Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Serenity ❯ Chapter 10

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi/Kodansha
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Sailor Moon: Dark Serenity
Chapter 10
Don't Die Usagi! Dark Serenity Lives!

Luna cracked an eye open to be greeted by the morning sunshine streaming through the
window onto Usagi's bed. She stretched herself out langruously before padding up to the
head of the bed where Usagi slept.

"Usagi-chan! Wake up!" Luna attempted to rouse her young princess from her slumber.

"What the hell is it Luna?! I've only just gotten to sleep!" Usagi spoke with
uncharacteristic harshness as she got up.

Luna was stunned speechless at Usagi's tone, and it took her a moment to recover
"You've been asleep for over eight hours Usagi-chan. It's time for school." She spoke
gently, unused to such a display of temper, since normally Usagi would just roll over and
give false assurances that she would be up in five minutes.

"What are you talking about, my head's barely touched the..." She noticed the sun
shining brightly in through her window "... pillow..." She finished lamely. "What's going
on? It was night a minute ago..." Usagi was now speaking in her more normal tone of
voice, albeit a bit confused.

"You slept like a log after we finished talking last night." Luna supplied, still a little
wary. 'I can't believe Usagi said 'hell!'' she thought.

"Well I don't feel rested..." Usagi complained as she stretched and yawned. Then sudden
realisation hit her "Oh! Luna, I'm sorry for snapping at you like that!" She nervously
scratched the back of her head "I guess I'm just feeling a little cranky today..."

"Uh... think nothing of it, Usagi-chan. After what you've been through, a little testiness
would be perfectly understandable." Luna said, trying to rationalise Usagi's behaviour to
herself as well.

"No, I shouldn't talk to you or anyone else like that. I'm sorry." Usagi said sincerely.
"There's no excuse."

"No, really, I understand and it's okay." Luna protested, not wanting Usagi to get too
hung up over simple morning crankiness.

"Well... if you're sure..." Usagi said uncertainly before changing the topic "I may as well
get ready to face the day."

And with that she got up and prepared for school. Amazingly, she had actually gotten up
in time to enjoy breakfast with the rest of her family, and it was a good thing too since
she really needed energy from food since sleep had proven less than restful.

"We're off!" Usagi and Chibi Usa both called out as they left the house.

The pair walked along the same route to their respective schools, Chibi Usa taking the
opportunity to fill Usagi in on what had happened over the past week with the new
enemy that had appeared. Usagi for her part was glad that her friends had been able to
handle things without her.

They reached a junction and Usagi began to go round the corner while Chibi Usa was
walking straight on. "What are you doing Usagi? Your school is in this direction as well
isn't it?" The child questioned.

"Ah... I think this way might be quicker! And you know how I'm always late so..." Usagi
trailed off, shrugging her shoulders "You just carry on. I'll pick you up after school
okay!" And with that, she was off down a street which most certainly was not a faster
route to Juuban Junior High.

Chibi Usa shrugged her shoulders at Usagi's weirdness and carried on walking. After a
few minutes she bumped (though not literally) into Mamoru. "Mamo-chan!" She cried
out happily, latching onto the hapless college student.

"Ohayou Chibi Usa-chan." Mamoru greeted her while looking around the street in a
distracted fashion "Is Usagi not up yet?" He asked her.

"Yes she is, she was walking me to school but went a different way 'cause she said it was
a quicker way to her school." Chibi Usa said, rather confused at Usagi's behaviour
herself.

Mamoru frowned at this. Usagi's normal route was most definitely the fastest way from
her house to her school.

Chibi Usa looked up at him and remembered her aborted conversation with Usagi about
Mamo-chan from the previous night. "Mamo-chan... is there something wrong between
you and Usagi?" She asked, hoping he would prove less evasive.

"Uh..." Mamoru was unsure how to answer her. He didn't even bother toying with the
idea of telling the truth, it was out of the question in Chibi Usa's case. "Nothing's
wrong..." He said less than convincingly "I have to go." He swiftly departed down the
way Chibi Usa had come.

Chibi Usa watched him go with a frown. Something was most definitely up between her
future parents.

***

Usagi arrived a little bit early for her classes, and took her usual seat. The class was
already nearly full, but Usagi just tuned out all the conversations she could hear. Most
people were complaining about the lack of television reception due to some 'unscheduled
maintainance' on Tokyo Tower. It took her a moment to realise when someone was
talking to her.

"Usagi-chan!" Naru waved her hand in front of Usagi's glazed expression.

"Huh?" Usagi started and looked up to see who was talking to her "Naru-chan!" She
smiled at her friend "Ohayou gozaimes."

"Good morning to you too Usagi-chan. Did you enjoy your week staying with 'relatives
in Nerima'?" Naru asked, knowing full well that Usagi had no relatives outside of her
parents and brother.

"It was okay..." Usagi said non-commitally, not wanting to be drawn on the subject.

Naru noticed Usagi's recaltricance and decided not to probe further. She had a pretty
good idea of what had kept Usagi from school lately. 'Though it is odd that Sailor Moon
hasn't been mentioned in any of the news stories about the Sailor Senshi...' she thought.

