Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Ascension Trilogy, Book 2: Judgment Day ❯ The Power Of Love ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

JUDGMENT DAY,
Chapter 2: "The Power Of Love"

By Bill K.

"Mamo-chan," Usagi inquired weakly. She looked up through eyes
that didn't want to focus. There was a dark shape near her, but only
when it scooped up her limp hand and squeezed it did she know it was her
husband. "Have I been asleep long?"

"Long enough," Mamoru said tenderly. Then he smiled with
mischief. "Of course you laying around doing nothing isn't unusual,
Odango Atama."

"If I had any strength, I'd hit you with my shoe," Usagi pouted.
"How close did I come?"

"Way too close for my tastes," Mamoru replied.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't scare you like that."

"Don't blame yourself," Mamoru said, gently brushing yellow bangs
from her forehead. "This wasn't your fault. This was caused by Janus."

"Janus?"

"He poisoned you."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because he was the advance scout for an invasion of beings called
The Frost Giants," Mamoru explained. "And you were the only one
powerful enough to stop their invasion of Earth. So they took you out
- - almost permanently."

"Poor Setsuna," Usagi whimpered. "She must be devastated. She
was really in love with him."

Mamoru smiled in amazement at his wife's reaction. His thumb
caressed her lips.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Weak," Usagi told him. "It's all I can do to stay awake."

"Well, your vitals have shown an amazing improvement in the last
few hours. Unless something happens, like you trying to get up too
soon, you should be out of the woods in a few days."

"I'm not getting up," Usagi smiled wanly. "I'm not sure I could
right now."

Suddenly the hospital room shook violently. Mamoru stood and
peered out of the window.

"Mamo-chan, what is it?" Usagi asked.

"The Frost Giants," he told her.

"They invaded already?"

"No one could stop them."

"But," and Usagi swallowed, "what about the senshi?"

"They're fighting even as we speak." Mamoru looked down, burdened
by his next thought. "I may have to join them."

"You do what you need to do," Usagi said resolutely. "Don't worry
about me. Just please be careful." She smiled timidly at him. "I'll
join you as soon as I can."

Mamoru leaned over and kissed her.

"You get well," he told her.

"Come back to me and I will. Your kisses are the best medicine
there is for me."

Mamoru returned her gaze of love, then turned and left. Usagi lay
in her hospital bed and tried not to be afraid for him.
* * * *
Sailor Pluto stepped away from the barrier and out into the open,
in full view of the Frost Giant. Her Time Staff was held between her
two hands level with the ground. Her expression was unreadable, were
the Frost Giant capable of reading expressions. The giant reacted as
expected toward her. His huge hand came up and fired a numbing blast of
cold directly at her.

Without changing expression, Sailor Pluto brought her staff up to
a vertical position and faded away.

Perplexed, the giant stared for a moment. From the safety of the
barrier, the recovering Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune stared as well.
The impression of Sailor Pluto faded from the brain of the Frost Giant.
He turned back to his original course, heading for the gate of the park.

Then Sailor Pluto appeared before him, forty feet from her
original position. She blocked the giant's path to the gate.

"Chronos Whirlpool!" Pluto called out, rotating her staff in a
counter-clockwise motion. The ruby talisman atop the staff began to
glow. The giant's motion ground to a stop.

"Pluto, what did you do?" Neptune gasped, running over to her
longtime comrade in arms.

"I have slowed time around the giant," Pluto explained. "For him
a second is to us a day. If you wish proof, I suggest you watch him
closely. You will see him move slightly - - in an hour or so."

"Pluto," Neptune whispered, awed by both the display of power and
by her friend's cavalier attitude toward it. "How long have you been
able to do this?"

"I have always been able to do this," Pluto replied casually.
"Power such as this is my birthright as the senshi of time. I have only
just recently realized I am able to do such things." She stared at
Neptune and Neptune could see some of the pain lingering behind the
stoic façade. "I have come to learn many things in the past few months,
both about myself and about the world in general. I admit many of those
lessons are things I would rather not have learned. But that, too, is
my birthright."

Suddenly Sailor Pluto clutched at her chest, doubling over in
pain.

"Pluto!" gasped Sailor Neptune. "What is it?"

"Pain!" Pluto gasped out through teeth ground together.
"Incredible!"

