Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Magic Knight Rayearth Fan Fiction ❯ Shadow of the Absent Moon ❯ The Spagetti Stain Chapter ( Chapter 11 )

Disclaimer: All characters, places and quotes of Magic Knight Rayearth are copyright CLAMP, Kodansha, Dentsu, YTV, TMS-K & Anime Works. All Sailor Moon references and characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, TOEI, Kodansha & Pioneer.

Shadow of the Absent Moon
- The Spagetti Stain Chapter -

Mamoru found himself instantly disliking this arrogant man who had not had the decency to introduce himself. The scorn the stranger directed toward Usagi made little sense compared to his offer to help. Mamoru wanted little more than to protest that he could take care of Usagi himself and send the stranger on his way, but he couldn't. He could only nod and follow the stranger.

"I'm sorry," the stranger said suddenly, replacing his open scorn with a face blank of expression. "My name is Lantis."

"Mamoru. Only she calls me 'Mamo-chan.'" Lantis nodded. Mamoru's pulse suddenly struggled to hold on to Usagi's. Her pulse slipped free to slow and weaken. He tried to get a better hold of her life. It evaded, slipping further away.

Mamoru held Usagi's face close to his own. "No," he whispered, a tear splashed on Usagi's pale cheek. "Listen to me, Usako. You are not going to die on me. I'm going to get us back to Tokyo, back to safety. I promised you, didn't I? Make your heart beat."

"Are you going to get this Lummox out of my way so I can work or not, Lantis?" The voice belonged to a tiny blue haired fairy that currently had her hands firmly on her hips. "Listen, Loverboy! Her heart can't beat blood through her veins if there isn't any blood to pump." She hovered inches from Mamoru and Usagi's noses. "Put her down so I can heal her!"

It took a few seconds for Mamoru's brain to remember to function and recognize the fairy as the friend Lantis spoke of. He carefully set Usagi on the dirt making sure not to move her shoulder too much. He refused to let go of her all together and maintained his hold on her frozen fingers.

"That's better!" The fairy blew a kiss then spun around above Usagi's ruined shoulder. "Futura!" Magical healing sparklies rained down on the wound, knitting the sliced flesh back together. "That should keep her from loosing any more blood. Unfortunately, I can't do anything for the blood she's already lost." Her hands went back to her hips. "Maybe that Fuu girl can do something more. What do you think, Lantis?" Lantis had already restarted toward wherever it was they were going. "Lantis? Wait for me!" The fairy zipped ahead to land on Lantis' shoulder. "Hurry up!" she called back. "Lantis isn't going to wait all day for you!"

Mamoru was already pacing quietly along behind the strange couple. He managed to get Usagi's pulse stabilized on his own, but he had to settle for one beat of her heart to every three beats of his. A purple bruise spread across the left side of Usagi's face and there was a small gash near her left temple. She must have cracked the side of her head on the stone altar when she'd slid to the floor.

Usagi, why did you do it? Why did you give me all of your strength? Couldn't you have... I'm really not worth-

A screech jarred Mamoru out of his musings. Mamoru involuntarily turned toward the scream. Just ahead of Lantis was a monster at least as big as the last one. The fairy screeched, flying for the relative safety behind Mamoru. Lantis barely moved.

The monster continued charging as lightning scraped the clouds. Two bolts arced to Lantis' sword, combined and were converted into a new energy. Lantis loosed his attack sending something akin to a levinbolt at the monster. The monster shook violently, then split down the middle sending little tendrils of smoke into the atmosphere.

Lantis replaced the sword in the scabbard at his side and continued his traveling without a word. The fairy let out a held breath returning to Lanits' shoulder.

As for Mamoru, he couldn't move. He wasn't sure exactly what had just happened.

How had Lantis done that? Was that how Usagi had gotten away from the first monster? Lantis or someone like him had rescued her?

The massive attack didn't seem to have taken anything out of Lantis. The lightning came at his call and Lantis had been able to call it faster than Jupiter.

It wasn't possible to call lightning without the powers of Jupiter, was it?

"Hello!?!" It was the fairy again. "Are you coming or not? Lantis sent me back for you. Do you think I like flying the same stretch three times?"

Mamoru came back to the present. "Gomen."

"Yeah, I'll just bet you are! Besides the faster we get her back to the castle the faster we can get that Magic Knight to fix her!"

She was right. He wasn't doing Usagi any good standing there like a dead tree. In the distance, if he squinted, there did seem to be a structure of some sort, but it looked more like a tower than a castle. The sooner the better, but Magic Knight?

"Magic Knight?"

She puffed her cheeks. "Don't you know anything?"

Mamoru shook his head. "I don't even know where this is."

"You don't know where you are?" She managed to give a back flip the same meaning as rolling of eyes. "You're in Cephiro, the greatest country in the Universe!"

Thunder ripped across the sky tearing great gaps in the overcast. Rain fell like a wall then continued in pulses like birdseed being thrown to a flock of pigeons. The fairy's face fell with the rain, her hair quickly becoming pasted to her scalp.

