the enemy hadn't appeared since the first day they had attacked Rei, and none of the circus members seemed to be able to transform.
"I wonder if they are just pretending to be a regular circus," Rei interjected, and Makoto truly wondered if that might be the case. If the incident with Rei hadn't happened, she'd really doubt the Dead Moon Circus was the enemy. Maybe they were lying low after what happened with Rei.
"I think if we're going to stop the circus, we'll have to catch them off guard," Ami spoke, and Makoto found herself agreeing. But what if they couldn't catch the circus? What if they failed?
No, they couldn't fail. They had to win. But as they exited the circus and were back in the familiar streets of Juuban, Makoto couldn't help but sigh as she looked around, "The city has gotten a lot dirtier since the circus came." She spoke, and it made her sad.
"Well, there is no helping it when the circus draws such a crowd." Rei sighed, but it seemed to Makoto that Rei had noticed and was annoyed by this fact as well.
"It'll be summer soon, and the crowds will grow even bigger. It'll be more dangerous then." Ami spoke, and Makoto knew it was true and didn't like the thought of it. Makoto looked around the city with a sigh and, for a moment, thought she saw little spots of black giggling softly. Makoto had a bad feeling.
_
Makoto wandered through the supermarket as she made her way to the checkout, lost in her own thoughts. She had been buying things to make dinner. Makoto liked cooking; it was fun and enjoyable. Makoto wondered if she would have more time to cook or bake if she wasn't a Sailor Senshi. Yeah, she probably would. Makoto thought that would be nice.
Huh, where did those thoughts come from? Of not being a Sailor Senshi? Makoto liked being a Sailor Senshi, and furthermore it was her duty, and she couldn't just abandon her duty. She couldn't just stop serving and protecting her Princess, and it was her job. She didn't want to, and yet Makoto if she could ever accomplish any of her dreams while being a Sailor Senshi. Strangely, Makoto didn't think she could, and she didn't like that. What was her dream anyway? Makoto was unsure. She had so many dreams, so which one was her real dream? Makoto didn't know. She truly didn't know.
Makoto went to the register and purchased her food, and she was really only going through the motions. She wasn't thinking straight because her brain was still questioning her dreams. Was she really satisfied with how she was living her life? Makoto didn't know. Makoto felt like she didn't know anything. Why didn't she know? Makoto found she couldn't answer that either. She didn't know. She didn't know anything. Ever since her parents died in a plane crash, Makoto had felt like she had been stumbling through her life. Wait no…Makoto wasn't sure that was true either. She just didn't know! She didn't know anything!
"What?! You don't have Piri Piri, Pinko Pinko, or Garana? You don't have any of those spices at all?" Makoto stopped walking and looked up when she heard someone exclaim this, and she noted that they sounded rather frustrated. She looked up and saw a man with short and wild magenta hair, and he wore a similar colored dress, talking to an employee. He looked kind of upset. Makoto thought it was strange as she had never seen a man wearing a dress before, but she assumed it couldn't be too strange because Haruka sometimes wore men's clothes as a woman. So it was probably no different. But Makoto also wondered why he was looking for such exotic spices here. Spices like that were more likely to be found in the foreign market.
Makoto wondered if she should tell the man where he could find the spices and pondered it for a moment. Wondering if it would be rude because they would be basically admitting she had overheard the conversation. But at the same time, she would feel bad if the man couldn't find the spices he needed. Makoto looked at the man again and noticed he was leaving. She also noticed he had a heart-shaped purse, and Makoto thought it was rather cute. Makoto knew she had to make a decision now and shook her head, finally deciding she'd tell the man where he could find the spices.
Makoto quickly chased after the man and caught up with him before he left the store, thankfully. "Um, excuse me if you're looking for exotic spices like that. You should check the foreigners market!" Makoto finally spoke, a smile on her face. Makoto watched as the man turned and smiled at her, and Makoto assumed she hadn't made him mad because he was smiling.
"Oh! You're too kind!" The man spoke, and Makoto felt her confidence rising, and the thoughts of her doubts and the thoughts of her insecurities about her life and dreams were pushed back of her mind.
