Chiba-Usa charged into Rei’s room, her face red and her breathing labored as if she had run a five-mile marathon straight without pausing for any breaks. The conversation paused as the four teenage girls and two felines turned to look at the little girl.
Rei was sprawled out comfortably in her desk chair, sitting sideways so her legs were hanging over an arm of said chair. Makoto was on the bed with Minako sitting on the floor in front of her, a magazine opened to show various hairstyles, which she had clearly been showing to the brunette as to how she wanted her hair styled. As for the calmest and quieter of the Senshi, Ami was in the process of trimming Artemis’s claws; the white furred feline, despite boasting a greater intelligence then the average was reacting with the same anxiety and panic of the average cat. The only difference in the situation was that the average cat didn’t have the ability to creatively curse, come up with threats of retribution and extravagant promises if he was released from his torture. Luna sat nearby watching the antics of her mate with female amusement.
“Where’s Usagi-chan,” Minako asked, wincing when Makoto tugged on a strand of blonde hair a little too hard.
"Don't tell that baka got detention again," Rei said, glancing at the clock. “Although if she did, Haruna-sensei is holding her a lot longer then usual.”
"She's… fighting a…. Droid," Chibi-Usa said, managing to get the words out as she panted and fought to catch her breath. She had run faster then she had before, worry for Usagi urging her on and fear that lady with lime green hair and creepily weird laughter would take advantage of Sailor Moon’s distraction by the Droid to capture her. Her words had the effect of sharpening the attention on her by the occupants of the room.
“Did Tuxedo Kamen arrive to help her before you left,” Makoto asked, as she hastily pulled the Senshi of Love’s hair back in its customary style with its trademark red bow.
“Nooo,” the little girl replied, a slight wail to her voice that was eerily similar to the blonde that she resembled. Despite denials from both, one claiming the other was a pesky little brat and the other retorting that the elder was a clumsy baka, there were quite a few similarities between the two that made the others suspect that there really was some kind of blood tie between the two.
"Is she nuts to try to take one of them by herself," Artemis cried. "Those things have gotten more powerful ever since Rubeus was defeated. You girls better transform and go help her fast."
Transformation wands were pulled out subspace pockets, as the girls ran towards the door without having to be told twice. A single thought filled each Senshi’s mind.
‘Please, let Usagi-chan be okay.’
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Sailor Moon groaned as she opened her eyes, the back of her head still aching from where she had been struck. Pain was quickly replaced with panic as she realized that even though her eyes were open, she could see nothing but pitch black. Where the hell was she?
The last thing she had remembered was being in the park after she had managed to defeat the Droid, which would definitely something to brag about. The current crop of Droids, since the defeat of Rubeus, had become stronger and more deadly. It was near impossible for any of her or friends to defeat one on their own. It had required an increased amount of teamwork on their part, which while served to improve their ability to fight as a unit also was deterrent when a Droid showed up while more then one of them way busy with obligations that couldn’t easily be dismissed or escaped.
"So this is the mighty Champion of Love and Justice. So young to be so powerful, yet expected from the keeper of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou.”
She turned towards the direction of the voice, seeing nothing but absolute blackness until suddenly a tiny ball of light, no bigger then the tip of a pen appeared. The light grew larger until it revealed itself to be crystal ball about as big as one of the 9-pound bowling balls that Mako-chan liked to use when they all went bowling. The glow of the crystal ball gave enough illumination that she was able to see a cloaked figure, but nothing more.
“Who are you,” she demanded, her eyes flickering to the sides of hoping seeing something else, some exit or something in which she could make her escape. But there was nothing. Nothing but black space all around her. “Where am I?”
"This is my own private dimension, my dear and I am known as Wise Man," the cloaked figure replied.
"You're the one who attacked me before, aren't you," she cried.
"Now why would I attack you, my lady," he asked.
"You're the enemy," she cried. "You're the one who keeps sending the Droids. Why are you trying to destroy the earth? What did you do to Chiba-Usa’s mother?"
"Are you sure about that Sailor Moon," inquired Wise Man. "Perhaps it is the ones who claim to care about you that are the enemies. Perhaps they’re lying to you."
"Liar," she cried. "My loved ones would never hurt me. They care about me. They would never lie."
The Wise Man smiled, knowing she could not see his face under the cloak. When she had been unconscious, he had used his magic to enter her mind. Even unconscious, she had had the power to thrust him out, but not before he had seen a brief glimpse. That brief glimpse had told him what he needed to know.
