Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon Labyrinth ❯ The History of the Future, Usa-chan's Childhood ( Chapter 3 )
A look at how life in Crystal Tokyo was for Usa-chan and the senshi.
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 05.07.2002 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.4K | Visits: 203 | Status: Completed
Imagine the senshi in their early to mid twenties. Neo-Queen Serenity looks the same as she did in SailormoonR, slightly older. Remember, Neo-Princess Selenity is Chibiusa (it sounds the same)(she looks like Black Lady did, but her crescent moon is golden and she doesn't look so angry ^_^) and Neo-Princess Serenity is Usa-chan.
Neo-Queen Serenity cupped the shimmering gem known as the ginzuishou in her hands. King Endymion stood just behind her, hands on her shoulders. He was there to offer support and strength should the queen require him. All eight of the senshi stood in a half circle around their queen and king.
"Pluto Planet Power!"
"Uranus Planet Power!"
"Neptune Planet Power!"
"Saturn Planet Power!" Although Saturn was present, she had never aged, and remained around eighteen.
"Venus Crystal Power!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power!"
"Mars Crystal Power!"
"Mercury Crystal Power!"
Neo-Queen Serenity took a deep breath, cupped the ginzuishou, and a silver light poured from her hands.
A massive flare of multicolored energy filled the area where there had once only been an empty hillside next to the palace and a walled structure slowly appeared. It was plain enough on the outside, being squat and a dull brown that contrasted with the emerald hillside like an ugly wart on otherwise perfect skin.
"That's it?" Sailoruranus said skeptically. "That little thing is supposed to help people work out their aggressive urges? I could finish that little maze in less than an hour."
She boasted loudly, and a few of the other senshi glanced at her warily. Neo-Queen Serenity sighed with exhaustion and replied, "If you wish to try the Labyrinth you may. In fact, I would like Sailoruranus, Sailorpluto, Sailorsaturn, and Sailormercury to travel through it and give me your impressions."
Sailormars looked as though she was going to protest, but before she could say a word, Neo-Queen Serenity whispered, "I would like Mamo-chan and you to stay with me, Rei-chan."
The raven-haired senshi looked up at her queen with surprise, but narrowed her eyes when she looked at Serenity's face. There was a subtle shadow of exhaustion over her usually serene facade, and her skin was slightly gray looking and it only took her a moment to realize that the creation of the Labyrinth had taken more out of the queen than she let on.
"Are Mars and Uranus back in the Labyrinth again?" Neo-Queen Serenity glanced over at Ami, who was balancing a stack of books on one arm and reaching for more with the other.
"Yes, and Sailorjupiter went with them." Ami hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"They would never say anything, of course, but they're restless. They need something more, not fighting necessarily, but they have nothing to do with themselves. You've come to rely more on Endymion now that Chibiusa-chan has been born, and Rei-chan feels out of place. She doesn't know what to do with herself now that you're so busy all of the time. Mako-chan is different. I'm not sure she knows what she wants. I know I don't know what she needs. Haruka-san may just like to blow things up."
Ami smiled wryly and amended, "I think she may be restless because Michiru is restless."
Neo-Queen Serenity sighed and responded, "I don't know what to do, Ami-chan..." She glanced out a window and saw Minako attached to the arm of an attractive man.
"Hmm.." she mused, "I wonder..."
"Oh, Luna! It's just wonderful!"
Neo-Queen Serenity giggled as though she was sixteen again and Luna smiled up at her, pleased that her queen was once again happy after such a serious stretch.
"The senshi have never been happier! Even Michiru and Haruka, although I don't know what happened to cheer those two up." Her forehead creased ever so slightly as she considered it, her expression highly similar to the confusion she had often shown in her youth, but she finally laughed and dismissed it as not important.
"Married! My senshi!"
"Well," she reconsidered, "Some of them, anyway."
Neo-Princess Selenity came softly into the room, and smiled when she saw her mother's happiness.
"Mama? Can I tell you something?" Her mother smiled gently and replied, "What is it, sweetheart?" Ever since the death of her beloved husband, Umino, (no, not Naru's Umino ^_^) Neo-Princess Selenity had been prone to sudden fits of crying and depression. At a loss of how to deal with one of their beloved royalty acting as a common human would, most of the inhabitants of Crystal Tokyo had taken to avoiding her.
"I'm pregnant!" Her ruby eyes shone with a light that illuminated her entire face and body.
