A New Day
by Chenoa Dawn
As the dawn rose, three lone soldiers stood above the city looking down upon it. As the city stood in ruin memories of their queen flooded back to the. Now, there was no sign of life... such a stark contrast from their memories.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"These are the exact coordinates and day we were given."
The youngest of the three stood in silence as the fiery ball of the sun rose over the oceanic view. It seemed as if she were holding her breath she was so still. The sun slowly emerged from the horizon as it grew in the sky.
"That is what we are waiting for." The younger soldier pointed to a beacon in the middle of the desolate city. "That is where we will find our Queen."
The three soldiers quickly charged into the city preparing themselves to expect the unexpected. They did not know who or what they would find with their Queen.
"Hope is alive. She is finally awakening."
The three traveled in silence as they rushed into the center of the city. The closer they reached the city center they realized the beacon was not merely their Queen but also her guardians surrounding her. Serenity was in the midst of her inner court as she called upon the power of the crystal slowly awakening the guardians. She looked up to the three new arrivals.
"Friends, I need your help. It's time to start over."
As the guardians awakened, the group formed a circle around Serenity and grabbed each other’s hands.
"Cosmic Planet Power!" They all shouted from the depths of their souls.
Immediately the group was encased in a blinding light that quickly spread out through the city of Tokyo and on, covering the entire earth restoring the life balance of the planet as the power surged.
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Those first several days were very trying as the senshi organized search parties to establish just exactly, what the state of the planet was. The news that came back was not always the most positive. It seemed to be that the majority of Earth suffered greatly before the sleep. There were only five major cities that still existed and were in some manner functioning, London, Rome, Tokyo, New York and Mexico City. Earth's total population was approximately a mere million, with the bulk being in Tokyo. New York was suffering from inches of volcanic ash. It seemed the only thing that saved the people was the subway tunnels and the buildings that were built after the tragedy in 2001. Mexico City also seemed to be saved because of the underground areas that the population could take refuge. It was by some great miracle that the earthquakes spawned by the volcano did not strike the southern city.
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"Usagi, are you okay?"
The tear stained face turned to him, "Mamo. We haven't been able to find them."
Mamoru pulled her close as he attempted to comfort her. Usagi's family was so important to her, he did not know if she would be able to move on with out them. There was no evidence of them in the house that they once resided in, or at her father's job. It was as if they vanished.
"I don't want to be alone Mamo. I feel so lost." The strong soldier wept in her husband's arms. "It's just you and ChibiUsa now. They are gone."
Mamoru just held her and let her cry. He knew she had to get it out and let it go so she could move on. This beautiful creature was so strong at the same time; it was a difficult realization that she was also so very fragile when it came to her loved ones.
As Usagi was crying into to Mamoru's chest, he heard a soft knock at the door. "You're Highness?"
Usagi picked up her head as Mamoru turned towards the door. Before them was Sailor Pluto with a young teenager in her arms. Usagi did not have to see the face to know that it was Shingo.
"Is? Is he alive?" Usagi ran towards Pluto.
Pluto closed her eyes as she nodded, "He's alive, but he is wounded. I don't know why the planet power didn't heal him, unless..."
"Shingo." Usagi put her hand on his cheek as she looked into his eyes. "I'm so sorry Shingo."
Mamoru took the boy from Pluto and laid him on the sofa with Usagi hovering like a mother hen. As he stepped back to allow her more room, Mamoru glanced to Pluto. There was a faint tear running down one cheek on her face and she shook her head. Immediately he turned to Shingo on the sofa to see his breaths were very shallow.
"What happened?" He asked Pluto.
The time soldier lowered her head, "We found him. Uranus and I. He was in some rubble and we were very careful to get him out of it. I can only imagine that he had fallen and gotten trapped before Usagi called on the crystal." She stopped for a moment and looked at Mamoru. She let the pain of what she was going to say show on her normally expressionless face, "I think all that the planet power did was allow her to have closure."
Mamoru nodded and then dismissed Pluto. He knelt beside Usagi as she was doting on her little brother. Slowly he took both her hand and Shingo's. He could feel Shingo's soul growing weaker.
"Usako, I want you to spend this time with Shingo. I am going to check on ChibiUsa. If you need me, I will be here."
Usagi nodded, as she stayed focused on Shingo. She knew deep down that these would be the last minutes with her brother.
As the Queen of the Moon Kingdom held her earthly brother, she looked down at the familiar brooch on her chest. Her soul willed its power forth but there was no sign of it. She knew that she did not have the power to heal him. How could she face the future knowing she could not even save her brother?
