Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Give a Reason (Weiss Kreuz Style) ❯ Chapter Two: Omi ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter Two: Omi

A hand flicked back at his long hair as he took a step towards the stunned girl. "Before you get started on your selfish desires, do you have any idea what being a battery feels like?" his voice was calm but his eyes looked positively deadly and radiated danger. "Remember your friend, Naru?" he could almost see the memories flooding her. "She was a battery for your enemies… and I've been nothing more than a battery for eons." A faint smile touched his lips and he raised a hand in the air and pointed it at the girl. "But here…. Here I was given new powers as I merged with the furious Ginzuishou of this time… such a furious soul…. But I was given consciousness through that sacrifice and now…. Now I can talk to you, Serenity-hime… or would you prefer a more familiar name like Usako?"

A shock like ice cold water froze her for a moment. A name she hadn't heard in so long… It brought back such painful memories, and yet…. They did make her remember 'him' and just that was enough to bring about a wane smile. "Please don't call me that…." She glanced over at the silent yet very alert Nagi. Instead of being afraid the boy was in a battle stance and warily watching the verbal exchange. Had these boys really taken her senshi's places? It seemed absurd and yet…. Wasn't that exactly what was going on? "Ginzuishou, I didn't know you could think…. And I didn't know I was using you like Naru-chan was used…." She bowed her head in apology as she glanced up at him. "Gomen nasai…. And thank you. Thank you for protecting my loved ones as long as you did…." She felt her voice fading off and took a deep breath, "but why did you give me immortal life? I don't want it…"

**

Crawford was not happy. He knew his charge hadn't yet regained her mental powers to lock the gates of her mind so something was obviously wrong, and if that wasn't bad enough his own powers had been reduced to only cover those in the immediate vicinity. No, he wasn't happy one bit. He would have normally formed a path to his charge by now to see what the problem was… but he had a problem of his own which was that everything in the room, including himself and his companions, were floating and chips of crystal from the walls and floors were zooming about the area. "Where's Prodigy?"

Schuldich hadn't been too concerned with matters. That is until he heard his leader's words. So his powers weren't the only ones to be turned off like a light switch. He couldn't get a fix on either the princess or the chibi. "No clue seems something is trying to interfere with us…." He glanced back at Brad who looked kind of funny when he was floating upside down with a finger pressed firmly to the side of his head to keep from losing his glasses to the forces of gravity. "Think we should try to get to them?"

Yohji stretched and idly flicked a thin wire at the bits of crystal as he lost himself in thought. "She should be fine with Nagi. He should be able to protect her until we figure out a way to get out of here…. Anyone else notice we're sealed in?"

Loud bangs from the other side of the crystal like door alerted the group and they glanced over as one as they saw a fuzzy image of Omi pounding at the crystal and attempting to break through. The boy started out with his fists but soon graduated to using his signature darts to weaken the structure, and from the cracks that were starting to appear, it looked like he was succeeding.

Omi continued to bash at the crystal in an effort to free his comrades. Nagi was with Serenity so she would be fine, but the boy would probably need backup soon. Something was going horribly wrong in the palace and Omi was scared. Had the Dark Kingdom came back to finish the job they had started? No, he wouldn't let it happen. He had sworn on his life that he would protect Serenity-hime with all he had. He'd sacrifice his life for hers if it saved her. He'd do it in a heart beat without a second thought, the princess meant that much to everyone. So he would do his best and destroy this obstacle that held his friends captive. He only hoped that Nagi would be able to hold off whatever was attacking…

**

He watched as the broken hearted girl forced herself to keep eye contact. "Humans… always so greedy… you've had so many more years added to both yours and your loved ones. You forced me to undo the spells on your protectors, and that's why they're dead and have been replaced." He leaned towards her his dark brown eyes full of warmth. "But… if you truly don't want it… I'll take it back, Serenity-hime. Just say the word and you'll never have to worry about your 'gift' again."