"I'm going to be a grandmother? Me? Oh, Small Lady!"
At hearing her old childhood nickname, Neo-Princess Selenity threw herself into her mother's arms, weeping.
"I was so relieved to find out! I thought I had lost Umino forever! But now, I'll have some of him with me always!"
Neo-Queen Serenity stroked her daughter's hair. When the princess finally looked up, the joy radiating from the queen's face was surpassed only by that of her daughter's.
Rei rocked her tiny daughter gently, smiling as the baby's wide violet eyes fastened on her mother's face with adoration.
"Rei-chan? Ami poked her head in the room and continued, "Serenity has asked to see all of us, so if you aren't busy..."
She trailed off and waited for Rei's reply, cradling her own swollen belly protectively.
"Of course." She set the baby gently in her cradle and quickly strode out of the room.
Neo-Queen Serenity looked at the inner senshi, her closest friends, with a seriousness that alarmed them. Finally she said, "Michiru has given birth to twins."
Ami coughed with surprise and Minako looked at the others with confusion, thinking maybe she was missing something. Mako opened and closed her mouth a few times, but decided to avoid looking stupid by rocking her small son instead. Rei looked around at the other senshi and finally looked impudently at the queen. Her eyes sparkling with mischief, she said, "You baka(silly) odango atama! Michiru and Haruka can't have children, remember?"
The queen threw back her head and laughed musically, saying, "I swear to you, it's true. She gave birth last night, a boy and a girl. Tensei and Umina. When I asked who the father was, I thought she was going to slap me. All she said was, despite what blood the children may have, Haruka was their father." She shrugged and added, "I left before things could get violent." The inner senshi laughed and marveled at the news.
"Children!" Artemis marveled, "And all during the same year too!"
Luna looked over at Neo-Queen Serenity suspiciously and asked, "Serenity, did you use the ginzuishou to insure their pregnancies?" Serenity giggled wickedly but didn't reply.
"I wondered how that happened!" Artemis exclaimed, "Mina-chan was very careful."
"It may turn out to be good for her," Serenity said, "It couldn't make her any less responsible." She sighed, "I didn't mean for the power to activate until after she was married. I never suspected she would break off the engagement."
She sighed and continued, "It's unfortunate that she refused to marry, but even more so that she won't tell us who Aikin's father is. It's not fair to the father or the son to be separated."
Artemis sighed and said, "It may be for the best, she wouldn't tell even me, and she has also confided in me the most. It may only hurt Aikin if he finds out."
"It isn't honest," Luna protested, "Eventually he's going to be old enough to wonder where his father is."
"I'm surprised you don't trust Minako-chan's judgment, Luna." Serenity looked down at the cat with surprise.
"It's not that I don't trust her, Serenity, it's that I'm worried about her. I don't want something bad to come of this."
"Don't worry, Luna. Even if Aikin's father does turn out to be someone we could do without, the senshi will be here to protect her and Aikin."
"Mama!" Neo-Princess Selenity ran into the room and exclaimed, "Ami-chan has finally given birth! Her new daughter's name is Mizumi! Isn't this exciting? Mako with a son, Rei with a daughter, and even now Minako is with her son!"
"You forget your own daughter so easily?" Neo-Queen Serenity laughed softly and picked up the small baby from her cradle in the center of the room, rocking her softly.
The baby girl burbled softly and looked up them with crystal blue eyes. The queen laughed with delight and then gently set the little princess back in her cradle.
Three year old Usa laughed as King Endymion threw her up and down through the air. The queen and princess looked at them and laughed, but there was a slight shadow over their happiness.
"It started again today, Mama. They keep insisting that Usa-chan is your daughter, and that I'm confused and crazy for thinking that she's mine. They're saying that I went crazy after Umino's death and that you let me believe she's my daughter to keep me from doing something that might endanger the royal family.
"The resemblance is remarkable," Neo-Queen Serenity commented and watched her beloved husband and granddaughter play together. With little Usa's black hair, heart-shaped face, and amazingly blue eyes, it didn't help matters that she adored roses above all other flowers.
"Indeed," Neo-Princess Selenity's voice was sad, but the obvious love for both her daughter and father was evident. She smiled at her mother's concerned looked and added, "Don't worry, Mama, I'm not going to go crazy anytime soon."
"That's good, Small Lady. I love you too much to lose you."
(Just as a note, little Usa looks like little Usagi did(in the SS movie), not like Chibiusa.)
