Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow of the Absent Moon ❯ Mamoru's Greatest Fear & the Silver Kiss ( Chapter 9 )
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Fantasy / Romance | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 01.30.2010 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 486 | Status: Work In Progress
Shadow of the Absent Moon
- Mamoru's Greatest Fear & the Silver Kiss -
It is such a beautiful thing to see what pain reaps," Debonair said lightly, as Nova bobbed into the room. "Don't you think so, my child?"
Nova's face lit up. "Oh, yes Mother. It is beautiful! And wonderful." She turned her back to Debonair running over to Mamoru.
"What do you think, Sleeper? Is pain beautiful? Is fear the substance which gives meaning to life?"
Fear? Pain? They strive to inflict hurt upon others? "Fear is the blackness of the soul," he said.
"And what is blackness? Merely a color. What I refer to is more. It's the monster deep in your soul that wishes to devour you." She breathed hotly on his skin. "And you... I know your fear."
What exactly did the horrible child want? What did she have to gain from his fear and his pain? "Do you now?" As weak as his voice was it didn't convey exactly the tone Mamoru was hoping for.
Nova took the hint. "Oh, yes! It was quite a pleasure watching my mother use it against you just now." She smiled her big happy smile, and then snatched Sailor Moon's body off of the ground by the chin. Nova's fingers had Sailor Moon's face blossoming white. "It isn't her death you fear most."
Something shifted in Mamoru's gut.
"She could die a thousand times and it would always be your fault. You will never be able to save her. You would choose death over having to watch her die one more time." She switched her grip, placing Sailor Moon's back against her chest and pulled a sword out from somewhere. The blade set against Sailor Moon's throat.
Mamoru screamed, "You can't kill what's already dead!"
Nova laughed. "Can't I?"
A thin line of red swam down the blade to splatter in little drops on the stone of the floor.
Not this time. He wasn't going to watch this time.
Mamoru found the strength to get to his feet and transform into Tuxedo Kamen. He flung a rose at Nova's sword hand.
It stuck into her flesh, but she only gave off a tiny squeak as indication of how much it hurt. "Roses? Do you really think a rose can hurt me? You have a choice, Sleeper. Give yourself to my mother or watch me kill your love."
There was a steady stream of red flowing to the ground. The pool was growing.
Nova followed Mamoru's gaze with a smirk. "Is it the blood you love, or just the color? Don't worry, there will be enough to drink soon."
Another rose. Another squeak. Another of Nova's infuriating smiles. "More! Please more! It gives me an excuse to cut her!"
It's not her. It can't be. Usagi's dead.
Sailor Moon's eyes fluttered open. The were confused for a moment, then turned frightened. "Mamo-chan?"
"She's awake!" Nova spun around, hauling Sailor Moon with her. "What fun we can have now!"
Mamo-chan... Mamoru managed a mental slap in the face. It was her. No one could duplicate the perfect love and trust in her eyes right now. No one could duplicate exactly how she said his name.
He couldn't work out how she'd gotten away from the monster, but she did and she was trying to rescue him. She was not dead.
Yet...
He had to keep her that way. The power that made him Tuxedo Kamen slipped away. Mamoru fell to his knees and bowed.
"Please let her go."
"Mamo-chan... Mamo-chan, don't!"
"So, now it's 'please?' What else?"
Sailor Moon gasped, "Don't do anything they want you to do."
That hurt more than anything so far. He couldn't make her happy, even if he did keep her alive. "Please understand." He tried to swallow a big lump in his throat, but it only grew bigger. "I have to."
A few tears splashed a pathetic pattern of dark gray dots on the stone of the floor. With each dot came the stronger sense of being watched, not from the outside, but from inside his own mind.
A thought breathed through his mind. "Watch, but do not interfere."
Something made an angry cat noise, before the distinct sound of metal scraping on bone screeched.
Mamoru looked up in time to see Sailor Moon twist out of the path of Nova's sword and counter attack with a spin kick that sent Nova's blade flying.
Nova gulped air, gaping at her empty hand. "So, that's how you want to play the game?" She smiled again. "Ja ne." Her arm reached back. "Flame... Arrow!" A spear of flame was hefted at the Sailor Senshi.
Sailor Moon jumped allowing the flames to glide harmlessly under her feet. "Moon Tiara Action!" The moon tiara slapped Nova on the forehead and returned to Sailor Moon's waiting hand. Nova's head promptly met the ground.
Sailor Moon faced Mamoru, placing the tiara back on. Her eyes narrowed to slits. "Mamo-chan, I don't care who you think I am or who you think I'm not. You're coming with me."
He swallowed to dislodge the lump again. The entire right side of Sailor Moon's body was slick with blood. Red collected around her feet frighteningly quickly. He wanted to tell her that he knew she was herself, but he couldn't with Debonair fluttering around in his head. He wanted to run to her, soothe her hurts, stop the bleeding, but he couldn't even get his body to move.
Debonair whispered something into his thoughts. "Go."
His body obeyed without Mamoru agreeing to it, but he didn't fight against it either. If it got him closer to Usagi, he wouldn't protest. His body stopped inches from her face. There was the promise of tears behind her loving eyes.
She gave him her hand. His latched onto hers on it's own. Her free hand, coated in red, hovered over the damaged side of his face. "I'm so sorry."
Sorry?
The world shifted in a jarring beat that sent Mamoru's heart into staccato. He caught his balance and focus at the same time.
A fetid stench assaulted his nose and the sight of never-ending blood and rotting flesh attacked his eyes. It was worse than the scene when Nova had first prodded him awake.
Blood, blood everywhere and not a drop to drink.
Usagi? Don't worry. There will be enough to drink soon.
Where was Usagi? His heart managed to stop when he found her sad face staring back at him from ten paces away. She had something clutched in her right hand.
"Gomennasai, Mamoru." The tears thus far held back spilled down her face.
"Usako?"
She reached out to him, letting her fingers bloom around what she was clutching. The Ginzuishou began to glow. It floated her arms over her head.
"Moon... Healing... Escalation!"
The light struck, searing along Mamoru's veins. Debonair screamed, fighting to maintain hold on the mind she'd taken up residence in.
Her impossibly long nails dug into the flesh on Mamoru's mind.
And the light, the never ending light, seared, forcing Debonair out of Mamoru's body. The nails tore along, gouging. The relentless assault continued for what may have been years.
Mamoru's reality shriveled down to the warring agonies, the burning and the gouging. He was vaguely aware of a trickling of blood from his nose.
He finally resolved to fall, to make the pain stop by giving himself over to it.
Then suddenly she was there, cradling him. "Do not fight the light, Endymion. Fight the pain, not the light. The light will never harm you."
Her arms were soothingly cool against his burning skin. "I'm not strong enough," he replied grunting as the nails found new purchase.
"Then take my strength." Serenity set her lips gently against his. Coolness spread to calm the flames and leave a tingling scar where the bleeding nail scratches had been.
Debonair let out a scream of rage, then fled.
Mamoru staggered under the weight of his own body, and still Serenity's Kiss went on healing, giving him strength. He got himself balanced and circled his arms around Serenity's waist.
Serenity trembled, then fainted. Mamoru lifted her into his arms. She twinkled for a moment, the power abandoning her. Tears still dripped from Usagi's eyes. Mamoru could feel her pulse in his own. It was very weak. He willed her pulse to quicken, to steady itself on his own. "Usako, don't die on me."
"So, there really is a boyfriend after all."