Was he serious? Could he really just take it back? "Can you… really do that?" she was afraid to speak above a whisper for fear that he would vanish into the mists like a wraith. "Can you really take it back and free me?"

Nagi had processed enough of the conversation now. He wasn't going to lose the princess, even if she wasn't the one he remembered. "Would it really be wise to trust someone that is imprisoning us here?" he calmly questioned as he tried to sum up his power, he couldn't even lift a mote of dust at this point! "There must be a catch; immortality shouldn't be taken so lightly."

Usagi forcibly stopped her whirlwind of hopes that flew through her mind and focused on what Nagi had said. That was true… Ginzuishou or not, wasn't there a catch of some sort? "What… what do I have to do to be mortal again?" the truth was she wouldn't mind being mortal and having to live out a normal lifespan. She would do it in a heartbeat because it meant she would eventually be reunited with them.

His eyes narrowed on Nagi and a flash of irritation flashed in their dark depths. "The catch?" he questioned his voice slowly losing its newfound edge as he turned to face Usagi. "The catch is you'll have to join me…" he smiled at her as he said the next words. "You'll merge with me and lose your immortality. You'll never have a thought or have to worry again. It'll just be like sleeping for eternity…."

"Asleep forever?" her tone was full of awe and hope at the idea. An escape from all the suffering she had endured. She'd never have to worry about watching someone she cared about die a slow death and waste away in front of her. Never again… the idea was powerful, so much so that she had to lean against the wall as she started to shake.

Nagi wasn't so easily distracted. He knew something was up. It just didn't feel right to him. "But if she's asleep… how will she manage to make it back to her friends and family?" Nagi knew that if she slept for eternity she'd only get dreams in return. She wouldn't truly be reunited with those she cared about. Besides, it was his job to protect her, he wasn't going to let her throw her life away quite so easily.

Usagi fought back a whimper of sudden pain. She had so wanted to be rid of her problem and her new Ginzuishou seemed capable of it. She wanted to believe him; she wanted to reach out and take his hand and freely agree to anything he requested…. "I won't die, just sleep?" she glanced away and met the solemn eyes of Nagi. He wasn't pleased with her thought process so far, it was pretty obvious he wasn't. "Can I…. Can I have some time to think about it?"

While a brief flash of irritation flared in Nagi's eyes the Ginzuishou merely chuckled as he nodded. "Of course, Serenity-hime…. And if you agree it won't be like mere sleep. You won't have any dreams and you won't be immortal any longer… so think about that na?" his brown almost black eyes trailed over to Nagi and he smiled with confidence it was only a matter of time until she accepted.

Usagi watched as he vanished in a lightshow of bright white and glanced over at the once again silent Nagi. "You…. You won't tell the others about this, right?" she softly requested as she went to his side and gently took his hands in a hopeful gesture. "This can be just our secret…right?"

Nagi closed his eyes to avoid looking into the pleading sapphire ones in front of him. A secret with the princess… if only she knew the secrets he had shared with the former Serenity. "Hai, as you wish, Usagi-san." He calmly pulled his hands away from her grasp and turned away and focused on a flexing his powers. As he expected they had came back full force and he was able to lift anything he wanted. "We should rejoin with the others. They're probably worried about you."

Usagi winced faintly as she realized the boy's words had become cold and impersonal. Did he hate her for thinking about it? It hurt more than she thought it would, he was a stranger to her and yet… Yet she felt hurt that he was disappointed in her. "Nagi-san… do you hate me for considering it?"

Nagi slowly turned towards the girl and for a brief moment he could see his gentle princess there; worried that she had upset him and wanting to make things right… "Of course not, Sere…" he caught himself and cleared his throat. His princess was gone; she had been replaced by this other. "Of course not, Usagi-san, but it's not wise to do such a thing without more details… you could become nothing more than a battery to him as he's been to you."