"Did you hurt yourself?"

"I," she sputtered, "cannot see how! Untouched!" Pluto was
panting like she couldn't get enough air. Beads of sweat were forming
on her brow and instantly cooling. Pluto clung to her Time Staff as if
it were a lifeline. "So weak!"

"Maybe that thing is doing something to you!" Neptune choked out.
"I'll try to finish it off!"

Concentrating, Sailor Neptune summoned the Deep Aqua Mirror.
Bringing it up to her face, she began to invoke the phrase that would
let loose the mirror's deadly energy beam. Then she stopped. In the
mirror was not her own reflection, but Pluto. And through the crystal
clear vision of the Deep Aqua Mirror, Sailor Neptune discovered the
truth.

"Pluto, you have to stop slowing time for that Frost Giant!"
Neptune said desperately. "The attack is draining away your life
energy!"

Grimacing, Pluto concentrated. The Ruby Orb atop the staff flared
crimson. At once time seemed to kick back into gear for the Frost Giant
and in seconds it was lumbering past them, headed toward the residential
East Side of Tokyo. Pluto clutched her chest and gasped for air,
Neptune by her side.

"So," Pluto panted, "some futures are hidden even from me." She
sucked in more air. "Or perhaps I was careless, arrogant in my new
abilities."

"Or maybe you're still feeling your way," Neptune consoled her.
"How are you now?"

"The pain in my chest has subsided," Pluto told her. "I feel
wrung out, but I will live."

"Good," Neptune smiled warmly.

Something caused both senshi to look behind them. Perhaps it was
a noise, perhaps just a perception. To their mutual horror, a third
Frost Giant was emerging from the portal over the lake.

"Damn it!" spat Neptune in frustration. She pushed to her feet.
"There's no more time! I'm going to destroy that second giant or die
trying! Get back into the battle as soon as you can!"

Pluto nodded. She knew words were useless at a time like this.

"And Setsuna," Neptune said, turning back to her. "If this is my
last battle, I'm sorry for the trouble that I caused between us. I'm
honored to have fought next to you and to have called you a friend."

"And I you," Pluto replied, her voice husky with emotion.
* * * *
Usagi opened her eyes and breathed weakly. It took a moment to
focus. When she did, she saw Sanjuro in the doorway, nearly blocking
out all the light from the hall. He peeked in timidly. Huddled next to
him were Akiko and Ichiro. Usagi silently waved them in. When the kids
noticed she was awake, they broke from their father and ran to her
bedside.

"Auntie Usagi?" Akiko ventured timidly. "What happened?"

"I," and the woman paused to edit, "accidentally ate something bad
for me. I'm sorry if I've worried you kids."

"Are you going to be all right?" Ichiro asked, dreading the
answer.

"Yes," she sighed with fatigue. "Your Aunt Ami and your Uncle
Mamo-chan are taking care of me. I can't get much better care than
that, can I? And your Mom and your Aunt Rei and Aunt Minako are
watching out for me, too. Don't worry. I'm in very good hands. You
have to trust them like I do."

"When are you going to be well again?" Akiko asked.

"I don't know," Usagi smiled weakly. "You know how bad I am at
figuring out things like that." She stroked Akiko's face, then patted
Ichiro on the shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm taking your Mom away from you
for so long."

"That's OK, Auntie Usagi," Akiko said with unearthly maturity.
"Mom's a senshi and she's got to do stuff like that."

"My, you're taking it so well," Usagi said. "When I was your age,
I would have been crying my eyes out. I was such a little crybaby back
then. Just ask your Aunt Rei." Usagi let out a tired breath. "Sorry I
don't have any candy for you kids."

"Just get well, Auntie Usagi," Ichiro said, on the verge of tears.
"I'll trade all the candy in the world for that."

Suddenly Sanjuro loomed over them both. He looked down at Usagi,
his massive frame blotting out the room on that side, while his hands
gently came to rest on his children for moral support. Ichiro took to
the hand gratefully, while Akiko only silently acknowledged her
gratitude.

"Please take care of Makoto?" Usagi asked. "I'm afraid I'm giving
her way too much to worry about. I know I've upset her terribly."

"Don't worry about her," Sanjuro smiled reassuringly. "I'll take
care of her. You just worry about yourself for a change."

