Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Don't take me home ❯ Chapter 13 ( Chapter 13 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Serenitas 
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.15.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 667 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Sailor Moon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 09.15.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 4.2K | Visits: 667 | Status: Completed
Hello all! Sorry I'm a day late in getting this posted, but I spent all of yesterday at the doctor's office being very ill. Does anyone else know that Canada's has a crappy health care system? Anyway, as I mentioned in previous chapters, this is the one where Usagi makes her choice. NO FLAMES PLEASE! I am choosing the character who fits in with the storyline, and I hope everyone understands that. I would like to take the time to say a special thanks to my best friend Necton_Minako who's concern over my health is what drove me back to the computer I'm not supposed to be on yet, to BenRG and CrystalDove for all their reassuring emails and support that they offered as well, and everyone else who sent me wonderful suggestions and email. Thank you! Reviews are life to me and I hope that this chapter lives up to everyone's expectations - I am still very VERY sick… Standard disclaimers apply, I do not own Sailor Moon no matter how much I wish for it….
Rei narrowed her eyes. She had to find some way to strike at Usagi that would be relatively safe for her. Usagi's touch was death for her, whether she had become a full Lunarian or not. Her time was short. After some of the massive strikes Usagi had lead, very aggressively against her, Luna and the minions, she knew she had to resort to something drastic. As part of her training, Jadeite had versed her very thoroughly in the physiological makeup of all Lunarians, telling her that as a last resort she could release a sickness upon Usagi that she could not fight off. While her immune system changed along with the rest of her, she was at her most vulnerable now. Luna was no help, hopelessly insane, launching futile attack after futile attack on Artemis who beat her off again and again. She was ready to tell Artemis to just kill her and be done with it. Heading into the small room she had rented on the outskirts of town, she focused her will, calling to mind all her lessons on how to kill a fledgling Lunarian…that most irritating of all creatures, the Moon Princess herself. Her time was short now, only a few short months until Usagi would be unstoppable by any standards. Desperation made Rei sloppy, uncaring of what sickness she called, hoping only to incapacitate Usagi long enough to get close enough to kill her. She didn't care about the so-called honourable final face off. She worked from the darkness and the shadows where she could remain relatively safe. Calling down all the plagues she could think of, she ordered them to Usagi and smiled in anticipation. Soon the white moon princess would be dead and destiny would belong to her. It was only right, wasn't it?
Usagi had been having a fairly good day, having taken time away from Seiya to just be herself and not an arm ornament. She knew Seiya loved her, but there were times where she felt he loved her for her beauty alone. She was out today with Haruka and Michiru, her favourite couple because they, unlike Artemis and Minako weren't forever attached at the lip. Haruka had offered to give Usagi some driving lessons, in anticipation for her applying for her driver's licence, which Usagi had readily agreed to do. Now knowing the difference between the gas and brake pedal, cursing the horror of a stick shift, she apologized profusely to Haruka for bucking her beloved car halfway down the street before running into a garbage can and bending the passenger mirror into the side of the car. (A.N - Memories…I did the same thing a long time ago…) Leaning over to glance into a window, she felt a shadow cross her path and glanced up, seeing Mamoru. He opened his mouth to speak to her as her face lost all colour. Usagi collapsed in the middle of Spring Garden Road, oblivious to all except the strong arms that caught her before she hit the ground.
Haruka paced the house, furious, helpless. Usagi was in a bad state, and nothing Hotaru could do would get the sickness out of her system. She confirmed that it had been sent by Rei, designed specifically for Usagi and meant to kill her. Slowly, it was. It would beat down her defences until she was dead. Mamoru had refused to leave the house, telling Haruka that if she wanted to beat the living crap out him, to do so, because he wasn't leaving Usagi like this. Minako had called Seiya who admitted he couldn't bring himself to be near sick people, not his brothers, not his princess, not even his girlfriend. Minako claimed she understood, sticking her tongue out at the phone as she hung up. "It's getting worse, isn't it?" Setsuna questioned Hotaru.
"She's conscious now, but she's coughing up a lot of blood. She's in so much pain and I can't do a damn thing! She's too weak to focus the ginzuishou on herself." Hotaru said in frustration. "In any case, I don't think it would work, because Rei planned it this way."
"She's probably watching now," Artemis added. "Along with that nutcase Luna."
"I have no doubt." Michiru added. "We are not supposed to see them hovering outside Usagi's room, delighting in her slow and agonizing death. We are supposed to ignore it."
"Ignore it hell!" Haruka cursed. "Rei has no trace of honour in her soul! Afraid to face Usagi in open and honourable combat, she instead sinks to biological warfare. Only the most crazed minds of all millennia have done so. Remember in the Silver Millennium, those nut jobs from Nadac?"
"Oh heavens yes." Setsuna chuckled. "They were certainly the bunch weren't they? Spreading decay and disease wherever they went."