"A battery?" Usagi mulled over that thought before realizing she heard footsteps and noticed the rest of her 'protectors' had arrived. She hoped they hadn't picked up any of her and Nagi's conversation. The last thing she wanted to do was try to explain herself out of such a mess.

"Prodigy, report," Crawford didn't waste time as he stared past Usagi at his youngest teammate. "Why was the palace itself attacking us and everyone inside? The civilians that the princess invited to stay have fled and claimed this palace is haunted by the spirit of the Queen." He could sense the difference in the girl now. His powers had returned but her future remained cloudy to him. Something had interfered.

"It was nothing," Nagi obediently responded. "The Ginzuishou was reacting badly to being used to heal us. We too were attacked by it, everything is fine now and I believe it has accepted Usagi-san as its new owner." He didn't even glance at the girl as he spoke. She had requested he hide it and he would do so, if he had his mind set to it not even Schuldich would be able to find out what had occurred.

Schuldich leaned casually against the wall but inside he was quickly becoming frustrated. Before the girl's mind had been like an open book. She couldn't have hid anything if she had tried… Something had happened in this room before they had managed to break out of their temporary prison. Something had changed the girl, he could still reach quite a few areas of her mind that had been completely blocked off before due to his loss of power, but he couldn't access everything. Someone had locked it off from him.

Normally after discovering something like that he would demand an explanation from her, but he knew more important things were in store. They were going to have to spend as much time training her as possible. They'd be squeezing at least four year's worth of work into as little time as possible in case Beryl decided to attack again. If she managed to unleash an attack on the moon in the state they were currently in, everyone would be doomed for the princess would easily fall.

Ran wasn't concerned about what had happened while they were trapped. He was only concerned with what was going to happen now. "It's time to begin your training, Serenity-hime. Follow me to the reserve courtyard." He turned before she could respond and strode out of the room. His role in serving the royal family was quite different from his companion's. He hadn't joined because of a loss of a loved one or anything quite so important. He had joined because his sister had left the moon to pursue a relationship with someone on Earth… and he was thankful now. If she was on the moon she would have died in the massacre.

Usagi stared at the retreating figure for a moment not sure what to do before bowing hurriedly to everyone in the room and racing after the tall older boy. "Wait up!" she pleaded as she tripped over her dress, slipped on her hem, and fell heavily to the ground. "Itai…" she grumbled as she rubbed at her sore nose and started to get to her feet when she noticed a hand in front of her. Embarrassed she gently took it and allowed the brown-haired stranger to help her to her feet. "Anno… arigato…"

Ken weakly smiled at the girl and watched as she hurried after Ran's long strides. The other hadn't even stopped to see if the princess was following… It hurt not being remembered. "Is she really not our Serenity? But she looks so much like her… even if she is a bit of a klutz…"

Usagi was panting as she reached out to grab at Ran's shirt to stop him. She felt like she had just run a marathon non stop. "Please can we just rest a moment?" she whimpered. "You're going too fast, I can't keep up." She almost ran into his back when he suddenly stopped and glanced back at her his eyes not conveying any emotions.

"If we were to be attacked and you weren't able to move at this simple pace you'd be an easy target for any youma. That's not something we'll allow to happen, we are going to protect you with our lives if necessary. The Moon Kingdom will not be defeated by the likes of Beryl and her minions.

As he spoke Usagi started to frown. "Don't…. Don't say such things. I don't want anyone to die for me… Never again do I want to see friends die. So don't say such things… The Moon Kingdom isn't as important as the lives of all of you. My life is not more important than anyone else's.... Please stop it…"

Ran didn't respond to her tirade and instead continued his trek, forcing her to stop and rush after him again. He didn't talk to her again until they had reached their destination. It wasn't much; Beryl's forces had attacked too fiercely for it to stay in one solid piece. The ground that had once been solid marble was riddled with cracks and large chunks of it had been incinerated. But compared to the original training grounds this place was perfect for the training this girl needed. "You don't want us to die for you, right?" he questioned as he turned to speak to the wide-eyed girl. She was apparently shocked at the state of things. "Than train hard so we won't have to risk our lives saving you."