"Doesn't look that great to me," Mamoru said as calmly as he could.

The fairy sputtered incoherently for a moment before becoming intelligible. "That's because Cephiro's suffering a few... difficulties at the moment. You'll see."

"Difficulties?"

"What would you know? You don't even know where you are!" Her nose found a permanent home near the torn clouds and nothing Mamoru said the rest of the trip earned a response from the little fairy.

Mamoru was feeling markedly guilty for alienating the fairy by the time they caught up to Lantis. He tried apologizing, but she acted as if he hadn't spoken. Thankfully, it took less time to cross the remaining distance than Mamoru suspected. Sooner that he could of guessed at, Mamoru found himself alone with Usagi's quiet breathing in a rich bedroom. He distantly worried that Lantis and the fairy weren't the wrong people to be with. Then again he also distantly wondered if he was dreaming again, about to be awakened by that horrible child again.

He worked through the worries to get Usagi comfortable. Her pulse was still one to his three but it was no longer taking most of his concentration to keep it that way.

There was a basin, pitcher of water and cloth on the stand next to the bed. He used these to clean up the rest of the scrapes and cuts that the fairy had not healed. There didn't seem to be any serious wounds left. At least the fairy was right about that. Blood loss was the major problem at the moment. Well, blood loss and hypothermia. Her skin was frozen from the rain and the cool corridors of the castle. It had even taken on a slightly bluish cast.

In cases of hypothermia, Chiba-san, it is the core temperature that is important. Warming the skin's surface can only accomplish so much.

Had it only been days since he'd had that discussion with Ami? Warming the surface could only do so much. It was all he had to go on unless someone was had the foresight to show him where the baths were. A hot bath could do wonders for the body's core temperature.

He took off his shirt instead, climbed under the blankets and curled his warm body around her icy one. The least he could do was share his body heat. After a few moments of listening to her lethargic heartbeat, he dozed off.

"Well," cried out a shrill voice, "where are they?"

Mamoru was actually becoming accustomed to waking up all at once. He sat up letting the blankets fall to his waist, blinked to clear his vision and found the fairy and a gaping blonde near the door and a light blue haired girl searching the room.

She spotted Mamoru on the bed. Her eyes went round. "Woah!" She spun around so fast her hair whipped her in the face. "G-gomennasai! I- Wh-... We... Gomen! Gomen!" She turned to bow then fled for the door. The fairy and blonde had turned around as well.

At first the panicky behavior puzzled Mamoru, then he spotted his naked chest and the blankets concealing the fact that he was still clothed beneath the covers. "Wait!" He tried to place all the desperation he felt into the one word.

The blue haired one stopped with her hand on the doorknob. Mamoru pulled his shirt back on and slid out of the bed.

"We are terribly sorry for barging in," the blonde began. "Primera told us that Usagi-san was quite injured and in need of our help."

"No, I am the one who must apologize." All three faced him. "Gomen." He bowed. "Really, it isn't what you're thinking. Please, if you can help her, help her."

The blonde smiled. "A friend once told me the best way to begin is with introductions. My name is Hououji Fuu. I promise you that I will try my very best to help Usagi-san."

Mamoru almost smiled. Now, this girl he liked. "Arigato. Chiba Mamoru."

Fuu smiled encouragement and made her way to Usagi's side. "Did a monster inflict these wounds?"

"No... A person did."

"A person?" the blue haired girl nearly screeched. "Who?"

"Don't look at me!" the fairy, Primera, yelled at the other girl's abrupt stare. "They were alone when Lantis found them. He doesn't know anything and neither do I! Huh!"

"Well, the least I can do is try, don't you agree?" Fuu stepped back. "Winds of Healing!"

A fragrant green breeze sifted through the room. Usagi's heart stopped just long enough to catch Mamoru in the grip of despair. It restarted, stronger than before.

"Is she alright, Fuu? Did it work?"

"Is who alright, Umi-chan?" Usagi croaked.

A big bubble of relief burst over Mamoru. "Usako." He caught her hand in his.

"Mamo-chan?" She gazed at him for a moment disbelieving her eyes. "You really believe I'm me?" Tears instantly crystallized her beautiful blue eyes.

Mamoru didn't think he could bear to see her cry again. "Yes. Yes, I do. Please forgive me for doubting you."

"Mamo-chan, I-"

"Is she okay?" That voice... It was her voice. "Usagi-chan, are you alright?" Nova stood near the door, blinking at Mamoru.

"No thanks to you!" Tuxedo Kamen was too weak to handle this. Hadn't that already been proven by the rose twice? Prince Endymion drew his sword, taking up a protective stance between Usagi and Nova.

"What? What is this?" Nova fell into a defensive stance as well.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Doing what?" asked Nova.

"Don't act like you don't know!"

"Mamo-chan," Usagi placed a hand on Endymion's arm, "that isn't her."

"What?" asked Endymion and Nova simultaneously.