The girl had been deeply hurt by the one she had loved. It was a hurt that cut her not only in her heart but to her soul because the one who had inflicted the pain was her soul mate, her destined partner by fate and the other half of her. That kind of pain had the power to put doubt in one’s heart about love and about one’s loved ones. If your other half could betray you, then who was to say others couldn’t do the same. And what if they truly didn’t care for you as you cared for them?
This knowledge had enabled him to hear the doubt in her voice when she had claimed that her loved ones wouldn't hurt her. The doubt he knew that was in her pure heart.
A pure heart that he had every intention of tainting to claim the power that she wielded. She would become his finest weapon in achieving his goals.
"Then how do you explain this young man," Wise Man said. A black mist came from the crystal ball and swirled in front of her before taking the form of Tuxedo Kamen.
"Tuxedo Kamen," she cried, her eyes widening and unknowingly relaxing her guard enough so that the Wise Man's magic could enter her mind.
"What do you want," Tuxedo Kamen asked coldly. "I told you that I don't love you. I despise you Sailor Moon."
She flinched.
"You're weak and pathetic," he continued. "You’re nothing but a dumb blonde who can’t walk and breathe at the same time without klutzing out. How could I love someone like you? I despise you.”
She whimpered.
"I've found someone better then you," Tuxedo Kamen said, and she watched in horror as Sailor Mars appeared from the shadows. Tuxedo Kamen wrapped his arms around Sailor Mars and kissed her passionately.
"No," she whispered. "You're supposed to be my best friend. How could you?"
Salior Mars pulled away from Tuxedo Kamen and stalked towards her. When she was standing in front of Sailor Moon, Mars slapped her with enough force to cause a red hand mark to appear upon the blonde’s cheek.
"How could I," she asked in amusement. "Easy. I was never your best friend. I just hung around to get the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou from you. You’re not worthy to be the Princess of the Moon anymore. Reincarnation is supposed to improve a person, but you’ve just become pathetic. I'd make a much better princess then you ever would."
"That you would, my love," Tuxedo Kamen said, wrapping his arms around the Senshi of Fire.
Sailor Moon dropped to her knees, closed her eyes and then covered her ears, while shaking her head. "No, this isn't true. This isn't real. Mamo-chan may not love me anymore, but Rei would never betray me like that. She wouldn’t! We’re best friends! We’re as close as sisters! It isn’t real!"
But she couldn’t escape the betrayal in her mind and she was forced to watch as Tuxedo Kamen kissed Mars with the same passion that he had once kissed her.
No, it was different. Her memories began to change on her to things they weren’t as Wise Man used the opening her pain had given him.
~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~
“Oh Mamo-chan,” Usagi sighed as she tilted her face up towards his in anticipation of a kiss. There was nothing more wonderful and amazing then being kissed by the man you loved. He smiled down at her before his face lowered and she felt the press of his lips against hers.
She felt her toes curl in pleasure as she pressed her lips against his, kissing him with all the passion of her young heart and all the yearning that came from the woman she was now and who she had once been. In this time and place, kissing was all she’d be able to get him from; yet in another life there had been more then kisses. She had memories of heated embraces, clothes being pulled of in frenzy as they tried to get as close to each other as two souls could be.
A moment later, she noticed that she was the only one who seemed to be enjoying the kiss. Oh, Mamoru was putting some effort into it but the passion was all hers. She might as well be kissing her hand, because it would be the same. It wasn’t the same. Not like before. Not like when they were Serenity and Endymion.
No, there had been that one time just after he had his memory had returned after the battle with Ail and An. But then it had changed. Why hadn’t she noticed it before? She was the only one who was putting a real effort into their relationship.
The kiss broke. He smiled at her and said all the right things, but this time Usagi could hear them as fake. As they had been fake all the times before. She responded on auto-pilot as he told her that he had to go study for an exam and watched as he exchanged good bye with the others.
Watched as he exchanged looks with Rei and noticed for the first time that there was more to that look. The heat and passion she wanted from him was directed at Rei.
~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~
“No, it’s not true,” Sailor Moon cried. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the hurtful memory. That wasn’t how things were. That wasn’t what happened.
Or was it?
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“Can’t you do anything right,” Tsukino Ikuko demanded, shaking another of Usagi’s tests in her daughter’s face. The test paper has a prominent 30% scrawled across the top along with x’s all over it to indicate all the problems that the teenager had gotten wrong.
“Honestly, don’t you ever study Usagi? If you just studied even a little, you might actually be able to manage to make a passing grade. But clearly wasting time and eating is all you’re good for.”
“Mama…” the blonde said slowly, not knowing what she could say to make up for failing grade. What could she say? She glanced at her father, who sat with his arms crossed and shaking his head in disgust.
“We don’t want to hear your excuses, Usagi,” her father said. “Excuses are worthless. What we want is change, young lady. We want to see improvement instead of this repeated failure.”