Usagi swallowed hard and slowly nodded. It made sense didn't it? If she did her best and really fought to learn what she was being taught no one would be in danger. Maybe things would have been different for her senshi if she had trained for them… Maybe she could have stopped the cycle from the beginning if she had tried… "Hai," she whispered as she followed Ran through the wreckage and to a wooden holder full of scratched and broken weapons.

Ran sifted through the remains quickly and pulled out a small sword. The same sword he had once pressed into the hand's of the ten year old princess he had promised to protect. "We'll start with this…" he handed her the glistening blade that he had always kept polished and watched like an eagle as she took it in her hands. "You're holding it wrong…"

Before Usagi could protest the red-head was behind her and readjusting her grip. She felt her face starting to flame and battled the emotion away. It reminded her of when Mamoru had tried to teach her the strange sport 'golf.' She had never gotten the hang of it but she had enjoyed Mamoru's hands around her as she struggled to learn. She noticed she was starting to tear up and blinked the remnants away as she focused on Ran's instructions. She wasn't going to let anyone else die for her. She swore it.

Schuldich entered the backup arena and took a seat on one of the bleachers that had somehow withstood the attack. The girl was embarrassed from contact with Abyssinian? What would she do when she discovered the truth? It was intriguing to think about how she would react. 'Your grip is too lose, Usagi-chan. If you try to strike anyone with that the blade will fall from your hands. Ah, but he's tightening your grip now, isn't he? Always the helpful knight… Isn't that what a princess wants, a knight in shining armor?'

He was amused as she mistook his words for her own thoughts and she turned a lovely shade of peach before mentally berating her self for forgetting about her husband. He hadn't been able to tease the former princess like this for such a long time since he taught her to hide her mind… Such a pity… but he was going to have some fun with this one before he taught her the vital skill.

Ran knew something wasn't right as the girl started to turn a variety of shades. As his amethyst eyes lifted slightly he quickly realized why. The smirking German was having fun with their charge before he started to teach her the skill to block out others from her mind. "Stay focused," he ordered as he readjusted her grip once again. This Serenity had never seemed to touch a blade in her life.

"It's so hard…." Usagi pouted as she was once again corrected and her grip once again changed. It wasn't her fault she didn't believe in swords or anything like that. Besides didn't Beryl have magic? Couldn't she easily be wiped out by a spell more so than by a blade? She wanted to tell this guy that as well but he scared her.

"It'll only get harder. This is only learning how to hold a sword; you're going to have to learn to fight." He ignored her pale color and stared intensely at her. "There is no other choice. You'll also be attending magic classes with Oracle. As for defense… it would probably be best to train with Prodigy or Bombay. Both are tacticians and know how to defend their selves.

Usagi winced as her finger nicked the blade as she lost her grip. Blood almost immediately began to well and she realized with pain that it was still a pure innocent white color. So… it was true. "I can't do this… it's too hard."

Ran took the blade from her grasp and dropped it to the ground as he took her hand. The cut wasn't too deep but it needed a bandage… and the almost silver look to her blood was a bit too strange for him. He didn't want to believe the weird story that Mastermind had pushed on him. He wanted to truly believe that this girl was his princess… but his princess didn't have such magical blood from what he remembered. "Be more careful," he chided as he brought her finger to his lips and softly kissed away the droplets forming. He pulled a small ribbon from his black leather trenchcoat and tied it securely around her wound. "Take a break for now…"

She couldn't get away fast enough. She was tripping over her feet to get away from him. Maybe it had been a casual thing to him but to her it had felt different. Just what type of relationship had this princess had with her guardians? She wasn't sure but she was starting to get an idea… She never noticed the phantom following her in the shadows as she ran through the ruined halls and found an old courtyard.