"I'm positive you can find them at the other market! Would you like to walk there with me, and we can see?" Makoto offered, feeling as if it was a good thing to do. The man smiled at her and laughed a bit.
"Again, you are too kind. But I was just doing some market research! For my herb shop!" The man spoke, and Makoto blinked, her curiosity piquing at the mention of a herb shop. That shoulder was like the kind of store she'd like. But it also reminded Makoto of her dreams and how she would likely never accomplish them. No, Makoto, don't think those things right now. Is what she told herself. But it was hard not to.
"A herb shop?" Makoto questioned before she had ever registered she had spoken, and the man laughed once more.
"Yes, I run a herb shop. I only just opened it! Would you like to see it?"
_
Makoto stared and was in awe at the number of spices on display at the man's shop, and her mind immediately thought about all the yummy food she could make with all these herbs. She could probably make so many delicious new recipes. "This…is very impressive. You must be attracting a lot of customers!" Makoto spoke, reluctantly tearing her eyes away from the rows of spices and towards the man once more.
The man laughed, "Actually, I only opened today! You're my second customer! You see, I'm doing some market research to see if anyone else sells spices from Amazon! See, I'm part of the traveling circus group and opened this shop as a side gig!" The man spoke with a friendly smile. But Makoto's heart stopped before starting to race at the mention of the circus. Could this man be an emeny? He was so nice, though. Makoto didn't want it to be true. Not a nice and sweet guy like this. Makoto had to be careful now that she knew this man was from the circus. No matter how nice he seemed, Makoto couldn't let her guard down. Deep down, Makoto hated the fact that she had to think like this.
"You're a member of the circus?" Makoto asked slowly, feeling nervous all of a sudden. The man only continued to smile. He seemed so friendly. How could he be an enemy?
"Yes, I'm a member, but it's been my dream to open a shop like this! Ever since I was little! But since the circus has to travel, it's my dream to open shops like this all over the world." The man said, and Makoto felt conflicted because she had similar dreams, too. Should she speak and tell this man about her dreams? Maybe he would understand, but shouldn't she be careful, he could be an enemy. This could be a trap. Maybe it was alright to speak about her dreams with this man; it's not like the enemy could trap her by simply knowing her dreams. She was stronger than that.
Yeah, it probably wouldn't be an issue if she mentioned her dreams. It's too simple for the enemy to be able to rap her just knowing her silly childhood dreams. But were they really silly? No, it would be fine. It would be fine. Yeah, it would definitely be fine. "My…dream ever since I was little is to own a shop too. Maybe a florist or a cake shop. Or maybe both." Makoto finally spoke, reassuring herself it was fine to tell this man this information. It was fine. It was fine. It was fine. It was definitely fine for him to man to know.
Makoto watched as the man's smile widened brightly. He clasped his hands and brought them close to his cheek. "Oh! That's a wonderful dream, and since you've had it since you were little, you definitely have to make it come true! I'm sure you will!" Makoto smiled and blushed at his words; nobody had ever complimented her dreams like that before. Yeah, she would make her dreams come true! She could do it! She'd do it despite being a Senshi! At least, she thought she would….
Makoto watched as the man walked behind the counter. It looked like he was grabbing something, and she was curious as to what he was getting. Makoto watched him carefully just in case, but in reality, she had already let her guard down. The man walked back towards her and grabbed her hand, and Makoto felt him place something in it. Makoto looked down to see a golden ring with a blue gem. Makoto's eyes widened; this was really a beautiful ring!
"Wow, what a beautiful ring!" Makoto spoke, the words falling out of her mouth without her realizing it at first. The man laughed, and Makoto looked back up at him. He was smiling like he had been the entirety of their interaction. This man was truly friendly.
"It's an Amazonian charm! It's makes dreams come true! Take it as a thanks for being my second customer!" The man said, and Makoto nodded her head slowly.