Ami entered, rubbing her eyes. "You'd think that with me, a future med student, Hotaru a born healer, Mamoru a surgical resident and Setsuna a scientist that we could find some way to alleviate her pain." She shook her head. "Is this what awaits me as a doctor? To see my patients suffer and know that I cannot give them any measure of relief?" she burst out.
Mamoru walked over to her. "I realize that I am the most unwelcome person in the world right now," he began. "But Ami I can speak from experience when I say that as a doctor, your greatest joy will come from those who get well and heal under your care, and they will comfort you when you lose one. Yes there are times when you will have to stand aside, but that is life. This is harder for all of us because Rei targeted Usagi. We know she chose this plague because it is lethal."
Ami smiled at Mamoru. "I never thought of it that way Mamoru." She admitted. "I hate being helpless."
"We all do." Haruka growled. "I need to punch something."
Michiru abruptly walked to the other side of the room, hiding behind Mamoru. "Here you go."
Haruka's eyes lit up as she cracked her knuckles and crossed the room, heading for Mamoru. "Stop it!" Minako cried. "This isn't going to help anything."
"Au contraire," Haruka smiled. "It will help me a great deal."
Mamoru smirked at her. "Hit me with your best shot Haruka. I'm not as easy as I was all those months ago."
"My what an open statement." Michiru drawled. "To be interpreted in so many ways."
Naru paused just inside the door. "Am I supposed to inform you that Rei and Luna are hovering outside Usagi's room, trying to open her window and get inside, and that this house is surrounded by minions moving in as we speak?"
She hadn't finished her sentence before people had rapidly moved to windows to look outside. Hearing a crash of glass upstairs, Haruka was the first to break out of her reverie. "Kitten!" she yelled, stampeding up the stairs.
Seiya sighed, knowing he should go to Usagi, but admitting to himself that he couldn't. He hated sickness in all forms, and despite Minako's assurance that it was an illness designed just for Usagi, he didn't think he could stand to see her sick. She was so strong and beautiful and that was how he liked to think of her. He paused, remembering that she had her choice to make, and remembered Minako had mentioned his rival was there. Making up his mind, he headed for Usagi's home, determined not to let Mamoru win her this time.
Luna hovered over Usagi's bed, smiling as the girl coughed and choked from her illness, her face red with fever, her body contorted in pain. Rei had not stopped laughing since she laid eyes on Usagi, and Luna was under orders to steal the crystal so they could slowly chip away pieces of it, thereby chipping away pieces of Usagi's life and add to her torment. "You!" Haruka's infuriated roar filled the room. "Get the hell away from her."
Luna smirked. "You take one step closer and I'll kill her here and now."
Haruka froze, unwilling to compromise the life of her little kitten. She held out a hand, staying the other senshi where they were behind her. She felt a slight breeze on her legs and glanced down, admiring how quickly Artemis had changed shape and headed towards Luna. He was the only one who could distract Luna now. Luna reached for the crystal on Usagi's heaving chest, triumphant. "You see?" she gloated. "You cannot beat the Void, and with her gone, victory will be ours!" her hand closed around the crystal.
It was uncertain what happened next; for the light shone so brightly that many could not see. Luna reached for the crystal just as it pulsed out a protective shield of energy surrounding Usagi. Usagi's crescent moon flared to life, protecting her as the crystal shoved Luna away. It was the mythical, never before seen but much heard about self-defence system. It had always been said that every member of the Moon Kingdom Royal Family had protection from the ginzuishou, even if they couldn't protect themselves. The ginzuishou was not just a normal crystal, but also a gift from the Goddess herself. It recognized its holder, knew she was in danger and reacted. Her life was tied in with the ginzuishou. Without Usagi, it would just be a pretty piece of glass.
Artemis lunged at Luna, the force of his attack shoving her out the window. Falling down to the ground, he had just enough time to position her underneath him to cushion his fall. They hit the ground with a sickening thud. Timidly, he glanced at Luna, horrified at how far her lunacy had progressed. He opened her rust brown eyes and smiled at him. "We finish this." She rasped.
Artemis nodded. "Let's take it away from here."
"I care not." Luna replied.
Rei ordered the minions to strike and strike quickly. With a bloodcurdling roar, they moved in on the house, startling all who were inside. Flashes of light indicated transformations as the senshi came dashing out of the house, armed to the teeth with the killing knives. Rei was certain Usagi had been left unprotected; going to finish what Luna had failed to do.
Seiya saw the fighting, heard the roars and sighed. He was so tired of fighting these things! Speaking his transformation words, he transformed and ran into battle, joining the senshi who were tired as well.
Rei smiled triumphantly at her handiwork when she sat on the side of Usagi's bed, unwilling to touch her even through blankets, lest she kill her with her pure touch. "I told you I'd take it all from you." She nodded. "I told you I'd win in the end." She reached for the ginzuishou.