"If Neo-Princess Serenity-sama cannot control herself in the classroom, I'm afraid I'll have to punish her. She cannot come in late every day and then disrupt class when she finally does arrive. I've asked Ameno-sama to help Serenity-sama with her studies, but nothing gets through to that girl."
"I'll speak with her. Thank you." Neo-Queen Serenity pursed her lips with concern and wondered why Usa's teacher hadn't spoken with Neo-Princess Selenity.
"This has got to stop," she told Luna firmly. "It hurts my poor Chibiusa so terribly when they say that Usa-chan is my daughter and not her own."
The guardian cat sadly nodded her head in agreement, ignorant of what to say to ease her queen's unhappiness, and so remained silent.
"Usa-chan! You have to pay attention in class!" Mizumi smiled at her sweetly and added, "Don't worry, I'll help you if I can."
"Thanks, Mizumi-chan, but I don't need to study or pay attention." Usa frowned sadly and continued, "I'm not very important to the kingdom. My mama gets to be Queen if something happens to Grandma, and then me if something happens to Mama. But," she sighed, "Grandma has been alive for a very long time, and she has the senshi and my grandpa and the ginzuishou to protect her."
"Usa! You still have to learn these things! What if something bad does happen and you have to be the queen?"
"I won't need school for that! Grandma still doesn't know kanji, and she's the queen."
Mizumi considered that for a few moments, absentmindedly twirling a piece of her long, dark blue hair with her fingers. She finally said, "I think maybe it's okay because the senshi and King Endymion-sama are there to help her. My mom's pretty smart, and so is Endymion-sama."
Usa was about to protest that her grandmother was indeed smart, when the queen swept gracefully into the room.
"Would you excuse us, Mizumi-chan?"
"Of course, Serenity-sama."
When the girl had quietly left the room, Serenity turned and looked down at Usa, who was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.
"Your teacher came to talk to me today. He said that you weren't paying attention in class, and that you were getting there late and distracting the other students."
"So what?" Usa snapped, "Nothing I do is important anyway! Everything is about the senshi and about you and mother. No one cares about what I do except for Mizumi-chan, and she cares about everyone!"
"Oh, Usa-chan! I had no idea you felt that way! Of course you're important! We all love you very much, and you're one of Mizumi's closest friends."
"I'm one of Mizumi's only friends. The other kids don't like her because all she does is study. She never talks to anyone. They think there's something wrong with her.
"I'm surprised they aren't impressed with her study skills."
"Grandmother,no one studies all the time. We're only six years old! The other kids want to have fun, not study!"
"Poor Mizumi." Serenity sighed and murmured to herself, "I wonder if Ami would have been the same way if she hadn't had us as friends." Louder, and to Usa, she said, "Stay close friends with her, Usa-chan. She will always be loyal to you, and she loves you very much. She' s so fragile right now, don't do anything to hurt her."
Usa stared at her grandmother with amazement and retorted, "Who do you think I am? Mizumi-chan is my friend! I would never to anything bad to her!"
"See? I told you it would work! She'll have to cut her hair to get it loose now!"
The boy laughed raucously and scattered titters from around the classroom echoed him.
Mizumi looked up at Usa with devastated, tear-filled eyes and whispered, "I thought you were my friend..." She tugged at her knee-length, deep blue hair, struggling to free it from the glue covered text books. (the style is like Umi's for MKR, but the bangs aren't so blunt: they're longer and frame her face more. Her hair is even darker than Ami's.)
Usa longed to apologize, but instead turned away. Mentally, she whispered, I'm sorry Mizumi-chan, but I need friends besides you, and they said that this was the only way.
She guilty rubbed a hand on her uniform skirt, feeling like there was still glue stuck to her guilty fingers.
"I just don't understand it. I always thought Usa-chan and Mizumi-chan were such close friends."
Ami looked to her queen for answers, but Serenity shook her head mutely.
"We had to cut her hair up to her chin to get all the glue out," Ami said bitterly, "She cried herself sick before finally managing to settle down. How could Usa do this?"
"I don't know, Ami-chan. Gomen-nasai. (I'm sorry) I don't know."
Thirteen year old Usa-chan smoothed her skirt down and perched on the end of her desk. She was early to class, and the only other people in the classroom were the children of the senshi.
Mizumi sat with her head slightly tilted over a textbook, her hair falling just past her shoulder blades.
Shinoki, Barano Makoto's son, and Aikin, Aino Minako's son, were energetically discussing something in the front of the room.