_
Makoto sprinkled basil on top of a salad slowly and stopped for a moment, looking down at the ring on her finger on her spare hand. It was the ring the shop owner had given her. Makoto thought that man had been kind. He seemed like a truly kind and sincere person. Makoto smiled as she looked down at the ring. It was a beautiful ring, and it was sparkling in the light. Wearing this ring, Makoto really felt like she could accomplish all of her dreams. This ring was a charm that made dreams come true, and now Makoto was sure she could do it. She could hear the shop owner's voice in her head telling her she had to make the dream she had since she was little come true.
Makoto had lost her parents in a plane crash when she was little. Ever since then, she had been alone and afraid. Afraid that she would die the same way her parents had. She had been very young and small, and she had been alone. Makoto wanted to get married young and start a family. That was a dream she had, but she also wanted to own a cake or floral shop owner. Or maybe even both. She wanted to build a home for herself, too.
But she also found she wanted to be like Michiru and Haruka. Strong and brave like Haruka, not only in the physical sense but emotionally too. She wanted to be kind, beautiful, and elegant like Michiru was. But those dreams were a secret, though. She'd never tell anyone about them. She had so many dreams—more than she could even count.
But Makoto wondered if she could really make them all come true. Had she even been trying her hardest to make them come true? Makoto thought and finally decided she hadn't. She could definitely try harder to make her dreams come true. If she did, would her dreams actually come true?
_
Mamoru sat on his bed and stared at the ring the shop owner at the new spice shop had given him. He didn't like it this ring, that shop, or its owner; something about it felt wrong. He had only ended up there because she had decided to take Usagi's advice about taking a walk to feel better. It hadn't helped, and he entered the shop out of curiosity. But when he had his chest, it started to hurt.
Mamoru sighed and crushed the gem on the ring in between his fingers before placing it on the table by his bedside and lying back down in bed.
_
The smell of tea wafted through the spice shop, and Makoto found herself sitting down at a round table, a cup of tea in front of her, and across from her on the other side of the table sat the man, the owner of the spice shop. Makoto fidgeted with her hands, and she found that she wasn't exactly sure why she had come here. She was nervous. Why did she come here? "So? Have you been working hard to accomplish your dreams? Since the last time we talked?" The man asked, and Makoto's head dropped, her eyes falling towards her hands that were fidgeting in her lap. Makoto let out a shaky sigh,
"I haven't told my friends this, but I have a lot of dreams." Makoto started, and she really didn't know. She didn't know. She didn't know if she wanted to or should continue being a Sailor Senshi. She had always kept fighting as a Sailor Senshi no matter what, but if it was only just endless fighting, why was she even doing it? She had always kept being a Sailor Senshi as part of her dream, but maybe that was always so nobody could find out about how she felt about it, really. Wait what? Why…why was she thinking this? Makoto felt her stomach roll before she spoke again, "The path I'm following now is not the one that will accomplish my dreams. I need to be on a different path if I want to accomplish my dreams."
Wait what? What was she saying? Why was she this? Makoto didn't know. She really didn't know. "If you're unsure of yourself. Why don't you just quit?" The man spoke, and Makoto froze. Quit? Quit being a Senshi? Why would she? "Why don't you quit being a Sailor Senshi?" Makoto heard the man speak, and her head snapped up at his words just in time to see a smirk on his face.
Pain, Makoto felt pain, and suddenly she was surrounded by little black fuzzy things that were swarming all around her. Makoto looked down to see they were coming out of the ring. Makoto's heart jumped with fear, and she quickly tried to pull the ring off. But it wouldn't budge. Why couldn't she take the ring off? "Won't you join the Dead Moon Circus? Together, you and I could travel together and spread nightmares." The shop owner spoke, and Makoto saw he had a wicked smile on his face. Makoto had been tricked, hadn't she? Yes, she had. She had been foolish! Makoto body jerked with pain as she felt herself being shocked with electricity, she assumed. She couldn't think straight, and she quickly fell to the ground. Her consciousness was blearily, and as she was losing consciousness, she saw four scantily dressed women laughing, "We're going destroy the Sailor Senshi" Were all the words Makoto could make out, and Makoto felt a tear slide down her face as she lost consciousness.
