Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Ascension Trilogy, Book 2: Judgment Day ❯ Naru's Story ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

JUDGMENT DAY,
Chapter 3: "Naru's Story"

By Bill K.

My name is Naru Osaka. It's Naru Osaka again. For a while there
it was Naru Gurio. That's when Umino and I were married.

Being married to Umino wasn't the torture everybody assumed it
would be. We had some nice times. Umino can be a little
obsessive-compulsive at times, but he's very sweet and very gentle.
He's kind and goes out of his way to be considerate to people. He
worked hard and was a good provider. We weren't rich, but we were very
comfortable.

And our marriage did produce Yuki, our son. He's fifteen now.
He's such a wonderful boy. He's as smart as Umino and he's just so
handsome. He looks a little like Nephrite sometimes with his long brown
hair. If I was put on this Earth for no other reason than to produce
him, I've led a successful life.

So why am I Naru Osaka again?

A girl always dreams of finding a guy who'll make her the center
of his universe. To have a guy dote on her, worry about her, dedicate
his life to her happiness, that's a big fantasy for a lot of girls, me
included. But reality is a different story.

Sometimes you want to do for him, to show your love and affection.
And if he won't let you, that becomes frustrating. And if you want to
help out the family financially to ease his burden and that just makes
him feel like a failure, it makes you feel bad. And sometimes if you
just want to be alone for a few hours and he's always there . . .

I didn't divorce Umino because I hated him. I divorced him
because I couldn't live with him any longer. Umino loved me. He still
loves me. He just loves me too much and doesn't love himself enough.
And I just couldn't take it anymore.

So there I was, thirty-one with no job, no support and a son to
feed. I couldn't do anything because I never really prepared for a
career. Usagi and I spent most of our high school years dreaming
instead of studying. I always figured I'd meet a wonderful man, settle
down and never need to find a job. I never factored a divorce into my
dreams when I was fifteen and in love with being in love. You don't
think about divorcing Prince Charming.

Fortunately Mom was there, just like she always is. She gave me a
position at her jewelry store. It gave me an income and let her stay
open longer without working herself to death. My Mom's an amazing
woman. Dad left us when I was five. Mom would never say why, but I
think it was because he couldn't stand that she was a success in
business and he wasn't. But she managed to run that jewelry business by
herself and raised me with no help.

And it shows. She's fifty-eight now and she looks ten years
older. I worry about her sometimes. Me coming into the business with
her finally gave her a chance to slow down. And I think it's what she's
always wanted, deep down. She's grooming me to take over the business
and I've never seen her happier.

As for me, I'm grateful for the chance to pay her back for
everything she's done for me. And I'm grateful for the chance to
support Yuki during his teenage years. He spends six months with Umino,
but when he's with me I want to provide for him. It's not important
that selling jewelry doesn't really excite me. Sometimes you have to
make sacrifices for the people you love. It's a good life. I'm better
off than I could have been. I shouldn't question it.

But I can't help lying in bed at night every so often and be
afraid that if Nephrite somehow showed up at my doorstep, alive, I'd go
away with him without a moment's hesitation.

I was at the jewelry store when it happened. Mom was in the back,
talking to her buyer from Antwerp. I was out front, showing some gold
bands to a young couple looking for wedding rings. They were a cute
couple - - young, innocent, full of hope and anticipation for the future
and what it held. They were in love. I knew the look. I saw it in the
mirror many times over my thirty-five years, the first time at fourteen.
There was only the wretched, repetitive canned music playing in the
store, so I had no way of hearing any news bulletins.

My first clue that something had happened was when the building
shook. It was like the earthquake we'd had five years ago, but there
was a loud crash outside, too. The couple turned to the noise, gazing
out of the picture window at the front of the shop. Before I looked, I
put the tray of rings away in the case - - some lessons are ingrained
deeply and early in a jeweler's daughter. After the case was locked, I
joined the customers up front.

At first it looked like smoke was rising up from about two blocks
over, near the park. None of us was sure what had happened.

"Was it an explosion?" the lady asked.

"I'm not sure," her beau told her.

"Well whatever happened, it looks like there's a fire," I heard
myself say anxiously.

"That's not smoke," Mom said. She and the man from Antwerp - - I
think his name is Klaus - - had joined us. "It looks like a dust cloud.
I think a building may have collapsed."

Sirens punctured the air. Emergency Response Vehicles, fire
trucks and police all raced down the street headed for the plume. I
didn't know what was going on, but I found myself wishing Umino were
there to protect me.