“Then you’d be asking for a miracle, Dad,” Shingo said as he entered the dining room, shooting his sister a sneer. “There’s nothing that’s going to make that baka improve. Honestly, she’s such an embarrassment that I wish I was an only child. It wouldn’t’ be so bad if she had one saving grace, but she doesn’t even have that.”
“Now Shingo, your sister is seeing that young man who’s studying to be a doctor,” her mother replied. Their mother glanced at Usagi and saw the crestfallen look on her face. “Don’t tell me he broke up with you? What did you do wrong?”
“Nothing,” Usagi answered. “He just broke up with me after Chibi-Usa showed up.”
“Don’t blame your cousin for your failures,” Kenji scolded. “You know Usagi, your brother is right. It’s plain disgraceful. If a girl can’t do well in school, she should at least be able to find a good man to marry one day, but you couldn’t even do that.”
“But Papa,” she protested, but it didn’t matter because her family had walked out of the room, ignoring her because she was nothing more a failure and disgrace to the Tsukino name.
~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~
“Mama… Papa… Shingo… Please no!”
Tears streamed down her face, the pain in her heart intensifying. Her own flesh and blood had turned their backs on her. Because she couldn’t live up to their standards, she had become nothing more then a dirty family secret. Why hadn’t she noticed before? Why hadn’t she realized how much they hated her? How could she have forgotten all those hurtful words?
Yet the memories didn’t stop there.
Everyone she had ever known had used her or treated her badly in some way. Motoki-onii-chan… Reika-san… Umino-kun… Yuuichirou-san… Naru-chan… none of them had cared. None.
The Senshi had been no better. They had been disappointed in her. She wasn’t the Princess they remembered. She was inferior copy of the Princess they had once faithfully served. A klutzy ditz that they were forced by destiny to risk their lives for because she was the wielder of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. Artemis and Luna felt the same as well, disappointed that they had searched all this time for her. They were all sick of it.
Sick of her.
They only stayed because of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. Only stayed until they could figure out how they could take it from her and give it to a vessel who was more worthy of using it and being their Princess. Like Rei. Rei would be a perfect Princess and it was clear that Mamoru, the reincarnated Prince of Earth thought the same
Chibi-Usa sneered at her and said that she thought Sailor Moon was a horrible Senshi and how she wanted Sailor Mars to save her mommy. Because with Sailor Mars she knew that her mommy would be saved, while Sailor Moon would more then likely fail and destroy any hope of saving the little girl’s mother.
Sailor Moon opened her eyes, eyes that had lost their vivaciousness and clarity. Instead they were had a glassy and dull look to them. In front of her was the Wise Man, yet what she saw was every person she had every cared of them, standing in a group. Not a single one had any kindness and compassion in their face. All she saw was anger and disgust before in unison they turned and walked away, leaving her alone.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," Sailor Moon screamed, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head wildly back and forth. "Why don’t you love me?!? Why couldn’t you accept me for who I am now?!? I accepted you all! I never betrayed you! Why are you betraying me?!? Why are you leaving me here alone?!?”
'Betrayal… Unloved… Loneliness…,' whispered through her mind.
The light seemed to fade from her eyes. Just emptiness. Complete and utter emptiness.
"I've always been alone. Nobody cares about me. They all hate me," she whispered, the tears pouring down her cheeks faster. “They’ve always hated me. All that I have is pain.”
“That’s right,” Wise Man said, two red eye-shaped lights glowing under the cloak. “All that you have is pain. There is not a single creature on Earth that has ever cared or treated you with kindness. None at all. All they do is use you and leave you with more pain.”
“Use me,” the blonde repeated. “More pain. I don’t want to feel any more pain. No more. Please, no more!”
“I can help you so you never feel that pain again,” the Wise Man said. “You’ll never have to feel that pain again. Never be hurt by those who couldn’t appreciate you for the precious treasure you are.”
“How,” she asked.
“All you have to do is take my hand,” he replied, the cloak moved and suddenly there was phantom hand reaching out towards her. She stared at it for a second and then slowly placed her hand in his.
~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~*=*~
Final Thought from the Senshi:
Usagi-chan!
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-chan - suffix for a name that means family or close friend. may be offensive if you don't know that person well.
Senshi - soldier, warrier, fighter
Maboroshi no Ginzuishou - Illusionary Silver Crystal
baka - stupid, idiot
onii-chan - a term to refer to one's older brother or an older male that one has a close friendship with.
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Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to Sailor Moon or the characters associated with the anime/manga. Those rights belong to Takeuchi Naoko and anyone else she says has rights to it.