It wasn't much to look at really. Most of the stone benches had been reduced to blocks of rubble and whatever garden that had been there before had been scorched beyond recognition. Dark black marks scarred the few benches that remained rending all the fancy decorations on them incomprehensible. It must have been quite a gorgeous location when it had been in its prime. Actually… Usagi paused to glance around and walk farther where they used to be a maze. A small smile came to her lips and she took a seat on the lone clear bench. This one had escaped the horror that the others had gone through and it gave a perfect view of the water fountain…. That was a mere dried up fountain right now.

It was eerie looking at something you knew and remembered but had never really seen before. The image in the fountain was like that for her. She remembered it had been a gift from Endymion, or more specifically, his planet. The artist had taken much care in rendering an exact duplicate of the moon princess catching the falling water with cupped hands from an eternal fountain. It was beautiful yes, but the girl staring out from the fountain didn't look happy. In fact she kind of looked sad and troubled, not to mention lonely. Her eyes, though stone, just had such a wanting look to them. It almost made Usagi weep as she saw it.

She rubbed at her eye to erase the tears and realized she was still wearing the make-shift bandage. It reminded her that she couldn't leave here, that she was a prisoner to this world as she was her own. It hurt. "I don't want this… I can't do this…" she sighed and glanced up at the soulful statue, "what would you have done if the Ginzuishou offered you such an escape?"

"I'm sure she would have accepted my generous offer right away. You have figured out that her life wasn't all parties and roses, ne, Serenity-hime?" his voice was deceptively gentle as he stood behind her and sniffed at her hair. "Roses…." His eyes traveled downward and he took note of her wound. "Have fun playing with swords, Serenity-hime?"

Usagi winced and took a step away. "I'm not her… please use another name besides that one…. Besides I don't even know what to call you except Ginzuishou. If I was going to think about your offer shouldn't I have more than that?"

He smiled as wind seemed to flow from beneath him and he was lifted off the ground. "Hai," he agreed as his white cloak fluttered in the new breeze. "You can call me Hao, Usagi." He held out a hand to her and smiled more as she reached up to grab it. "You don't want to be immortal again and watch all these people die… do you?"

She shook her head and grabbed his hand in a firm grasp. She was ready for this. She was going to give in and escape he own personal hell. "No… will I really die if I agree, Hao?" they were past formalities at this point. She had relied on his power for such a long time that she didn't feel he was a stranger… even if she still considered him dangerous.

"You'll never have to watch anyone grow old or think about them doing so," he offered as his grip became tighter. He could feel her soul pulsing. It was ready for release, ready to merge with his and grant him the powers he had been stripped from so long ago. "You'll be happy with it, I assure you. You'll no longer have to deal with mere humans again. Why should your life and happiness be sacrificed for their benefit? What have the people you've protected for so long ever done for you except hate and persecute you?" when he saw her wince his smile turned into a serious one. "Now… come with me and be at peace with yourself again."

She smiled wanly at Hao who started to frown as he noticed someone approaching. Without answers to the questions in her eyes he simply vanished and left the shaking girl alone. Now she looked like a clone of the statue, not only sad and lonely but desperate as well. "Why?" she whispered almost brokenly as she collapsed to her knees and stared accusingly at the ground. Why had he promised her such wonderful things and just vanish?

"Usagi-san?" the voice was young and a moment later its owner appeared. "Mastermind… I mean Schuldich; you're probably getting confused by us using our codenames for each other all the time…. Anyway, he told me to find you and tell you that he'll start teaching you some mental defenses tonight…. Are you okay?" it had taken him a few moments but now he realized the girl was crying.

"I'm fine…. I just needed a break…" she glanced up at the worried boy and forced a smile. What was the point in forcing another to worry about her? "I guess I've been out here too long…. This statue is so eerie…"

Omi quickly glanced at the statue and nodded. "The princess wasn't in the best of moods when she had that done. A master artist from Earth came and stayed a month with us and made a perfect model of her… He got every element of her down including her expression." Omi swallowed the lump in his throat and blinked back tears. "You…. You have silver blood too, don't you?"