"Touch it and die."
Rei turned to see Mamoru, her erstwhile lover in the doorway, seething with rage. "Hello love." She purred.
Mamoru sneered at her. "You are a sick and insane little girl. Get away from her."
Rei appeared to consider it for a moment before shaking her head. "No." she grinned at him. "You don't know this is lethal do you? No matter what you do, you cannot heal her. She cannot be saved."
"And neither can you." Mamoru snarled.
Rei threw back her head, laughing. "You can't kill me! Only she can!"
"I'll do my damnedest." He vowed. "Makoto managed to wound Jadeite with her last breath, I would do the same to you."
Rei stood up, backing away. "I will finish her later." She murmured, not wanting this confrontation now.
Mamoru knelt by Usagi's side, taking her cold hand in his. "You can't leave me." He rasped. "I don't care if you do choose Seiya, just don't die. I know you can hear me, wherever you are, you can't…" his voice broke for a moment. "You can't leave me. I feel emptiness I've never known before and it scares me. Usagi, above all, remember your destiny, remember to fight. Fight to come back. This world needs you. I need you." He said in a soft voice. "I will stand aside and watch you in the arms of Seiya for eternity if it makes you happy, but don't die."
"So you admit defeat at last." Seiya gloated from the doorway. "I knew you would. She loves me and I love her. She will choose me I knew it long ago. There is only one choice, and in the end it is me."
"You selfish bastard." Mamoru breathed. "Can't you think of her instead of yourself for once?"
"I am thinking of her!" Seiya snapped. "I'm thinking that I never made her cry! I'm thinking that I never cheated on her or left her! I'm thinking that I have worshipped her like the descendant of the Goddess she is!"
Mamoru glared at Seiya, rage coursing through him. "Yes I've made her cry, and yes I cheated on her. I made mistakes. I broke promises, and times I lied to her, but one thing has always been true, I've never stopped loving her. I'm human and I make mistakes, tragic and horrible ones, but I've tried to rectify it. I've accepted my punishment fairly quietly, being tormented and tortured by watching her so happy with you, and I don't fault her." He paused. "Where were you Seiya? When she fell sick and Minako told you on the phone…where were you? Oh yes, you told her that you couldn't see her sick like this! You want her for arm candy Seiya! You don't want her for who she is."
"And I suppose you know who she is?" he sneered.
"I do." Mamoru nodded. "I know every dream she has, every goal she aspires to. I have watched her grow from the person she was before into the woman she is now. I watched her leave her home and come to a foreign country by herself, I've watched her transform and find herself and become happy with herself. I accept who she has become, indeed, I love who she has become."
"She is the same as she always was." Seiya replied. "Only with me instead of you."
"If you think that, you are a fool." Mamoru replied. "You want her to live to spite me, I want her to live because this world cannot exist without her light. Who is the hypocrite here?"
Seiya could not reply, and Mamoru said nothing more.
Artemis had a head start on Luna, but not much of one. She chased him as a rabid dog after it's prey and he ran like a rabbit avoiding being dinner. He regretted that he would have to kill her, but there was no helping it this time. They faced off; knowing the power each possessed, knowing there was no easy way to end this. With a shriek of rage she launched herself at him, her hands curling like claws, wanting to rake his eyes from his face. He managed to shove her to the side, nimbly dancing out of the way. "I have no time for this fight now Luna." He said, his breathing heavy. "I have to check on the princess you damned."
"She is not Selenity, she is Usagi." Luna retorted.
"She is both, and you may have contributed to killing her." Artemis spat, rage in his voice. "I will come for you, make no mistake Luna, but for now, I have other concerns. You are not important enough for me to kill today." With that insult, he leapt away from her, racing back to the house.
Usagi was floating in a sea of agony. She heard disjointed voices around her, unable to make sense of them. She knew she was in danger, for she felt the ginzuishou flare to life to protect her. She wanted to shake her head in futility, trying to communicate to the ginzuishou that it was hopeless, she could not be saved from this plague. Warmth surrounded her, permeating the cold, making her feel safe and protected. Warmth that had been around her for a thousand years, warmth that had betrayed her and made her cry, warmth she had forgiven, warmth she could no more stop loving than she could stop breathing. Warmth she chose. 'I choose you.' She said in a wordless cry. 'Anata shikanai!' (I have only you). The warmth pulsed with a golden light, reaching out to the diminishing silver that was her life, reaching towards a broken bond.
Mamoru had reached into the powers of the earth itself, bringing forth the golden power that was the golden crystal. It was not Chibi Usa's crystal as everyone had assumed, but his that he had allowed his daughter to use, Helios being his cousin. Using the power within himself, not caring if he died, yearning only for Usagi to live, wanting nothing more, he cast the power from himself reaching inside the plague ravaged body of his only love towards that fading silver light. He remembered a tale he had heard as a child, one spoken a thousand years ago that he had discounted as a fairy tale until he laid eyes on this golden child.