Before either of them could come up with another subject to talk about, Haruna-sensei
entered the classroom and promptly pretended to faint upon seeing Usagi was early. No
one found it especially funny, but the whole class laughed since a happy Haruna-sensei
was a far more lenient teacher than she would be otherwise.

As the day wore on, Usagi found it increasingly difficult to concentrate, not only was she
feeling unusually tired, but her head was throbbing painfully. She was all too relieved
when lunch arrived and she left the classroom to eat outside with Ami and Makoto as she
usually did.

As she exited the classroom, she saw her friends exiting their own and called out to them.
They both eagerly returned her greeting and the trio went out to eat their lunch.

"How are you feeling Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked as a neutral conversation starter,
remembering how Usagi had been reluctant to discuss her ordeal with Rei.

"Hungry!" Usagi replied as she wolfed down her lunch as only she can. The others were
barely half done when she was finished.

"Um.. okay..." Ami murmered as she watched Usagi's rapid eating with barely concealed
amazement. That was fast even for Usagi, "How are you feeling now Usagi-chan?"

"Still hungry." Usagi said, eyeing up her friends' lunches. "I didn't realise how hungry I
was until I started eating..." She was starting to feel a lot better, not only was she more
energised but the pain in her head was now barely noticable.

"Er... you can have some of mine if you want..." Makoto offered some of her obento
lunch to the bottomless pit that Usagi had become.

"Thankyou!" Usagi said, practically inhaling the proffered food.

"So, how were things at home yesterday Usagi?" Ami asked, hoping to get the subject off
of food.

"Mama made her special lemon pie... I could really go for some of that right now
actually..." Usagi trailed off as she imagined tasting some of that delicious treat.
"Mmmm...."

"How were things with your family?" Ami tried again valiantly.

Usagi at last seemed to calm down from her food mania "It was good to see them... even
Shingo." She smiled slightly "Luna was a little..." Usagi never finished the sentence as
she started swaying dizzily "What's happening?" She clutched a hand to her temple as the
headache she had endured all morning came back with a vengeance. Letting out a pain
filled gasp, her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted dead away.

"Usagi!!" Makoto was by her side in an instant "What's wrong?!" She recieved no
answer from the unconscious girl so she turned to Ami "Ami, what happened?"

Ami quickly went into analytical mode, even though she was petrified inside. "Her pulse
is very high." She announced as she felt Usagi's wrist. Taking a quick look around to
make sure no one was looking, she activated her computer visor and scanned Usagi.

"Well?" A panic stricken Makoto demanded.

Ami gasped "Her energy... it's like she's using the Ginzuishou... it's dropping so fast, but I
can't detect the Silver Crystal's energy signature."

The colour drained from Makoto's features. "What does this mean?" She asked, even
though she suspected she knew, she was hoping Ami would have some brilliant solution.

"If this doesn't stop... she'll be dead before the day ends..."

Makoto's jaw hung open for a moment in complete shock at having it summed up so
succinctly "What can we do?!" She demanded, cradling Usagi's unconscious form closer.

Ami was desperately running through possible solutions in her head. She could come up
with none that she was certain would work, but one which might "If all of the senshi pool
their energy into her then it might stop it... or it might just slow it down..."

"We have to try!" Makoto said firmly as she took out her communicator and contacted
Rei and Minako.

"What is it?" Rei whispered. Her school had just finished lunch and she was in class.

"I'm here." Minako said at normal volume, her school was also on it's lunch break.

"Something's happened to Usagi. Both of you get to my house right away! We all need to
be there if we can save her." Makoto said urgently.

Both Rei and Minako nodded their assent, and Makoto was sure they would both be able
to get out of school no matter what happened.

"Ami, I'm taking her to my house, you go get Chibi Usa. She should be there as well."
Makoto said.

Ami scrunched up her courage. Makoto and Rei were not going to like this, but she was
sure it was the right thing to do. "I'll get Mamoru-san as well."

"What?!" Makoto hissed, she had already stood up, carrying Usagi in her arms.

"He has a right to be there. He will definitely be able to help." Ami argued.

"Mamoru" Makoto said the name like a curse "Lost any right to do anything for Usagi
after having sex with that... that thing!"

"Please! He might make the difference between life and death." Ami pleaded.

Makoto swore under her breath. "Fine, do what you want. But hurry!" And with that she
ran off to transform into Sailor Jupiter so she could reach her house faster.

Ami likewise found a secluded place to transform into Sailor Mercury so she could find
Chibi Usa and Mamoru faster.

***

Makoto gently set Usagi down on her couch, and then proceeded to pace her apartment
feeling completely impotent. "Hurry up everyone..." She begged any gods that were
listening for her friends to arrive before it was too late.

Her prayers were answered by a knock on the door. She quickly opened it to let a freshly
detransformed Rei in. "What's happened? Where is she?" Rei said breathlessly.

"She's on the couch. We don't know what happened, but her energy is dropping fast. Ami
says she'll be dead by the end of the day if we don't do something!"

Just as she finished her explanation, Sailor Venus leapt down from the rooftop and
detransformed. "I heard what you said. What can we do?" Minako asked, worry evident
in her features.

