IF I DIE BEFORE I WAKE
Chapter 12: "Triumph and Tragedy"
A Neo-Sailor Moon fanfic
By Bill K.
"Call Ami-Chan!" Queen Serenity said insistently from her hospital bed. "Quickly!"
Endymion had felt the pulse of energy pass through him and sensed it was of his daughter's making. Coupled with Serenity's sudden agitation, King Endymion wondered if his daughter had pulled another rabbit from her hat, and just what shape her efforts had left her and her team in.
"I apologize, Endymion!" he heard Ami say on the communicator used by himself and other senshi. "I'm occupied with a very serious concern! Whatever you need to speak with me about will have to wait!"
"Call me when you can, Ami," Endymion said. He closed the communicator and looked at his wife. "Do you think Usa did it?"
"I want to say 'yes'," Serenity admitted, "but I'm not completely certain. Maybe you should go up there and check on them."
"Are you going to be all right?"
"I'm down to just sniffles now," Serenity smiled warmly. "Go check on her. I'll be fine."
Though part of him wanted to stay, Endymion had to admit that he was curious about his daughter's health and well-being. He only got to the door, though, when his communicator signaled.
"I'm returning your call, Endymion," they both heard Ami say. "I imagine you're inquiring about whether Sailor Moon and her Senshi impacted the virus. The preliminary answer is yes."
Endymion shot his wife a look of pride and it was mirrored on her face.
"We'll need to monitor the population for a few days," Ami continued, "but most of the current patients I've seen are only suffering from mild flu symptoms. There are some cases that are still critical, because they were close to death before the pulse and remain in a severely weakened state. I'm - - hopeful for a full recovery for them as well."
"You hesitated," Endymion noticed.
"Well, that was why I couldn't take your call initially," Ami confessed. "Nurse Hondo was one of the first members of my staff here to become infected. She went into cardiac arrest just after the pulse passed through everyone - - and died."
"My condolences, Ami," Endymion said as Serenity looked stricken. "Hopefully she's the last one to be victim of this."
"Tomo?" Jun spoke fearfully.
The man lay in bed, deathly still. He didn't respond.
"TOMO?" Jun cried out in horror.
"Jun?" he wheezed, his voice a raspy whisper. "Sorry. I was sleeping."
Tears streamed down Jun's cheeks, diverted by the happy smile that distorted her face. She raced over, collapsed into the chair and took his hand in hers.
"You scared me to death!" Jun choked out. "How do you feel?"
"Better," Tomohiro said after mentally inventorying himself. "My head still feels like someone stuffed a rag up my nose. And I sound like a vid-stream horror movie host. But I feel better. Maybe that medicine they're giving me is beginning to work."
"Yeah," Jun beamed, not bothering to correct him. "It's about time."
At that moment, a nurse came into the room. She was still suited up, something that made Jun anxious. After nodding a greeting to her, the nurse punched up a holographic scan of Tomohiro and his vital sign panel. As they both sat and waited, the nurse studied the panel.
"Looks like you're clear, too, Shimizu-San," the nurse told him and Jun relaxed considerably. "No lingering signs of the virus in your system."
"That's great!" Tomohiro exclaimed as loudly as he could. "How did you folks do it?"
"It wasn't us," the nurse said and glanced at Jun. "Sailor Moon and her Senshi managed to destroy the virus. Don't ask me how." She glanced at Jun again. "She could probably explain it."
Tomohiro looked at Jun, his face a kaleidoscope of wonder, gratitude and just a little intimidation.
"Now you're still pretty weak from the virus's effects, so we're going to have to keep you for a few more days," the nurse warned. "You might even need some physical therapy, although that'll be up to your doctor. But you're past the worst of it."
"Thank you," Tomohiro told her.
The nurse nodded and headed for the door. Tomohiro looked at Jun, who was taking the helmet of her anti-contamination suit off.
"Thank you," he said. "I knew you Senshi were powerful, but I didn't think you were capable of this."