"Usagi!" The fragile boy in her arms cried. "You did nothing wrong. It is just my time." The tears trickled down his face as he closed his eyes.
'NO! Shingo!" Usagi screamed as the body in her arms went limp. The tears on her face fell like rivers to the ocean. She threw her head up and looked at the skies that were quickly becoming cloudy with hints of a rainstorm.
In a doorway, not too far from the queen stood a lone figure. He wept with her as he felt the sorrow around her. As the rain began to fall, he turned away a disappeared from the surroundings.
"Usako." Mamoru softly said as he knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry."
There were no words. Just tears as the heavens cried along with.
As the rain came to an end over the old city, the senshi came together to get on the same page with the information they had collected. They were in what used to be the middle school that Usagi, Ami, and Makoto went to, now crumbled around them with only the rooms on the west side first floor still intact. Usagi was sitting in a chair against the wall, staring off into nothingness.
"Usagi, I'm sorry. Setsuna told us what happened. Please know we are here for you." Ami spoke to her long time friend.
Usagi nodded but said nothing. Mamoru squeezed her shoulders as she motioned for the senshi to report what they had found. The young women looked at each other and Ami decided to go first.
"It appears that much of Tokyo has been destroyed. The area with the least amount of damage is near the Edo city, in the ward of Chiyoda. The preliminary numbers of survivors are low within the city being around 12,000. The Imperial Palace however seems to be structurally sound." Ami sighed. "It will take some work but I believe Tokyo is viable. It is the only city in all of Japan that is."
Minako stepped forward with a downcast face. "London exists. Seems that the royals there had an extensive underground network that they were able to use once the ash cloud drifted across the Atlantic. Most of the city is still intact; the ash just needs to be cleared out. Or not. Our first count of survivors is about 6,000. However, there are other areas on the island of the U.K. that have residents."
The blond then plopped down into a seat that was near her causing quite a commotion as the chair next to her fell on the concrete floor. The guardian senshi stared at Minako and shook their heads. Usagi just sat there with a blank look on her face.
"I see." Mamoru said. "It appears the closer we get to the North American continent that the devastation increases. Is there any other major cities that have survived?"
"King Endymion, I..."
"We don't need to be formal. We are all friends here."
"I need to remind you that there was a great evacuation to try to protect as many as possible. We had little notice of the eruption and unfortunately, those within 2-3 thousand miles were affected the most. Canada and the United States are virtually barren. Mexico survived the eruption, but then the earthquakes that were from the aftermath, we were not sure. We knew of that before Usagi used the crystal. We knew many on the planet were going to die." Ami chocked on the last sentence she said.
"This is not about what we knew. We are trying to discern the state of affairs now. We need to be sure of what is available and who needs our help." Mamoru stressed. "So... Tokyo and London, are there any other cities that are still functioning?"
Michiru and Haruka stepped out of the shadows of the room. Michiru cleared her throat. "Rome is functioning. Old Rome was destroyed save the Coliseum. The Vatican is mere rubble. People are hiding and we only found a few hundred. The earthquakes must have rattled them pretty bad. Jadeite and Nephrite are there coordinating rescue efforts incase there are people trapped. We should know more in about a day or two."
The group sat quiet for several moments. They mulled over their thoughts about this once beautiful planet being virtually destroyed. It wasn't a matter about if things would ever be the same; it was a matter of if they could bring the Earth to thrive again.
Rei and Makoto drew in the attention of the rest of the group, Makoto stood. "We sent out teams as we found people in North America to help as many survivors to get to New York and to Mexico City. The two cities are remarkably intact. Given the amount of surface tension from the volcano and then the following earthquakes, we were sure there would be nothing. Manhattan Island in New York is suffering from alot of ash and dust, but should be able to be taken care of. Mexico City has nearly no damage."
They looked to the others and Rei sighed. "The first counts of survivors in North America would be about 10,000. We believe there should be more."
Usagi tried to stand. She was very shaky and had to lean on Mamoru. "Did anybody get to South America, Africa or Australia?"
"Hotaru and Setsuna were going to visit South America and Australia. Kunzite and Zoicite were to check Africa."
Usagi's face showed confusion. Why were the generals being mentioned? They hadn't seen them since Elysian.
Mamoru looked to Usagi and squeezed her into him. "Usako, I called on them with the stones to help. I knew the girls could not do it all. I also figured we didn't know what to expect."
"So we haven't heard from the others yet? Or they just aren't back yet?" Usagi asked with a little trepidation in her voice.