*** It is written that the Princess of the Moon knows the hearts of everyone but does not rule them. Thus everyone is free to choose their own destiny, but thus can the Princess of the Moon foresee how each person will act to fulfill that destiny.
It is also said that two souls, destined to touch each other, for good or for evil will know this in the instant of their meeting.
At that moment, two souls met, two souls knew…***
He had known from the first time he gazed into her eyes that he could not live without her. Reaching inside himself towards the broken bond, he prayed that he could save her, knowing that he was the only one who could.
Light streaked through the black, separating it as if it were an impertinent child, the weakened silver heading towards the pulsing gold with all the force of a runaway train. The black tried to keep them apart, throwing up blocks and obstacles, separating them, directing them away from each other, sending them down different roads. In the end, it was not enough. Love stronger than time ignored the black and continually searched for a way to climb the black wall, the powers sought to join once more, and, finding a weakness, a chink in the armour that was the black sickness sent by the Void, the power tore through, rejoining once more in a glorious reunion. Entwining around each other until they were unable to ever be torn apart again, the black conceded defeat and departed, leaving a pulsing cord of silver and gold, stronger than ever for the trials it had been through.
Usagi opened her eyes and Mamoru breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the instant she had responded to him. "Okaeri." He whispered.
Seiya shoved Mamoru to the side. "Oh Usako, I'm so glad that you are alive. I've been so worried."
"I'm sure you have." Usagi said in a weak voice, attempting to sit up. "Seiya… my choice…"
"You choose me!" he crowed, victorious. "I knew you would."
Usagi held up a pale hand. Turning to Mamoru she smiled, the flush on her cheeks no longer from the fever. "I choose you." She said simply. "In the end there was one choice…you. A power that rivals mine, a power that can equal mine, the other half to my soul."
Seiya's face dropped as her words sunk in. "Him?" he spat. "But he hurt you! He betrayed you and made you cry!"
"Part of the trials we were told we would endure years ago. We were told that many things would come into our path and turn us against each other, separate us from each other, but if we were strong we could survive. We have done so. Mamoru has repented and I made him suffer enough. I could never speak the words to Seiya, though I tried many times, something held me back. Every time you took me in your arms all I could see was him. You never really wanted me for me Seiya, you wanted me for vengeance on Mamoru and for a model girlfriend. Go back to your princess, the one you fled here to forget." Usagi smiled.
Seiya's face paled. "You knew about that?"
"I knew you didn't come here for me." Usagi nodded. "You were running again, like the shooting star that you are. Go back to her Seiya, for she is the one you truly love, not me."
Seiya sighed. "You're right Odango." He smiled. "Thank you."
"Do not be dismayed by goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again after moments or lifetimes is certain for those who are friends." Usagi told him. "Go to Kakyuu, she is waiting."
Seiya nodded and left the room, leaving Usagi and Mamoru alone.
No words were spoken, and indeed none were needed. In the rising shadow of blackness, the threat of war looming and coming closer, the semi- prepared Moon Princess and the weary Prince of Earth held each other, emotions flowing through the newly reformed bond, bringing them closer than they had ever been. Mamoru's heart was known to her, the man who would have stood aside for her, the man who would have died for her, all in the name of love. Usagi's mind was known to Mamoru, the woman who had never stopped loving him, the woman who would have left one who worshipped her because she could only see his face, the one who had died for him, in the name of love.
Love knows no boundaries or caste system, it just is, inexplicable and unknown. This was the emotion the Lunarians knew better than anyone else. Love was not a game to them, it was life to them, and it was as simple as the love between a boy and girl that saved Usagi's life.
Haruka sighed as she watched from the doorway. "I still don't like him." She admitted quietly to Michiru.
"Go easy on him 'Ruka." Michiru replied, just as quiet. "He saved her life."
"I guess I can learn to try." Haruka sighed.
Hotaru and Setsuna exchanged knowing glances, smiling at each other. "Isn't it a pain always being right?" Hotaru murmured to Setsuna.
"Most of the time yes," Setsuna chuckled. "But when you see something like this before your eyes, it makes always being right worthwhile."
Naru sighed as she watched Usagi and Mamoru hold each other, not speaking and closed her eyes, thinking of Nephrite, who despite being dead, she still loved.
Ami grinned openly with Minako who was giving a victory dance in the hallway with Artemis trying to keep up with her. "She's alive, and in the end, who cares what happens to Rei?"
Rei sneered as she watched Usagi and Mamoru hold each other tightly. Clenching her teeth she raised a bloodied fist to the sky. "I shall look upon my enemy," she swore. "I shall look upon her and the dark place will have her soul."