"It took all of our power, but we made it happen," Jun replied. She glanced down at her hands. "We had to."
The moment hung in the air.
"And now we have to get you back to health again," Jun said, her mood chipper.
"Still planning on being my personal nurse?" Tomohiro asked. "Don't you have anything better to do than to sit with me?"
"Uh uh," Jun replied, staring intensely at him.
"Then I guess I have to say 'how lucky can a guy get'?"
Pausing at the door of the quarters she shared with Yutaka, Hotaru tried to summon the strength to go forward as the door hissed open. The young woman trudged in and looked around at the dark living space.
"Lights," she said and the environmental control complied. "Yutaka must still be at work."
Trudging into the bedroom, Hotaru peeled out of the anti-contamination suit she'd been wearing almost non-stop for several days. After a quick shower in the bathroom, she returned and slipped into a long sleeve black dress, disdaining tights. Listlessly she headed for the kitchen.
"I wonder how long he'll be," mused Hotaru. She glanced at the refrigeration unit and grimaced. "I really don't feel like cooking. I'll just program the food replicator for something quick and easy."
Pressing a button, Hotaru leaned against a counter and waited. Thirty seconds later, a bowl of soba noodles appeared in the chamber. She took them out and sat down on a stool at the counter.
"Usa always teases me about my 'twentieth century palette'," Hotaru thought as she brought some noodles to her mouth. "But I don't care if I'm the only one in the thirtieth century who still eats them. They're familiar and they're filling."
She inelegantly slurped up some more.
"It was nice of her to thank me for helping her eradicate the virus," Hotaru smiled. "As if I could have done anything else. And Mizuno-Sensei was very kind, too. I hope I actually helped and they weren't just being nice." Her smile dimmed. "I wish we could have prevented more people from dying."
Momentarily interrupting her meal, Hotaru picked up a tablet from the end table near the sofa and brought it over to the counter. Pulling up her latest reading assignment for medical school, the waif began reading as she ate. After a far longer stretch of time than she was aware of passed, the door hissed open.
"I'm home. Sorry I'm late!" Yutaka alibied. "We were behind at work because of the outbreak and we had to catch up."
He ambled over to her and Hotaru gave him a tired smile.
"The infirmary finally let you go?" Yutaka asked. "Soba noodles again? What is it with you?"
"I like them," Hotaru pouted.
"No thanks. Beef for me," he joked. Then he looked at his house mate more closely. "You look tired - - really tired."
"I feel tired," sighed Hotaru. "Between shifts at the infirmary and helping Sailor Moon as Sailor Saturn, I'm done in."
"Then this can wait," he said, taking the tablet from her.
"Yutaka!" protested Hotaru. He responded by scooping her slight frame up in his arms. "What are you doing?"
"I may not be a know-it-all-doctor," Yutaka replied, "but I know exhaustion when I see it. Off to bed."
"I have to study!"
"Study in the morning. Sleep now."
Hotaru sighed with frustration.
"All right," she huffed. "But on one condition."
"What?" Yutaka asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Join me?" she squeaked hopefully.
The door to her quarters slid open. Ami sighed, the sound identifying the deep fatigue she felt. Her body was drained and her mind was numb. She longed, not for puzzles to solve and knowledge to gain, but for a small space where she could just shut down and recover.
"I still can't fathom how Hizashi-San could even think of doing such a thing," Ami thought. "What possesses people to misuse such gifts as he had? I must investigate the psychological factors that influence such aberrant behavior." She yawned. "After I'm sufficiently recovered."
In the living space, the lights were on. That indicated to her that Makoto was home. Her nose detected the aroma of food cooking. Given Makoto's motherly proclivities, her house mate was of a mind to baby Ami. That was good; she was in need of a little babying.
"There's the conquering hero," Makoto said as she peeked out from the kitchen. "You look beat."
"I confess that the activities pursuant to the recent medical crisis has left me physically and mentally drained," Ami replied.
"In other words, you're beat," Makoto smiled. Ami grinned at the gentle puncture of her tendency for wordiness.