Tensei, Kaiou Michiru and Tenou Haruka's son, was sitting in the back corner, ignoring them all as he poured all his energy into reading a thick textbook. His dark green hair (almost the color of Pluto's, a little darker) fell into his eyes occasionally, and the movement of his hand to brush it away was the only sign that he was a living person rather than a statue. His twin sister, Umina, sat on the desk in front of him, her muscular legs swinging gently as she talked animatedly to her brother. She didn't seem to mind the fact that he seemed to be ignoring her, and only stopped when she had to breathe.
Kazaki, Nichino Rei's daughter, was leaning on the windowsill of the room and gazing at a singing bird.
Usa felt alone.
She wondered when her usual group of friends would be arriving, and with a rush realized it would be soon.
She leapt off her desk and lightly ran to the classroom door. Yosho, the leader of Usa's friends, and the boy who had first dared her to glue Mizumi's hair down three years ago, was just coming through the door. She ran into him hard and fell to the floor in an ungraceful heap. Instead of helping her up, as he usually did, he looked down at her disdainfully and snapped, "Watch where you're going, baka."
"Nani?!" She looked up at him in shock. Although they hadn't ever formally gone on a date, it was fairly common knowledge that they were "together." Meaning, when Yosho wanted something Usa was there to get it for him, and in return Usa was spared from all of the cruel jokes the group tended to play on the less assertive students. It was then that Usa noticed Megami hanging on Yosho's arm. Megami had been after Usa's spot of favor for weeks, but it hadn't occurred to the princess that her position was ever in danger.
Without even noticing, she had gone from being in control to being the first and easiest target of the day.
"Yeah," Megami whined at her in an annoying nasal grumble. "You stepped on my foot and scuffed my new shoes up."
Yosho moved forward and stepped on the edge of Usa's uniform skirt.
"Maybe we can use this ugly rag to clean your shoes, Megami-chan."
Megami-chan? They've been 'together' for a day, and he calls her Megami-chan?! Usa thought wildly as she stared dumbly up at the group of bullies before her.
"Hey," a musical, but masculine voice said from behind Usa-chan. "What are you doing, Yosho-kun?"
"Shinoki-san," Yosho stuttered with surprise. It was rare that Shinoki took a part in things, but when he did, people moved out of the way. At only thirteen, the brown-haired son of Jupiter was already nearly six feet tall, with the mass to back up his height. He was solid muscle, but also highly intelligent. Despite the fact he had dreams of joining the royal guard, there wasn't a violent bone in his body, and Shinoki was content to sit and talk with his friends rather than pick fights, with bullies or otherwise.
Despite all of this, he looked incredibly formidable towering over the fallen Usa, and the fact that he was speaking to them at all frightened Yosho's petty group of thugs badly. After staring at Shinoki with a slight flame of rebellion for a few more moments, Yosho and his followers backed down and went to their seats.
Shinoki helped Usa to her feet without a word and walked back over to where Aikin was waiting for him.
Usa sat quietly in her desk, mechanically taking notes. She didn't look around or speak to anyone around her, and they ignored her as well. Her grades improved to a solid B average, and she stopped being late for school. When in the palace, she would find a bench deep within the rose gardens and disappear for hours. No one knew what she was doing, but no one wanted to question the crowned heir of Crystal Tokyo.
"There was nothing you could do! Calm down! Please! Try and control yourself." Neo-Queen Serenity put her arms around the sobbing woman, who in turn clung to her beloved queen and friend.
"I almost had it. I was so close...so close...I almost had it..."
"Don't worry," Serenity whispered coldly, "We'll make it pay for what it's done."
Usa sat in front of a mirror and methodically brushed her long, black hair. There was suddenly a slight ripple in the air, and Sailorpluto stepped through space and appeared in Usa-chan's room. She looked at the quiet girl with an unreadable look on her face for less than an instant but it seemed as if something incredibly important passed between them.
"You are needed at last, Neo-Princess Serenity-sama."
In case you mixed up the names of the children of the senshi (not that it really matters, they aren't incredibly important), or you're getting the new last names confused:
Ameno Ami has Ameno Mizumi (daughter)
Nichino Rei has Nichino Kazaki (daughter)
Barano Makoto has Barano Shinoki (son)
Aino Minako has Aino Aikin (son)
Kaiou Michiru has Kaiou-Tenou Tensei(son) and
Kaiou-Tenou Umina (daughter)