"I'll get well," Usagi smiled, drifting off to sleep. "Mamo-chan
needs me to . . ."

"We all need you to," Sanjuro whispered. Silently he led his
children out of the room and closed the door.
* * * *
Sailor Neptune ran down the street, going as fast as she could in
high heels on slick ice. Everywhere she looked, she saw frozen
buildings collapsed under the weight of the ice; streets full of frozen
cars and trucks, the fleeing drivers and passengers as frozen and
motionless as their vehicles; sidewalks full of frozen people, stopped
in their tracks as they tried to flee the monster. It hurt to see such
devastation, but she shunted it aside. It was a talent she possessed,
the ability to turn off her feelings and focus on the mission at hand.

If they still lived in their tombs of ice, she would free them.
For those who were already dead, she would weep for them later.

When she had cut the distance between them to twenty meters,
Sailor Neptune once more summoned the Deep Aqua Mirror. Brandishing it
like a sword, she brought it up level with her face. Her green hair
blew in suddenly biting cold winds, but she stood firm.

"Submarine Reflection!" was the clarion call from her small mouth.

An energy beam lanced out from the face of the mirror. It struck
the Frost Giant in the back, square between the shoulder blades. The
beam struck with enough force to pitch the giant forward. Shards of ice
flew out from the monster where the beam had struck. The giant fell
forward, falling to the street face first. The cars beneath it were
crushed. Fortunately the people inside them had abandoned them and fled
at the approach of the Frost Giant.

Neptune allowed herself a moment's expression of confidence. It
had been a blow well struck and lifted her spirits. If it wasn't
already dead, a few more such blasts should finish it off. Her
expression grew serious as the huge block of ice lifted itself from the
street. It turned, pivoting on its knees, and extended its hand toward
her.

Knowing what was coming, Neptune fired another blast. The beam
struck the hand of the Frost Giant. With the ice thinner at that point,
the beam was able to pierce the hand completely. Cracks appeared
through the palm and fingers of the hand. The giant recoiled in pain,
pulling the hand back and in effect shearing off the last three fingers.

Sensing the kill, Sailor Neptune bore down. She sent another beam
directly into the chest of the beast. If it had a heart, she fully
intended to use the Deep Aqua Mirror to carve it from the Frost Giant's
chest. The beam struck and the giant fell back under the assault.

Its cold attack stymied, the giant resorted to the only defense
left to it. Picking up a frozen car, the giant flung it at Neptune.
Propelled by the strength of the Frost Giant, the car hurled at Neptune
with such speed that she was barely able to get out of the way. Neptune
regained her balance on the precarious ice and brought up the mirror for
another shot.

At once she was struck with a blast of cold beyond arctic. The
cold sliced through her body, cutting her to the bone and sapping
vitality from her. Determined to see this through, though, Neptune bore
down and propelled another beam at the Frost Giant. However, the
intense cold acted as a buffer against the energy beam, draining the
energy from the beam. When it finally fought through the intense cold,
it struck the Frost Giant with no more force than a wadded tissue.

"I'm beginning to freeze!" Neptune thought, fighting to keep from
succumbing to the numbing cold. She nearly sank to her knees under the
onslaught, expending precious energy to stay erect. Her hands could
barely grip the mirror. Her skin was gaining patches of white and she
could barely feel anything. "No! I have to fight back! I have to kill
this thing! For the world's sake!"

With trembling hands, Neptune brought up the Deep Aqua Mirror for
another shot.

"For Haruka!"

And then the glass in the mirror shattered from exposure to the
intense cold.
* * * *
"Hi, Princess," Usagi heard. For a moment, she wondered who knew
she was Princess of the Moon Kingdom. Then she recognized the voice as
her father's.

"Hi, Daddy," Usagi smiled weakly. Her eyes came into focus again
and she saw her beloved father standing over her. To his right was her
mother, silent lest she betray the surging emotions she was feeling.
"I'm sorry you two had to go through this."

"I'm sorry you had to go through it," Kenji said. "Although I
suppose it is something people in your line of work have to deal with."
He smiled at a private jest. "I guess when I always called you
'Princess', I was being more accurate than I knew."

Usagi looked at him strangely, unsure she heard what she thought
she heard.