"Dinner smells wonderful," commented Ami, peeking at the pots on the heating elements on the counter. Makoto refused to use the food replicators, insisting on natural ingredients and time honored recipes. While Ami thought the process impractical, she had to admit that the experience of one of Makoto's hand-cooked meals was superior.
"Everything will be ready in about ten minutes," Makoto said. "Why don't you lay down on the sofa and rest. I'll come get you when it's ready."
"If I lay down, you may have to pick me up," Ami said ruefully.
"I've done it before," Makoto replied and winked at her.
Teetering on exhaustion, Ami trudged into the bedroom. She peeled out of her regulation anti-contamination suit and slipped into a pair of worn jeans and a twill top. Before returning to the living room, she stopped and smelled the top. The fresh scent that Makoto always gave their laundry filled her lungs and momentarily invigorated her.
"OK, Ami, dinner's ready," Makoto proclaimed, entering the living room. There was no response. "Ames?"
When the sofa came into view, Makoto looked down. Ami was draped across the furnishing, sound asleep. A nostalgic smile came over Makoto's face. She recalled the way her first husband, Sanjuro, used to fall asleep on the sofa after a hard day on the docks. For a moment, Makoto contemplated gently waking her up.
"Nah, let her sleep," Makoto mused. "She's earned it. And I can always warm dinner up."
The address was from the Crystal Palace, from Queen Serenity herself. As such, it was publicized in advance and carried over all video and AI streams throughout Japan.
"I just wanted to speak to all of you tonight about the crisis we all just went through," Serenity said. She was sitting on the throne in the palace throne room, a room she normally disdained, wearing a shimmering white off-the-shoulder gown and a golden and jeweled crown in her blonde hair, an affection she wore with loud reluctance.
"First off, let me assure everyone that I am completely recovered from that little bout of flu that I had," she continued. "I appreciate the hundreds of thousands of messages of concern and wishes for me to get well. I did not have the virus that swept through Crystal Tokyo. It was just the flu. I can get the flu just like everybody else. I'm not special. But I do greatly appreciate everyone's concern and I apologize if I caused anyone to worry about me.
"Now to the virus: The Ministry of Health assures me that the virus has been completely cured and that we no longer have anything to fear from it. Where it came from has been the subject of a lot of worried talk and silly conspiracy theories. Yes, the virus was created by someone. Apparently he was despondent over the loss of someone he loved very much and foolishly decided that if she couldn't live, no one should. That's a wrong thing to think and a wrong thing to do. Losing someone you love can be very painful. I know. I've lost people I loved, too. But using that pain as an excuse to end the lives of others is - - is just selfish and wrong!" Serenity pulled back into herself a little. "I'm sorry for being upset. But we mustn't think like that. Love is everywhere if you just look for it, and if you just give it.
"Fortunately Sailor Moon and her five Senshi - - Sailor Saturn, Sailor Ceres, Sailor Juno, Sailor Pallas and Sailor Vesta - - were able to use their unique abilities to rid us of this virus and stop more people from dying. In their honor, I'm issuing a Royal Proclamation commending them for their actions and marking this as a historic event in Crystal Tokyo's, um . . . history."
Off camera, Luna rolled her eyes.
"To all of the people who lost someone they loved, I'm sorry. I am declaring tomorrow as a National Day of Mourning for them. Eighty-six thousand is just a number. But there were people behind that number, people who will never again get to enjoy the many wonders of being alive. They are who we mourn and they are who we must remember. And if you can do something to help the people they left behind, please do so. As a favor to me."
Watching from their quarters, Usa and Helios cuddled on a sofa.
"Man, when she speaks from the heart, you just can't help but believe everything she believes," Usa sighed.
"It is truly a gift," Helios nodded. "Are you envious?"
"No," Usa replied. "That's my mom. There's nobody like her. She can be a little pie-in-the-sky sometimes, but she's always been the best hope this world has."
"And yet, by her own words, you and your friends are the heroes of the realm," Helios told her.