And so endeth this chapter! Sorry it's a little shorter than I was aiming for, but I'm still sick. NO FLAMES PLEASE! As I mentioned, I chose the character who best fit in with this storyline, and I felt it was Mamoru, with a crystal of his own, with a power to rival Usagi's. I hope no one is offended, and I just want to say that I very nearly did choose Seiya, but changed my mind at the last minute. The next chapter is the final battle, so I hope you all will keep reading! I hope I didn't disappoint anyone and I'm sorry if this wasn't up to my usual standards, but the final chapter will be much longer and hopefully good enough to pacify all of you! Please don't hunt me down and kill me eh?
Ja ne!
Rei narrowed her eyes. She had to find some way to strike at Usagi that would be relatively safe for her. Usagi's touch was death for her, whether she had become a full Lunarian or not. Her time was short. After some of the massive strikes Usagi had lead, very aggressively against her, Luna and the minions, she knew she had to resort to something drastic. As part of her training, Jadeite had versed her very thoroughly in the physiological makeup of all Lunarians, telling her that as a last resort she could release a sickness upon Usagi that she could not fight off. While her immune system changed along with the rest of her, she was at her most vulnerable now. Luna was no help, hopelessly insane, launching futile attack after futile attack on Artemis who beat her off again and again. She was ready to tell Artemis to just kill her and be done with it. Heading into the small room she had rented on the outskirts of town, she focused her will, calling to mind all her lessons on how to kill a fledgling Lunarian…that most irritating of all creatures, the Moon Princess herself. Her time was short now, only a few short months until Usagi would be unstoppable by any standards. Desperation made Rei sloppy, uncaring of what sickness she called, hoping only to incapacitate Usagi long enough to get close enough to kill her. She didn't care about the so-called honourable final face off. She worked from the darkness and the shadows where she could remain relatively safe. Calling down all the plagues she could think of, she ordered them to Usagi and smiled in anticipation. Soon the white moon princess would be dead and destiny would belong to her. It was only right, wasn't it?
Usagi had been having a fairly good day, having taken time away from Seiya to just be herself and not an arm ornament. She knew Seiya loved her, but there were times where she felt he loved her for her beauty alone. She was out today with Haruka and Michiru, her favourite couple because they, unlike Artemis and Minako weren't forever attached at the lip. Haruka had offered to give Usagi some driving lessons, in anticipation for her applying for her driver's licence, which Usagi had readily agreed to do. Now knowing the difference between the gas and brake pedal, cursing the horror of a stick shift, she apologized profusely to Haruka for bucking her beloved car halfway down the street before running into a garbage can and bending the passenger mirror into the side of the car. (A.N - Memories…I did the same thing a long time ago…) Leaning over to glance into a window, she felt a shadow cross her path and glanced up, seeing Mamoru. He opened his mouth to speak to her as her face lost all colour. Usagi collapsed in the middle of Spring Garden Road, oblivious to all except the strong arms that caught her before she hit the ground.
Haruka paced the house, furious, helpless. Usagi was in a bad state, and nothing Hotaru could do would get the sickness out of her system. She confirmed that it had been sent by Rei, designed specifically for Usagi and meant to kill her. Slowly, it was. It would beat down her defences until she was dead. Mamoru had refused to leave the house, telling Haruka that if she wanted to beat the living crap out him, to do so, because he wasn't leaving Usagi like this. Minako had called Seiya who admitted he couldn't bring himself to be near sick people, not his brothers, not his princess, not even his girlfriend. Minako claimed she understood, sticking her tongue out at the phone as she hung up. "It's getting worse, isn't it?" Setsuna questioned Hotaru.
"She's conscious now, but she's coughing up a lot of blood. She's in so much pain and I can't do a damn thing! She's too weak to focus the ginzuishou on herself." Hotaru said in frustration. "In any case, I don't think it would work, because Rei planned it this way."
"She's probably watching now," Artemis added. "Along with that nutcase Luna."
"I have no doubt." Michiru added. "We are not supposed to see them hovering outside Usagi's room, delighting in her slow and agonizing death. We are supposed to ignore it."
"Ignore it hell!" Haruka cursed. "Rei has no trace of honour in her soul! Afraid to face Usagi in open and honourable combat, she instead sinks to biological warfare. Only the most crazed minds of all millennia have done so. Remember in the Silver Millennium, those nut jobs from Nadac?"
"Oh heavens yes." Setsuna chuckled. "They were certainly the bunch weren't they? Spreading decay and disease wherever they went."
Ami entered, rubbing her eyes. "You'd think that with me, a future med student, Hotaru a born healer, Mamoru a surgical resident and Setsuna a scientist that we could find some way to alleviate her pain." She shook her head. "Is this what awaits me as a doctor? To see my patients suffer and know that I cannot give them any measure of relief?" she burst out.