Then I saw it pass between two buildings. It was a head - - a
massive white head. It had to be sixty meters in the air. It looked
vaguely human, with cold, jagged features carved out of ice and snow.
It wasn't human, though; it couldn't be.

"Hikaru, look at that!" gasped the lady. Everyone else bent to
look. I didn't. I was having uneasy flashbacks.

"Sacre bleu!" whispered Klaus.

"Hikaru, what is it?" the lady asked nervously.

Hikaru's only response was to take his fiancee by the hand and
lead her out of the shop. They headed in the opposite direction of the
monstrous head. Probably a wise decision.

Mom was already behind the counter. She pulled up a miniature TV
she kept behind the counter and turned in on. Klaus went pale, mumbled
some regrets in a mixture of Japanese and French, and stumbled out of
the shop. With forced calm, Mom began searching the dial for a station
with news. I just stood there. It all seemed agonizingly familiar.

For years I wondered if I was cursed. It was bad enough that
monsters, demons and creatures from space kept invading the city I lived
in. Since I was fourteen, Tokyo's been invaded probably ten times. It
can make you paranoid.

What's even worse is that sooner or later the invaders always seem
to attack me. Ever since that demon tied Mom up and took her place,
then tried to kill me, my life has been on this weird roller coaster.
Whenever I hear that some new menace is in Tokyo, I know that sooner or
later I'll be involved. I didn't know at first what I had that they
wanted. I'm not special.

But they always find me.

So when I saw that huge head between the rooftops, I got that
familiar dread again. I thought for a moment about hiding, but I knew
it wouldn't work. They'd find me. They always find me.

And Usagi would have to protect me. It's so weird having a super
warrior for a friend. I never pictured her as a savior when we were
giggling and sighing over our teen magazines in my bedroom. Not that
she wouldn't have done it if given the means - - Usagi's heart is so big
and she's so kind that I doubt she could reach any other conclusion.
And that's one of the reasons you can't help but like her. Her biggest
ambition in life has always been to be everybody's friend.

I remember when we first met. We were eight and in third year
elementary. I was new to the class and I spotted her immediately
because of her bizarre hairstyle. Her hair was golden blonde, which is
rare enough, and was gathered in two balls on either side of her head,
with curly trails coming down to her shoulders. She looked strange, but
really, really cute.

To this day I don't know why, but she singled me out and walked
right up to me. Maybe it was because I was the new girl.

"I'm Usagi Tsukino," she chirped. "What's your name?"

I've always been shy around strangers, especially when I was
young. And I didn't know what to make of this bold little girl.

"Um, I'm Naru Osaka," I said. She stuck out her hand and I took
it because I didn't want to find out what she'd do if I didn't.

"Naru? Oh, that's such a pretty name!" gushed Usagi. "Let's be
friends!"

Just like that - - "let's be friends", as if it were as simple as
just wanting it. For a moment I thought she was crazy. Then she gave
me this huge smile and gripped my hand energetically.

And I felt - - good. And the more time I spent with Usagi, the
happier I was. There's something about Usagi that just makes you feel
good. As I spent more time with her, I found out she was an even bigger
dreamer than I was - - and an even bigger romantic. She just knew that
if she wished and believed hard enough and long enough, she'd meet the
man of her dreams and live happily ever after. And for her it came
true.

We became inseparable from that point on. We were closer than
sisters for six years. Then something happened.

Sailor V appeared, and Usagi just went off the deep end. I mean I
admired Sailor V, but Usagi worshipped her. Sailor V was almost as
important to her as eating and what style of wedding dress she was going
to wear.

Then a few months later, Sailor Moon appeared and Usagi seemed
preoccupied with something other than the latest idol and the latest
fashions. She began making other friends and we began drifting apart.
I didn't notice at first. I was too busy mourning Nephrite. Then one
day I woke up and realized that my best friend wasn't my best friend
anymore. She was someone else's best friend.

We were still friends, but it wasn't the same as it was before
Sailor Moon. She was running with Ami the genius girl and big, burly
Makoto and that girl from the shrine and the blonde who went on to
become Minako Aino the singing idol. For a time I wondered if I had
done something to drive Usagi away. Then I wondered if, during my
period of grief, Usagi's short attention span had pulled her in other
directions. After all, she was dating Mamoru by then and she'd always
hated him before. I even became jealous of her close friendship with
the others for a little while.

Then I began to put two and two together. Usagi was always
disappearing. She and her new friends were always having meetings at
Hikawa Shrine. And her circle of friends would always increase right
about the time Sailor Moon would get a new senshi.

Besides, who else wears her hair that way?