"Just doing my job," Usa shrugged. "I'm only sorry one of us didn't think of it sooner. We could have helped a lot more people." She nestled in more against Helios. "Love me anyway?"
"With all my heart, Maiden," Helios sighed.
Days had passed. The country was back to normal. The city was in the process of burying its dead and releasing its living back into life. And in a quiet guest room in the Crystal Palace, three nearly adult women gathered and entered.
"Hey, everybody!" Jun exclaimed, looking up from her chair next to the resident's bed. Tomohiro, occupying the bed, looked up from his tray of food. Ves, Cere and Palla-Palla were entering the room. Nobody had on any protective garments.
"We came to visit you, Jun-Jun, because we miss you!" Palla-Palla piped up excitedly. "And to see how Mister Tomohiro-Sir was!"
"Yeah, Jun, it's been so long, we wanted to see if you were still alive," added Ves.
"Ves," Cere fussed.
"Oh, she knows what I mean!" huffed Ves.
"Tomo is progressing nicely," Jun related. "Doctor says he should be able to be released by the end of the week."
"And Palla-Palla, please," Tomohiro added, "it's Tomo. If I'm going to be dating your 'sister', we shouldn't stand on ceremony."
"Mister Tomohiro-Sir," Palla-Palla nodded.
"It's . . ." Tomohiro began. Jun stopped him.
"That's about as close as she's going to be able to get, Tomo," Jun assured him. "It's nothing personal."
"OK," he surrendered. "So - - I guess I owe my life to you three as well as Jun, huh."
"Damn right," Ves nodded. "So you be nice to her or I'll repossess it."
"Honestly we can't take you anywhere," muttered Cere.
"Ves-Ves, that's not nice!" protested Palla-Palla.
"Look, Ves, I know you mean well," Jun sighed, standing up in challenge, "but don't-say-stuff-like-that-again."
Ves only smiled.
"Nice to see you can still get your back up," Ves grinned. "It must be love."
Through the entire confrontation, Tomohiro was just staring at them in wonder. Cere turned to him.
"Please don't let this - - person's - - lack of manners affect your opinion of us," Cere offered apologetically.
"It's kind of fascinating," Tomohiro said. "Sort of like two animals in the wild establishing territory through intimidation."
"Hey! You know you're stuff!" Ves marveled. "You're all right!"
"I'm SO glad you approve," Cere scowled.
Usa stopped by the Royal Chambers. Sitting in the chambers were Serenity, Endymion, Mamoko and Luna. Everyone was eagerly watching the child as Endymion held her up and she balanced on her feet while Serenity encouraged her to walk to her. Usa paused by the door and watched.
"Come on, Mamoko-Chan!" Serenity said eagerly to her second daughter. "You can do it!"
"Mommy!" Mamoko exclaimed.
"Come to Mama! You can do it!"
The child took a tentative step forward. Endymion gently released her. She took a moment to assure herself that she had balance. Then Mamoko took six shuffling steps to her mother. When she got close enough, Serenity scooped her up into her arms.
"Oh, I knew you could do it!" squealed Serenity, hugging the child to her.
"Mommy!" Mamoko squealed back.
"Jolly good, Mamoko-Chan!" Luna exclaimed.
"Nice! You'll be running track in no time," Usa added, walking over to her.
"Brat!" Mamoko squealed joyfully when she caught sight of Usa.
"Mom, will you do something about that," Usa sighed.
"Mamoko-Chan," Serenity said patiently to the child. She pointed at her first daughter. "Usa. Can you say Usa?"
Mamoko began thinking, her expression a frown of confusion.
"Say Usa," Serenity encouraged her.
Mamoko struggled to understand.
"Say Usa," Serenity persisted gently.
"Usa," Mamoko said.
Everybody smiled.
"Izza brat!" Mamoko added joyfully.
"Well, Honey," Serenity said, hugging Mamoko and struggling not to laugh, "you have to admit that she is a good judge of character."
The Princess gave the Queen a cynical look.
END