Everyone…she was sorry. She was so so sorry.
_
…piter….
Jupiter!
Jupiter!
Makoto opened her eyes, and she could have sworn someone had been calling her. Where was she and she looked around at her surroundings. She wasn't in the shop anymore. What was she doing here?
This…is your conscience talking to you, Jupiter!
A voice came, and Makoto looked in the direction of the voice to see a small version of herself, Sailor Jupiter, staring at her angrily. Makoto started at the small version of herself, confused until the small version of herself moved her hand and slapped her. Huh, what just happened? Why had she been slapped by herself? Also, why did it hurt so much when her other self was so small?
You've got to pull yourself together, Jupiter! What the hell do you think you are doing, letting your enemies onto your weaknesses!
The small version of herself said, and Makoto just stared, but in her heart she could feel something burning.
Have you forgotten your mission? Without you, Jupiter, the Senshi of Strength, who will protect our Princess? Or Mars, Mercury, or Venus. Hell, you're even supposed to protect the people of this city!
Makoto blinked; that was right. She was Jupiter, the Senshi of Strength, gifted with superhuman strength to protect her Princess and companions. Even if she had a lot of dreams, her first dream had always been to protect her Princess and those she cared about! That was her mission because she was Sailor Jupiter!
Makoto watched as the anger on the smaller self's face faded, and she smiled, and Makoto watched a glowing green crystal appeared and floated over to her.
Princess Jupiter, this is your Sailor Crystal, the Jupiter Crystal. I am your conscience, and I will always guard you! So you have to do your best! Jupiter!
_
Makoto's eyes snapped open, and the lightning that had apparently been surrounding her body had broken into pieces. Makoto needed to take this chance. It was now or never! Makoto jumped to her feet and raised her hand in the air before shouting, "Jupiter Crystal Power Make Up!"
Makoto was Jupiter again, and she felt strong and empowered; at that moment, something appeared on her head, and Makoto raised her hands to see what it was; she could feel leaves; she was wearing a crown of leaves. Makoto smiled because she knew what it was. She knew how to win. "Sorry! But I'm going to defeat you! It's time for you to perish!" Makoto yelled at the Dead Moon Circus members. She was strong; Makoto knew this.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution!" Makoto yelled, and there was an explosion of lightning, and white clouded her vision. When the light faded, Makoto found herself standing on the street and saw Usagi staring at her.
"Jupiter?"
_
Usagi started at Jupiter, confused as she was unsure what had just gone down because one second, there was a spice shop there, and the next second, it was gone, and Jupiter was standing in front of her. Jupiter ran closer to her, and pulled her into a hug, and Usagi was confused but hugged Jupiter anyway. "I'm so glad you're alright," Jupiter spoke, and again, Usagi was confused because why wouldn't she be alright?
Maiden…please right the bell. I need your help.
Usagi heard the voice of Helios as she pulled herself out of the embrace, and Usagi looked down to see the glass bell floating and glowing in front of her. Usagi was still confused, but she nodded, grabbed the bell, and rang it. There was a flash of light, and Usagi found that she and Jupiter were standing in an apartment; she was confused because whose apartment was this, but also something was wrong because a million little black fuzzy things were swarming around the apartment, swarming around someone in particular. On the bed was a familiar black-haired man, and Usagi recognized him as Mamoru. Above Mamoru was Helios in his pegasus form, and it looked like he was trying to protect Mamoru.
Again, Usagi was confused, but she couldn't just do nothing! Usagi quickly raised her hand up in the air and shouted, "Moon Crisis Make Up!"
There was a flash of light, and Usagi was Super Sailor Moon. She quickly glanced at Jupiter, who gave her an encouraging look before she summoned her weapon, her crystal Kaleidoscope, and shouted, "Moon Gorgeous Meditation!"
Her power quickly flooded the room with a bright light, and when it faded, all those weird little fuzzy monsters were gone, and Usagi noticed Helios had fallen unconscious on the floor. Usagi just stood there until Mamoru tossed in his bed, and Usagi watched her eyes wide as he coughed up black blood.