That made it easier to take, knowing that my friend had a higher
mission in life and responsibilities that precluded our being best
friends. Saving the world is much more important that critiquing
designs in fashion magazines. And I owe her my life a dozen times over,
so I guess I owe her a little slack. It was always so funny when she
had to pretend she didn't know me when she was Sailor Moon, particularly
when she was always saving me. And all along I knew. I almost slipped
once and told her I knew, but I didn't. If she wanted me to know, she
would have told me. And we're still friends. She's always sending me
little presents of flowers or copies of her manga.

I know she's out there right now, being Sailor Moon, fighting to
protect everyone - - to protect me. I kind of want to go out there and
find her, maybe cheer her on. It's got to be a tough life sometimes,
facing death and danger to protect others. Not that she'd think so.
And I kind of want to get away from the shop so if trouble does find me
again, like it always does, Mom won't be caught up in it.

"Don't go out there, Naru-chan, please!" Mom gasped. She still
calls me Naru-chan, even though I'm thirty-five. I looked at her,
puzzled by her urgency. "Dietman Hino is on television. He says
Tokyo's been invaded. We're supposed to stay inside until Civil Defense
teams can evacuate us."

Evacuate - - then it is happening all over again! I can't help
but wonder how bad it'll be this time. Will it be as bad as the Dark
Kingdom? As bad as that evil circus? As bad as that woman, what was
her name - - Galaxia? I look at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse
of Usagi so I'll know everything will be all right.

"Naru-chan!" I heard Mom hiss. Turning to her blankly, my head
swimming in events I can't comprehend, I wonder what she wants. "Help
me lock the stock in the safe!"

I smiled, reassured slightly. A jeweler to the end, that's my
Mom. Sometimes I think Yuki and I are the only things Mom cares about
more than her jewels.

As I'm putting away a display of sapphire earrings, I get a pang.
Yuki was out with his friends, courting girls and having fun. I feel
sick that I don't know if he's all right. Mom seems to understand what
I'm thinking and pats my hand. I want to run out and find him, but I
don't disobey Mom. If Umino were still here . . .

Shaking my head, I curse myself. Divorced four years and I'm
still thinking that way. That's why I'm not more successful. Whether
it's Mom or Nephrite or Umino or Usagi, I've always been dependent on
other people in a crisis.

When the last of the stock is locked away, I hurry back to the
front window. The sight I'm greeted with is not reassuring. The
streets are choked with cars. People are running through the streets in
a blind panic. It's so thick with fleeing people that it's total
gridlock. Emergency vehicles are trying to get through the sea of
humanity. A cold shaft pierces my stomach. It's as bad as it was
during Galaxia.

"Come away from the window, Naru-chan," Mom urges.

"Mom, maybe we should go," I suggest to her. My terror is a thing
alive already and growing.

But she shakes her head. "Dietman Hino asked us to stay inside.
The streets have to be clear for emergency vehicles to get through."

"They can't get through now!" I say with a little too much fear.
"What if we get trapped?"

"Dietman Hino knows what he's doing," she replied. Her trust in
leadership has always been annoyingly resolute. "We have to trust him."
She glanced at the throngs outside the shop. "Those people outside are
fools. They're only making things worse."

Maybe she was right. Still, I cast another anxious glance
outside, hoping to see Usagi.

Where was she? It dawned on me that she and the senshi were
probably fighting the monster instead of guarding my door. I wish I
thought better in crisis situations. I just seem to freeze up. I would
have made a lousy senshi.

"Naru-chan, come see!" Mom said, motioning me away from the
window. On TV, there was helicopter footage of a battle in Juuban Park.
One of the sailor senshi battled a giant man made of ice. He looked
just like the one that passed by the buildings two blocks over.

I stared at the pictures, fascinated and horrified. It dwarfed
her. It was huge. It was a glacier with legs. The senshi, the blonde
with the short hair, would hit it again and again with energy things
from her sword without stopping it. The park was frozen. Everything
was frozen. If I hadn't recognized features of the park I grew up in, I
would have thought the battle was in the North Pole.

And suddenly the picture broke up, then went black. Almost
immediately the network switched back to the studio shot. The anchor
said something about technical difficulties. I barely heard.

"Amazing," mumbled Mom. "How is it possible?"

I stared at her. How could she forget all the other times?
Selective amnesia, I guess. She was scared. I could tell. I was
scared, too. Our whole world seemed to be tumbling down around us and
we just sat here waiting for someone to make it better. But what scared
me more was that I saw senshi, but I didn't see Sailor Moon. Where was
Sailor Moon? Only Sailor Moon could save us.