"Ami says if we all channel our power into her then it might stop it." Makoto led the pair
to the couch where Usagi lay, breathing shallowly and twitching slightly.

"Usagi!" Both Rei and Minako ran over to kneel by their princess.

"Hurry up Ami... please..." Makoto pleaded, at this point uncaring if her friend brought
Mamoru with her.

After a few tension filled minutes the front door opened and three figures burst in.

"Mama!" Chibi Usa cried out as she ran over to Usagi, looking to her as an actual
mother figure in a time of crisis.

"Usako!" Mamoru joined his future daughter with his love, praying he could make a
difference.

"What is *he* doing here?" Rei didn't even bother addressing Mamoru, pointing the
question at Ami.

"I thought he could help. Focus on the real problem Rei." Ami said acidly, worry over
Usagi was making her in no mood to deal with anything else.

Mamoru for his part just ignored their bickering, instead focusing entirely on his Usako.

"What can we do?" Chibi Usa looked pleadingly at the girls through tear strained eyes.

Before Ami could outline her plan, Usagi's eyes fluttered open. "Minna..." She
whispered, looking at her friends.

Ami stopped short. From what her computer said, Usagi should practically be in a coma
at this point. Activating the visor again, she scanned Usagi and saw that her energy was
rapidly climbing to normal, and her pulse was at the sedate pace of a person who was
relaxing.

Usagi sat up and yawned. "What's going on?"

"You were dying!" Ami blurted out "But now you're fine? I don't understand!"

"I was so scared!" Chibi Usa sobbed into Usagi's school uniform.

"Hey, it's okay Chibi Usa-chan. I'm alright now..." Usagi cradled the childs head before
she suddenly locked eyes with Mamoru's. "Mamo-chan..." She whispered, a turbulent
mix of emotions bubbling to the surface.

"Usako... we need to talk..." Mamoru said, silently begging her not to turn away from
him.

Usagi sighed. "Yes I suppose we do..."

Minako coughed delicately and began shepherding all the girls out of the apartment to
leave Usagi and Mamoru to discuss their feelings in private.

"I don't understand... how could she recover like that?" Ami wondered again as she stood
outside with the other senshi and Chibi Usa.

"Something is going on between Usagi and Mamo-chan isn't there?" Chibi Usa
demanded, recent events having proven that beyond a doubt to her.

"Yes, but it's none of our business." Minako said firmly, giving Rei and Makoto hard
looks.

***

"Usako, I know I must have hurt you deeply by what I did, and there is no excuse to
defend myself. But please believe I didn't mean to hurt you... You mean everything to
me... but I let my attraction to you get the better of me when you weren't yourself... I am
sorry..." Mamoru spoke earnestly as he held Usagi's gaze.

Usagi let out a pain wracked sigh "I just don't understand how you could do it Mamo-
chan... Surely you knew she wasn't me..."

"I thought she was you... I thought you were confused..." Mamoru tried to explain his
actions.

"You called her Serenity." Usagi spoke with a hollow, dead voice, her emotions were so
raw she couldn't even properly express them.

Mamoru winced, she had him there. "You... she... was acting like Princess Serenity, I
thought you were reliving memories of your previous life."

"I just don't understand why you did it, even if you thought... she... was me. I love you
Mamo-chan." She gave him a wan smile "Even now I still love you... but I'm too young
for us to do... stuff... like that yet." Usagi blushed slightly as she finished speaking.

Mamoru had to restrain from pointing out that she certainly hadn't seemed inexperienced
that night. He also had to restrain himself from whooping with joy when she said she still
loved him. "Usako, I love you more than anything... more than I ever thought I could
love anything. And I know you're too young right now, but you are also very beautiful...
when it looked like you wanted me... it was hard to say no."

Usagi felt a momentary flush of pride at his acknowledgment of her looks. But the pain
she felt was still very fresh "Mamo-chan... I could forgive you if you tried to kill me...
but I don't feel ready for things to go back to normal right now... I just need some time."
She looked at him with pleading eyes "Can you understand that?"

"I understand... I'm just glad I still have hope." Mamoru smiled at her. He was amazed
that she found it in her heart to forgive him, and once again marvelled at the angel the
fates had bestowed on someone as unworthy as him. "I'll go now..." He got up to leave.

"Goodbye Mamo-chan... " Usagi watched him go, surprised that she was now feeling a
whole lot better for getting things out into the open with him.

***

"So close!" Dark Serenity's voice was filled with frustration as it echoed round her little
prison in the recesses of Usagi's mind.

She was not entirely disheartened, her efforts had severely weakened the barrier which
had her sealed as a prisoner in Usagi's body. Her next attempt would likely succeed, and
if it didn't, then there was always the next. She could afford to be patient.

"I just don't understand how that child is able to nullify me..." She wondered,
remembering how she had been unable to even touch the barrier when Chibi Usa was
around, and how she had been thrown back when Chibi Usa arrived just as she was about
to succeed. She surmised it was some sort of mother-daughter bond, though how that was
possible when the daughter technically shouldn't exist yet was beyond her.

"Yes, there will be a next time."

***

End Chapter 10