Usagi was taken back by the question. She knew that Ran had seen it, but she hadn't pegged the serious teacher to spread gossip so easily. "How… how did you know? And what do you mean 'too?' Did the princess have it as well?" she had known the princess was cursed before, but really hadn't wanted to believe that the girl had been an immortal like herself. It proved the only escape was to be replaced by someone else. It was terrifying to think about.

Omi sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't matter…. I shouldn't talk about it. She wouldn't want me to," he offered an apologetic smile and took a seat beside her. "Is it really so hard training with Ran-kun?" the man had been so gentle with the former princess. It was hard to believe that he had grown harsh with this one.

"I've never held a sword before. Not a real one anyway… I don't want to take anyone's life. I don't want to learn to kill… I keep getting told this is just to protect myself but I can't do it at the expense of someone else's life… I don't want to, I'd rather die myself."

Omi nearly lunged at her by this point and grabbed her shoulders tightly his eyes suddenly begging. "Please don't try such a thing?" he requested tears ready to fall from his eyes. "Just don't even try such a horrible thing…. You're not my princess, Usagi-san, but I believe you're a friend. I don't want you to do such a terrible thing to yourself. Everyone here is trying so hard for you. We lost someone that meant so much to us… You have no idea what Nagi and I felt for her, but we're all trying so hard to adjust and learn to protect you. Please don't throw it all away by killing yourself… please."

Usagi was stunned at his impassioned plea and gently pried his hands away. "Even if my doing so somehow brought your princess back?" she felt horrible for suggesting such a selfish thing. But Hao was right… she was tired of living for others. She wanted to be free to make her own choices, even if it meant giving her life to Hao. He had been her Ginzuishou after all, so why shouldn't she trust him? He had saved her life so many times before… Countless times, why should she listen to this boy's worries over her own hopes?

"Even… even if that was the case…" his words were slow as if they took great effort to produce, "I wouldn't want her back at the expense of your life, Usagi-san. It wouldn't be right to trade someone's life for another. So please…. Please don't try anything so foolish for all of our sakes? Just give it some time… and after that if you still feel like Serenity did…" his words trailed off as he realized he had called the princess simply by her name, thankfully the girl hadn't seemed to have caught it. "Then you can think about this again… just give us all a little while more?" he whispered before getting up and walking away, leaving Usagi to her thoughts.

He hadn't even waited for her answer… Would it truly be so hard to listen to his request and struggle on for just a little bit longer? Maybe she could manage to stick around until Beryl was defeated… If she managed to find a way out now it would most likely doom the rest of the Kingdom. Could she really accept Hao's offer with that hanging over her head? So... it was decided. She would stay alive for their sakes for just awhile longer. They would be the last person she sacrificed her self for.

Pale creamy skin cradled by a beautiful white dress. A dress that looked shockingly like the one Usagi was wearing now. A sharp instrument, upon closer inspection it looked like the tip of a dagger or dart of some kind, was brought down and pierced the flesh. A stream of silvery-white blood trailed out from the weapon's edge and glided off the silky skin to collect on the priceless dress. Blue eyes were glazed in concentration until they snapped to alertness when they heard a footstep. The eyes turned troubled as they stared mutely at the person behind them through the use of their mirror. "Serenity-hime… Why?" Omi whispered as he fell beside his troubled princess and hugged her tightly. "Baka," he whispered roughly as he jerked the weapon, his weapon, from her hands and shoved it into his pocket. "You probably don't want to hear this when you're in this state… but he's not the only one you know." His glossy eyes were solemn as he tilted her head towards his. "I love you too, Serenity-hime," he whispered as he leaned down and captured her lips in a brief kiss.