"Your mother told me, Princess," Kenji grinned sheepishly. "About
Sailor Moon." He chuckled to hide his pain. "Remember all those times
as a girl when you were worried whether you'd ever amount to anything?"
He adjusted his black horn-rimmed glasses. "I guess you showed them
all, didn't you?"

"I should have told you," Usagi said. "If I had any courage, I
would have. But I was afraid you wouldn't approve."

"Well, if I'd known things like this would happen to you, I
probably wouldn't have." He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it.
"But I am very proud of you."

"Yeah, and if I'd known back then, I wouldn't have wasted all that
time worshipping you." Usagi turned to the voice and saw her brother,
now thirty-one and looking more and more like his father.

"Shingo," Usagi smiled. "How are you doing, Brat?"

"That's my line," he smiled back.

"How long have you known?"

"What makes you think you had me fooled?" Shingo jested.

Usagi gave him as stern a look as she could muster.

"OK, about five or six years ago," Shingo grinned, something he
didn't do a lot of. "You did good, Sis. It almost makes up for our
childhood."

"I hope you haven't been here very long. I hate to think you've
all been cooped up in this hospital because of me. I always hated
waiting in hospitals."

"There was no way we were going to leave your side, dear," Ikuko
finally chimed in, her voice barely a whisper. "Your friends and Mamoru
were here, too. They stayed as long as they could."

"Yeah, and it's not like we could go anywhere anyway," Shingo
added. Kenji silently admonished him.

"The Frost Giants?" Usagi sighed. "Mamo-chan told me before he
left."

"Yes, between those things and the Civil Defense forces, Tokyo is
practically shut down," Ikuko informed her daughter. "Even if we wanted
to leave, we're stuck here." She grasped her daughter's hand. "But
that's OK, because we don't want to leave without you."

Usagi smiled warmly. The words seemed to invigorate her.
* * * *
Feeling returned to Sailor Uranus for the first time in a while.
She was still worn out and every wind seemed to cut through her, but the
woman forced herself up to her knees. She looked up and spotted the
third Frost Giant emerging from the portal.

"Damn it!" she spat. "Come on, Uranus! Get up! No one's going
to fight your battles for you!"

After finally attaining a wobbly perch on her two feet, Sailor
Uranus summoned her talisman, The Space Sword. As it materialized in
her hand, Uranus caught sight of the helicopter from TV Asahi. It was
circling the new Frost Giant, trying to get pictures of the new menace
for their live TV feed. Then she saw the Frost Giant glance toward the
helicopter.

"No!" yelled Uranus. "You're too close!"

Her words went unheard and unheeded. The Frost Giant suddenly
raised its right hand, shielded from the view of the copter, and hit the
craft with a blast of cold. The crew struggled to hold the craft steady
as cold air pockets buffeted the ship. Ice began forming on the rotor
blades and the stabilizer. Bereft of enough lift to keep the craft
aloft, the helicopter nosed toward the ground. It spun once and
impacted with the surface of the frozen over lake below. The fuel tank
ruptured and consumed the ship in a fireball, a flicker of warmth amid a
landscape of ice. Uranus ground her teeth in rage.

"You will not have died in vain!" fumed Uranus, already charging
the monster, brandishing her sword, even as it turned back to its
course. "AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"

Screaming her battle cry, Uranus dived at the ankle of the ice
giant. She would hack at the lower limb of the monster, then dive aside
to dodge any retaliation. The Frost Giant stopped in confusion and
looked down. Chunks of ice were being gashed from its leg, but Uranus
wouldn't stand still long enough to blast. It took several shots at
her, but she always managed to nimbly dance away at the last second.
Rolling to avoid one shot took her to a frozen tree. Out of the giant's
range, she watched it turn and lumber off.

"Space Sword Blaster!" bellowed Uranus.

Deadly energy arcs spun out from the blade of her cutlass. They
cleaved the frigid air and impacted with deadly efficiency in the back
of the giant. It stumbled forward, staggered by the mighty blow, and
then righted itself. Turning, the Frost Giant let loose a blast of cold
that Uranus managed to avoid, then continued on its course out of the
park. Thick scars in the icy back of the creature marked the result of
Uranus's attack. But the giant continued on.

"Nothing!" gasped Sailor Uranus in shock. "I may as well throw
rocks at it! What does it take to stop these things?"

continued in chapter 3