Mamoru walked over to her. "I realize that I am the most unwelcome person in the world right now," he began. "But Ami I can speak from experience when I say that as a doctor, your greatest joy will come from those who get well and heal under your care, and they will comfort you when you lose one. Yes there are times when you will have to stand aside, but that is life. This is harder for all of us because Rei targeted Usagi. We know she chose this plague because it is lethal."
Ami smiled at Mamoru. "I never thought of it that way Mamoru." She admitted. "I hate being helpless."
"We all do." Haruka growled. "I need to punch something."
Michiru abruptly walked to the other side of the room, hiding behind Mamoru. "Here you go."
Haruka's eyes lit up as she cracked her knuckles and crossed the room, heading for Mamoru. "Stop it!" Minako cried. "This isn't going to help anything."
"Au contraire," Haruka smiled. "It will help me a great deal."
Mamoru smirked at her. "Hit me with your best shot Haruka. I'm not as easy as I was all those months ago."
"My what an open statement." Michiru drawled. "To be interpreted in so many ways."
Naru paused just inside the door. "Am I supposed to inform you that Rei and Luna are hovering outside Usagi's room, trying to open her window and get inside, and that this house is surrounded by minions moving in as we speak?"
She hadn't finished her sentence before people had rapidly moved to windows to look outside. Hearing a crash of glass upstairs, Haruka was the first to break out of her reverie. "Kitten!" she yelled, stampeding up the stairs.
Seiya sighed, knowing he should go to Usagi, but admitting to himself that he couldn't. He hated sickness in all forms, and despite Minako's assurance that it was an illness designed just for Usagi, he didn't think he could stand to see her sick. She was so strong and beautiful and that was how he liked to think of her. He paused, remembering that she had her choice to make, and remembered Minako had mentioned his rival was there. Making up his mind, he headed for Usagi's home, determined not to let Mamoru win her this time.
Luna hovered over Usagi's bed, smiling as the girl coughed and choked from her illness, her face red with fever, her body contorted in pain. Rei had not stopped laughing since she laid eyes on Usagi, and Luna was under orders to steal the crystal so they could slowly chip away pieces of it, thereby chipping away pieces of Usagi's life and add to her torment. "You!" Haruka's infuriated roar filled the room. "Get the hell away from her."
Luna smirked. "You take one step closer and I'll kill her here and now."
Haruka froze, unwilling to compromise the life of her little kitten. She held out a hand, staying the other senshi where they were behind her. She felt a slight breeze on her legs and glanced down, admiring how quickly Artemis had changed shape and headed towards Luna. He was the only one who could distract Luna now. Luna reached for the crystal on Usagi's heaving chest, triumphant. "You see?" she gloated. "You cannot beat the Void, and with her gone, victory will be ours!" her hand closed around the crystal.
It was uncertain what happened next; for the light shone so brightly that many could not see. Luna reached for the crystal just as it pulsed out a protective shield of energy surrounding Usagi. Usagi's crescent moon flared to life, protecting her as the crystal shoved Luna away. It was the mythical, never before seen but much heard about self-defence system. It had always been said that every member of the Moon Kingdom Royal Family had protection from the ginzuishou, even if they couldn't protect themselves. The ginzuishou was not just a normal crystal, but also a gift from the Goddess herself. It recognized its holder, knew she was in danger and reacted. Her life was tied in with the ginzuishou. Without Usagi, it would just be a pretty piece of glass.
Artemis lunged at Luna, the force of his attack shoving her out the window. Falling down to the ground, he had just enough time to position her underneath him to cushion his fall. They hit the ground with a sickening thud. Timidly, he glanced at Luna, horrified at how far her lunacy had progressed. He opened her rust brown eyes and smiled at him. "We finish this." She rasped.
Artemis nodded. "Let's take it away from here."
"I care not." Luna replied.
Rei ordered the minions to strike and strike quickly. With a bloodcurdling roar, they moved in on the house, startling all who were inside. Flashes of light indicated transformations as the senshi came dashing out of the house, armed to the teeth with the killing knives. Rei was certain Usagi had been left unprotected; going to finish what Luna had failed to do.
Seiya saw the fighting, heard the roars and sighed. He was so tired of fighting these things! Speaking his transformation words, he transformed and ran into battle, joining the senshi who were tired as well.
Rei smiled triumphantly at her handiwork when she sat on the side of Usagi's bed, unwilling to touch her even through blankets, lest she kill her with her pure touch. "I told you I'd take it all from you." She nodded. "I told you I'd win in the end." She reached for the ginzuishou.
"Touch it and die."
Rei turned to see Mamoru, her erstwhile lover in the doorway, seething with rage. "Hello love." She purred.
Mamoru sneered at her. "You are a sick and insane little girl. Get away from her."
Rei appeared to consider it for a moment before shaking her head. "No." she grinned at him. "You don't know this is lethal do you? No matter what you do, you cannot heal her. She cannot be saved."
"And neither can you." Mamoru snarled.
Rei threw back her head, laughing. "You can't kill me! Only she can!"