Ami spoke up quickly, "They are all doing well. Getting around has been difficult and so far there has been minimal contact with people. Setsuna said there were no signs of inhabitants on the entire continent of Australia. They are currently in South America."
Venus then looked to everybody, "I forgot to mention that Kunzite made contact yesterday. He said that there was a small village in South Africa that was doing well, he did not tell me the name of it I do not think. And he then said they were on their way north."
"It looks like we have alot ahead of us then." Mamoru commented as he took the facts in., "I would assume that we need to figure out where to go from here. We should have a head quarters of some sort that we can use to keep in communication with the main cities that are functioning."
"I believe I can take care of that." Usagi answered.
"Usagi-chan, don't get any crazy ideas just yet. You are still tired from waking the earth." The purrful voice of the young woman's guardian answered.
"Luna, I'm fine. I need to do something that will help the others. Tokyo is where we have always planned to rule from, so I don't see the problem."
Several others protested as Usagi stood firm. She was going to do this and ultimately everybody understood that. As the group came to a silent submission, they left the Jubaan School that they were so familiar with.
"So, we are headed to Edo." Usagi announced.
Mamoru looked at his wife, "Edo? Usagi, just what is it that you are planning on doing?"
"We are going to take over the Imperial Palace. As we can we will rebuild it and make it ours, but according to the reports it has weathered well." Usagi smiled.
"Very well."
The group parted ways to see if they could find any more survivors or to see if help was needed with the agreement to meet at the palace in Edo.
As the days passed each of the senshi came trudging into Edo. They each had remnants of survivors in tow from the surrounding areas of the capital. Standing on the wall of the ancient palace watching the last of the senshi arrive was Usagi.
She still looked pale and dusty from the many days of travel. Looking to the west, she watched the sun setting, the sky turning red, a cool breeze blowing across her face.
"Usagi? Are you all right?" the familiar voice of Ami called. Usagi could only nod, still overcome with the emotions that troubled her so. So many people had died and she could not save them all. Somehow, she felt responsible.
Ami approached her and placed her had on her friends shoulder. She had sensed how Usagi was punishing herself, but knew that the best thing to do was to just be close so that when she was ready to release her emotions, she would have a friend.
"Come down to the courtyard Usagi. We have found some rations in one of the old storehouses. You could really use something to eat."
Usagi once again could only nod. It had become almost automatic. She just felt numb, unsure of herself. She followed Ami down the stairway that led to the courtyard.
There were small groups huddled around fires, most trying to settle in. As they walked past the huddled mass of humanity that was in misery Usagi's soul ached. If only there was something else she could have done. She would have given her life if only she could have prevented all this.
After a short time, they came to the center of the grand courtyard. There were several tents and a few bonfires. The senshi as well as Endymion were there. All looked up from whatever they were doing, looking at Usagi they all knew the burden that went through their hearts, but they also knew that for all their pain at the worldly devastation it dimmed in comparison to what Usagi has gone through.
She ate little and said even less. Even Endymion could not get her to say much more than one word answers. Exhausted both physically and mentally she retired to her tent.
Sleep was difficult for her. Hoping that maybe this was all some bad dream and she would wake and all would be well, but she would always awake from restless sleep, and find that the dream was a nightmare.
In the middle of the night, she awoke, her husband asleep next to her, but one thing was different this night of many awakenings... a light.
As Usagi sat up in bed, the soft pulsing light beckoned her to find the source. She quietly slipped from bed, making sure not to wake her husband. She then looked outside in the darkness outside her tent, seeing no one, she hurried toward the beckoning light that seemed to be coming from the palace.
Makoto was finishing her security sweep of the camp and was about to meet up with Minako who was pulling night security with her. She always seemed to love the night, mainly because it was so quiet. She began to reflect on times in the past when she would be at ease, the friends she would spend time with, the places she would visit. Now all that was gone. It was then that she caught sight of Usagi, running for the palace.
"What is she doing heading for the palace at this time of night?" She thought to herself. Now she had to decide to either follow her and investigate, or wait for Minako and have her wake the other senshi. It only took her moments to come to a decision; she followed Usagi and hoped that Minako would follow somehow.
Usagi climbed the massive stairway that led from the courtyard to the main part of the palace, all the time following the light. As she reached the top of the stairway, she looked back down into the courtyard and the many tents and fires there. She could go back and get help, but she was resolved not to endanger anyone. If this were dangerous, she would take the risk alone.