"It is not her."

"It is her!" It was Nova. Couldn't Usagi see that?

"Can't you feel her goodness?" Usagi moved closer to Nova, facing Endymion. Her gaze did not leave his eyes. "Can't you almost taste it? She would never, could never, be that other one."

Endymion's sword arm began to shiver. Usagi moved to within a step of Nova.

"The other one?" Nova covered her mouth, shaking her head. She had fallen out of stance and was using the door to keep her on her feet.

What was Usagi doing? "Stay away from her!"

Usagi pleaded, "Mamo-chan, feel it. Feel her purity. She cannot be the other one."

"No," he shook his head. "No, you must be wrong. It's her." He rushed forward.

"Hikaru-san!" cried Fuu.

"Hikaru-chan!" screamed Umi.

The name was like a stone wall.

Nova hugging herself, spinning like a whirlwind. "Hikaru, I'll see you soon! Then, we can play!"

Endymion pulled back. "You're Hikaru?" The girl who looked like the demon child Nova nodded. If this was Hikaru, who exactly was Nova? "I don't think Nova likes you very much."

"Who is Nova?" Umi bullied her way into the confrontation. She had taken up the defensive position on Usagi's right. Fuu was on Usagi's left.

Endymion let his sword drop. Usagi flashed him the it-would-be-better-if-they-didn't-know-for-now look. "No one." He used his free hand to massage his temples trying to free himself of the ache beginning in his head. "Bad dream, I think."

"That must have been a very powerful dream," offered Fuu.

"Yeah, I guess..." said Umi. She wasn't convinced. "You have been outside all this time. We have no clue what you've been through."

"That is a subject I am interested in hearing about," Fuu piped. She wasn't convinced either.

"Maybe later." Usagi detached herself from the defense team to lead Endymion to a seat. He ended up perched on the edge of the bed. "Trust me," she whispered just loud enough for Endymion to hear. Then loud enough for everyone, "Right now, Mamo-chan needs to sleep. It wasn't easy on him out there."

"No joke... For what it's worth, Usagi, I'm sorry we dragged you back to the castle that time. We were wrong."

"Don't be, Umi-chan. I learned what I needed to learn to find him."

"Really?" Usagi nodded. Umi smiled, bowing to Endymion. "Sleep well, Chiba-san. See you later, Usagi."

Fuu bowed to both in turn. "Usagi-san... Chiba-san... goodnight."

"Bye!" cried Primera slipping out the door behind the two Magic Knights.

Hikaru bowed about to dismiss herself.

"Whatever it is, you can't face it alone." Usagi's smile had faded.

Hikaru closed her eyes. "It's nothing."

"It's Nova," Endymion supplied. He had been so sure Hikaru was Nova. Now, he knew Hikaru wasn't and somewhere deep down he was sure that if Nova knew about Hikaru; Hikaru would have to know about Nova. He didn't know why it was true; it just was. "Don't write off Nova. She's real."

"But they were just dreams." Her hands were covering her mouth again.

Dreams? They usually were. "Dreams? I can tell you about how real dreams can be." Usagi squeezed his hand. "In fact, it was a dream that led me to a certain pig-tailed blonde by the name of Odango Atama."

"Odango Atama?"

"You promised not to call me that, Mamo-chan!" Usagi slapped him lightly on the shoulder. There was laughter behind her eyes. "It's the hair. They look like dumplings."

"Oh... How did a dream lead you to her?"

"That is a LONG story for a time when we have more time."

"You should go now. I'm sure Umi-chan and Fuu-chan are waiting just outside the door for you. We don't want them getting too suspicious. I know you feel you can't burden them with this. Consider me. Consider Mamo-chan. Trust me we've been through a lot." She took the other girl's hand for a moment. "You are never alone. Remember that. You have your friends and you have us."

And she would protect the lives of the world with her very last breath. Sailor Moon is everyone's mother. No single thought had ever given Mamoru so much pride and so much pain. Pride in her. Pain in knowing that one day she will give the ultimate sacrifice and he will be alone.

"Arigato." Hikaru fled before they could say anything more.

They both sighed at the same time. It was refreshing, cleansing. Suddenly, it didn't matter that they were somewhere that couldn't possibly exist. Mamoru felt wonderful.

Usagi snuggled up next to him, fingering one of the buttons on his jacket. "Do you really think this is necessary?"

He let a warm smile curl the edges of his lips. "I thought you would like it."

"Actually, I'm feeling a little underdressed." She pointed to him. "Princely finery..." She pointed to herself. "Torn, dirty school uniform... We don't exactly match up."

Mamoru allowed his prince form to slip away. "Is this better? Dirty, torn, bloodstained shirt and khakis?"

She finally smiled back. "Much better."

"You know," he said, changing the subject and grinning like the Cheshire Cat, "I've been sleeping an awful lot lately."

"Oh, really? And here I thought you've been battling for your sanity."

"Well... There was that." Then nothing was said for a very long time.