"I'll do my damnedest." He vowed. "Makoto managed to wound Jadeite with her last breath, I would do the same to you."
Rei stood up, backing away. "I will finish her later." She murmured, not wanting this confrontation now.
Mamoru knelt by Usagi's side, taking her cold hand in his. "You can't leave me." He rasped. "I don't care if you do choose Seiya, just don't die. I know you can hear me, wherever you are, you can't…" his voice broke for a moment. "You can't leave me. I feel emptiness I've never known before and it scares me. Usagi, above all, remember your destiny, remember to fight. Fight to come back. This world needs you. I need you." He said in a soft voice. "I will stand aside and watch you in the arms of Seiya for eternity if it makes you happy, but don't die."
"So you admit defeat at last." Seiya gloated from the doorway. "I knew you would. She loves me and I love her. She will choose me I knew it long ago. There is only one choice, and in the end it is me."
"You selfish bastard." Mamoru breathed. "Can't you think of her instead of yourself for once?"
"I am thinking of her!" Seiya snapped. "I'm thinking that I never made her cry! I'm thinking that I never cheated on her or left her! I'm thinking that I have worshipped her like the descendant of the Goddess she is!"
Mamoru glared at Seiya, rage coursing through him. "Yes I've made her cry, and yes I cheated on her. I made mistakes. I broke promises, and times I lied to her, but one thing has always been true, I've never stopped loving her. I'm human and I make mistakes, tragic and horrible ones, but I've tried to rectify it. I've accepted my punishment fairly quietly, being tormented and tortured by watching her so happy with you, and I don't fault her." He paused. "Where were you Seiya? When she fell sick and Minako told you on the phone…where were you? Oh yes, you told her that you couldn't see her sick like this! You want her for arm candy Seiya! You don't want her for who she is."
"And I suppose you know who she is?" he sneered.
"I do." Mamoru nodded. "I know every dream she has, every goal she aspires to. I have watched her grow from the person she was before into the woman she is now. I watched her leave her home and come to a foreign country by herself, I've watched her transform and find herself and become happy with herself. I accept who she has become, indeed, I love who she has become."
"She is the same as she always was." Seiya replied. "Only with me instead of you."
"If you think that, you are a fool." Mamoru replied. "You want her to live to spite me, I want her to live because this world cannot exist without her light. Who is the hypocrite here?"
Seiya could not reply, and Mamoru said nothing more.
Artemis had a head start on Luna, but not much of one. She chased him as a rabid dog after it's prey and he ran like a rabbit avoiding being dinner. He regretted that he would have to kill her, but there was no helping it this time. They faced off; knowing the power each possessed, knowing there was no easy way to end this. With a shriek of rage she launched herself at him, her hands curling like claws, wanting to rake his eyes from his face. He managed to shove her to the side, nimbly dancing out of the way. "I have no time for this fight now Luna." He said, his breathing heavy. "I have to check on the princess you damned."
"She is not Selenity, she is Usagi." Luna retorted.
"She is both, and you may have contributed to killing her." Artemis spat, rage in his voice. "I will come for you, make no mistake Luna, but for now, I have other concerns. You are not important enough for me to kill today." With that insult, he leapt away from her, racing back to the house.
Usagi was floating in a sea of agony. She heard disjointed voices around her, unable to make sense of them. She knew she was in danger, for she felt the ginzuishou flare to life to protect her. She wanted to shake her head in futility, trying to communicate to the ginzuishou that it was hopeless, she could not be saved from this plague. Warmth surrounded her, permeating the cold, making her feel safe and protected. Warmth that had been around her for a thousand years, warmth that had betrayed her and made her cry, warmth she had forgiven, warmth she could no more stop loving than she could stop breathing. Warmth she chose. 'I choose you.' She said in a wordless cry. 'Anata shikanai!' (I have only you). The warmth pulsed with a golden light, reaching out to the diminishing silver that was her life, reaching towards a broken bond.
Mamoru had reached into the powers of the earth itself, bringing forth the golden power that was the golden crystal. It was not Chibi Usa's crystal as everyone had assumed, but his that he had allowed his daughter to use, Helios being his cousin. Using the power within himself, not caring if he died, yearning only for Usagi to live, wanting nothing more, he cast the power from himself reaching inside the plague ravaged body of his only love towards that fading silver light. He remembered a tale he had heard as a child, one spoken a thousand years ago that he had discounted as a fairy tale until he laid eyes on this golden child.
*** It is written that the Princess of the Moon knows the hearts of everyone but does not rule them. Thus everyone is free to choose their own destiny, but thus can the Princess of the Moon foresee how each person will act to fulfill that destiny.
It is also said that two souls, destined to touch each other, for good or for evil will know this in the instant of their meeting.
At that moment, two souls met, two souls knew…***
He had known from the first time he gazed into her eyes that he could not live without her. Reaching inside himself towards the broken bond, he prayed that he could save her, knowing that he was the only one who could.