She slowly followed the light, which by now she could discern that it was a ball of energy, soft, and pulsing. It moved slowly as if riding the slightest breeze, even though Usagi could not detect the hint of air movement.
The ball finally settled at the heart of the ancient palace. Usagi reasoned that it must have been the ancient throne room. The ball's light increased almost to the point of blinding, and then it dimmed back to its soft radiance. Floating in the light before Usagi was a beautiful woman in elegant clothing.
"Greetings Princess Serenity" The woman said as she smiled at the bewildered Usagi.
"Who...who are you...and how do you know who I truly am?" Usagi said cautiously.
"Oh Serenity I am not surprised you don't remember me, allow me to return your memory."
The woman lightly touched Usagi's forehead with her finger. Usagi almost passed out by the rush of energy that the woman transferred to her. All the memories of her past came flooding back to her once more.
As all her memories came flooding back, she took several steps back. It was then that Makoto came on the scene. Seeing the glowing form of the woman before a stumbling Usagi, all sorts of thoughts began to race through her head, most of them were not good. She immediately raced to catch Usagi. As she touched her, Usagi came to her senses and regained her balance. Makoto wasted no time and placing herself between Usagi and this new threat to her friend.
"Who Are You?" Makoto demanded.
However, before anything else could be said Usagi placed a gentle hand on the thunder senshi's shoulder.
"It's alright Mako-chan, she is my mother."
This statement stunned her as she first looked at Usagi then back to the glowing woman, then back to Usagi.
"Are you ok Usagi? Your... mother died in the disaster."
Both Usagi and the woman smiled. Usagi grasped Makoto's shoulder.
"Mako-chan she is my mother from the Silver Millennium...she is Queen Serenity."
Makoto stood for a moment, taking in this new information. Suddenly realization hit her and she turned to the woman and sank to the floor on bended knee.
"Forgive me your Highness, I didn't know."
The Queen nodded and smiled.
"Please stand Jupiter; I completely understand why you did not know who I was."
Jupiter stood and stepped back. Usagi came forward.
"So what brings you here mother?"
"Why to bring hope to this new age, and to help you bring about the second coming of the Silver Millennium."
"How can this be done? The crystal is drained." Usagi said, as she looked downcast.
"Oh Serenity, you always could not look beyond what you could see. Show me the crystal."
Usagi produced the once brilliant Silver Crystal, but now it was dark and devoid of the light, it once showed. The Queen moved her hand over the lifeless crystal.
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"
A brilliant light enveloped both the Queen and the Princess. Makoto took a few steps back, uncertain what to do. She was about to turn and return to camp for help when the light subsided.
Makoto was finally was able to look back to where the Queen and Usagi was standing before the blinding light. Now only Usagi stood there. The Queen was gone. The crystal that was dark and cold before the light enveloped her; now the crystal was shinning brightly, showing the power within.
Usagi turned to Makoto.
"Look Mako-chan! The crystal is restored!"
Suddenly the Queen's voice called from above.
"Use the Crystal to restore hope within the Earth and Moon Kingdoms."
Usagi raised the crystal and shouted. "MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"
"No Usagi!" Makoto screamed. "You're not strong enough!"
But Makoto's scream fell on deaf ears as the power of the crystal enveloped her. As it did she could feel the power of the crystal and the way it could shape the things of reality, but only to a point. She knew that there was a point of no return. And for some reason... maybe it was her mother, but she knew she had to survive to help this new age that was about to be.
The light from the crystal shot from the palace and enveloped the entire city of Edo, palace and all. The power of the crystal, guided but Usagi's will began transforming the city into a vibrant, thriving city once more. The Palace was transformed into living crystal, shaped and transformed by Usagi's will.
As the transformation finished over Edo The power shot over the globe to the other large inhabited areas of the Earth.
First was Rome, then London, followed by New York and Finally Mexico City. As the last city was transfigured and restored Usagi knew she could restore the rest of the world, even to the point of restoring life, but she knew that if she choose this path her destruction was sure, and something within her soul would not let her go that far.
Finally...her work with the crystal was done and the energy wave dissipated, she collapsed. Makoto was immediately at her side.
"Usagi!" She felt her wrist for a pulse and found one. She breathed a sigh of relief. How many times would she have to live through Usagi recklessly using the power of the crystal?
Makoto then took time to get up and look at the new palace, and city that had been created from Usagi's effort. Lights from the new Crystal Palace shown through the darkness. This great palace overlooked the new city of Edo that shown with thousands of lights from the new city.
She smiled as she looked back at Usagi, who was even now stirring and back to this symbol of hope that had been created.