So we sat and waited. The TV would tell us everything they knew,
then repeat it endlessly until they got something new to tell us. Every
so often we'd hear a loud thud, like something heavy falling. The
throngs of people outside began to thin, though the traffic seemed to
get worse. It was torture. It was like you were sitting, waiting for
the gods to decide whether you lived or died.

Then I noticed the thuds begin to come closer together.

"What's that?" I asked suspiciously. Mom listened. She heard it,
but she couldn't identify it.

I ran to the window. Lumbering down the street was the giant ice
man. Seeing it at a distance or on TV didn't prepare me for seeing it
in person. It was beyond huge. It was as big as an office building.
It dwarfed Osa-P. Ahead of it was one of the senshi, a pretty woman
with green hair. She was blasting chunks from the ice man with a beam
of light from a mirror. It didn't stop it.

I noticed the air getting cold. At first I thought the
air-conditioner had kicked on. Then I noticed something.

"Mom!" I shouted urgently. "Mom, we have to get out! Now!"

"Naru-chan, what is it?" she asked, frightened and confused.

"NOW!"

I reached for the doorknob, then pulled my hand back as icy cold
snapped at me and bit my fingers. Looking up, I saw the whole door
covered over in thick ice. The windows were covered, too. The whole
front of the building was covered in ice.

"We're trapped," I whispered.

"We'll go out the back way," Mom said, her calm in the face of
urgency reassuring. I figured she was doing it for me. I'd like to
think I'd be the same way if it were Yuki and I in the same situation.

We headed through the back room for the exit. I removed the bar
from the door, but, wary of the metal after my last encounter, I hit the
crash bar with my hip. It didn't open. I tried again and it didn't
open. Frantic, I began pushing it down again and again, throwing my
body against the door. It wouldn't budge. The coldness of the metal
told me why.

"Mom, we're trapped!" I gasped.

Her reserve of motherly stoicism gone, Mom gathered me into her
arms. She squeezed me to her, as much for her sake as for mine.

"It'll be all right, Naru-chan," she whispered. "Civil Defense
will rescue us."

I was counting on Sailor Moon more than I was on Civil Defense.
She had to show up. She always did.

We went back into the show room and huddled by the TV. Already
the room temperature had dropped to a point where you could feel the
cold. The news wasn't very encouraging. There were reports of two ice
men now, each going in a different direction. Each one seemed bent on
freezing all of Tokyo into a giant ice cube. More senshi were fighting
the other one. I could see Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus.

But not Sailor Moon. Where was Sailor Moon? I suddenly got a
sick feeling. What if she couldn't come? What if she was . . .?

"Naru-chan!" Mom screamed as I picked up a chair and swung it at
the picture window. The glass shattered into thousands of fragments,
spraying back in my face. I felt their sting, but I didn't care. I
beat on the ice again and again with the chair, trying to shatter the
barrier. "Naru-chan, stop! You're hurt!"

"She's not coming, Mom!" I screamed. "We have to get out of here
or we're going to die here! She's not coming!"

"Who's not coming?"

"SAILOR MOON!" I shrieked and swung the chair again. One of the
legs bent against the impervious ice wall. Throwing it to the floor, I
looked around for something heavier.

Then a sound split the room. It was loud and deep, mournful like
the building was crying out in pain. Mom and I looked up to the
ceiling. It was warping down toward us, ugly cracks appearing in the
plaster.

"The roof's collapsing!" Mom yelled. "Head for the back . . .!"

That was all she got out before the ceiling caved in on us with a
deafening, tortured roar. Suddenly there was a rush of action too fast
for me to comprehend. When my senses caught up to events, I found
myself on the floor, face down. My head rung. It was hard to breathe.
I tried to get up and couldn't. Something pinned me down - - something
heavy. I tried to cough to clear my throat and pain shot through my
chest. And it was so cold. I looked around for Mom and couldn't see
her.

"Mom?" I croaked out. The silence was frightening.

I tried to pull myself out from whatever held me, but I had no
strength. My body was numb now. I don't know if it was from the weight
or the cold.

I hope Mom got out OK.

Yuki, I hope you grow up to be a fine man. Please remember me. I
wish I could kiss you once more.

Umino, I wish I hadn't broken your heart.

Nephrite, I wish you hadn't broken mine.

Usagi, I hope you're not dead. I wish I could thank you for being
in my life.

I wish I could say good-bye to everyone, especially to Mom.

It's so cold.

It's not fair.

I want to live!

I . . . want . . .

Continued in chapter 4