Light streaked through the black, separating it as if it were an impertinent child, the weakened silver heading towards the pulsing gold with all the force of a runaway train. The black tried to keep them apart, throwing up blocks and obstacles, separating them, directing them away from each other, sending them down different roads. In the end, it was not enough. Love stronger than time ignored the black and continually searched for a way to climb the black wall, the powers sought to join once more, and, finding a weakness, a chink in the armour that was the black sickness sent by the Void, the power tore through, rejoining once more in a glorious reunion. Entwining around each other until they were unable to ever be torn apart again, the black conceded defeat and departed, leaving a pulsing cord of silver and gold, stronger than ever for the trials it had been through.
Usagi opened her eyes and Mamoru breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the instant she had responded to him. "Okaeri." He whispered.
Seiya shoved Mamoru to the side. "Oh Usako, I'm so glad that you are alive. I've been so worried."
"I'm sure you have." Usagi said in a weak voice, attempting to sit up. "Seiya… my choice…"
"You choose me!" he crowed, victorious. "I knew you would."
Usagi held up a pale hand. Turning to Mamoru she smiled, the flush on her cheeks no longer from the fever. "I choose you." She said simply. "In the end there was one choice…you. A power that rivals mine, a power that can equal mine, the other half to my soul."
Seiya's face dropped as her words sunk in. "Him?" he spat. "But he hurt you! He betrayed you and made you cry!"
"Part of the trials we were told we would endure years ago. We were told that many things would come into our path and turn us against each other, separate us from each other, but if we were strong we could survive. We have done so. Mamoru has repented and I made him suffer enough. I could never speak the words to Seiya, though I tried many times, something held me back. Every time you took me in your arms all I could see was him. You never really wanted me for me Seiya, you wanted me for vengeance on Mamoru and for a model girlfriend. Go back to your princess, the one you fled here to forget." Usagi smiled.
Seiya's face paled. "You knew about that?"
"I knew you didn't come here for me." Usagi nodded. "You were running again, like the shooting star that you are. Go back to her Seiya, for she is the one you truly love, not me."
Seiya sighed. "You're right Odango." He smiled. "Thank you."
"Do not be dismayed by goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again after moments or lifetimes is certain for those who are friends." Usagi told him. "Go to Kakyuu, she is waiting."
Seiya nodded and left the room, leaving Usagi and Mamoru alone.
No words were spoken, and indeed none were needed. In the rising shadow of blackness, the threat of war looming and coming closer, the semi- prepared Moon Princess and the weary Prince of Earth held each other, emotions flowing through the newly reformed bond, bringing them closer than they had ever been. Mamoru's heart was known to her, the man who would have stood aside for her, the man who would have died for her, all in the name of love. Usagi's mind was known to Mamoru, the woman who had never stopped loving him, the woman who would have left one who worshipped her because she could only see his face, the one who had died for him, in the name of love.
Love knows no boundaries or caste system, it just is, inexplicable and unknown. This was the emotion the Lunarians knew better than anyone else. Love was not a game to them, it was life to them, and it was as simple as the love between a boy and girl that saved Usagi's life.
Haruka sighed as she watched from the doorway. "I still don't like him." She admitted quietly to Michiru.
"Go easy on him 'Ruka." Michiru replied, just as quiet. "He saved her life."
"I guess I can learn to try." Haruka sighed.
Hotaru and Setsuna exchanged knowing glances, smiling at each other. "Isn't it a pain always being right?" Hotaru murmured to Setsuna.
"Most of the time yes," Setsuna chuckled. "But when you see something like this before your eyes, it makes always being right worthwhile."
Naru sighed as she watched Usagi and Mamoru hold each other, not speaking and closed her eyes, thinking of Nephrite, who despite being dead, she still loved.
Ami grinned openly with Minako who was giving a victory dance in the hallway with Artemis trying to keep up with her. "She's alive, and in the end, who cares what happens to Rei?"
Rei sneered as she watched Usagi and Mamoru hold each other tightly. Clenching her teeth she raised a bloodied fist to the sky. "I shall look upon my enemy," she swore. "I shall look upon her and the dark place will have her soul."
And so endeth this chapter! Sorry it's a little shorter than I was aiming for, but I'm still sick. NO FLAMES PLEASE! As I mentioned, I chose the character who best fit in with this storyline, and I felt it was Mamoru, with a crystal of his own, with a power to rival Usagi's. I hope no one is offended, and I just want to say that I very nearly did choose Seiya, but changed my mind at the last minute. The next chapter is the final battle, so I hope you all will keep reading! I hope I didn't disappoint anyone and I'm sorry if this wasn't up to my usual standards, but the final chapter will be much longer and hopefully good enough to pacify all of you! Please don't hunt me down and kill me eh?
Ja ne!