Many thanks to Jeanette Cheuk, for keeping this piece in order, and helping
me keep it from becoming discordant and illiterate.
Disclaimer-wise, Sailor Moon and her friends are the property of Naoko
Takeuchi, and they're copyrighted by her, and to a lesser extent, DiC.
Most of the other things spawned from my own imagination, so I'd like
credit for such. Enjoy!
Comments can go to meech@mindspring.com
-----------------------------------
A Rei of Hope: The Clarity of Truth
by Soumitra Choudhury
-----------------------------------
Millennia jumbled down to hours, centuries to minutes, years to
seconds. The fog that coated the life of Sailor Mars lifted, revealing with
painful, agonizing sharpness all that had been, and all that will be,
expected of her. She felt swept away in the current of memories that
bombarded her, showing her people, places, events, all completely foreign
one moment, completely familiar the next.
For what seemed days, her memories diffused themselves back into
her brain, pouring in like a torrent, until her distant past had resituated
itself once again, and her recent past had become sense.
Yet the very recent past was deadly slow in coming...
*****
There's a cliche floating in the annals of human history:
"Time heals all wounds."
I'd like to ask someone how long it takes, because, so far,
five years hasn't done it.
It's pretty much pissing me off.
Five years I've spent, trying to reconcile myself to the life
I've been given. Five years in a foreign country, seeing the sights,
soaking in the culture.
It hasn't helped.
Millennia jumbled down to hours, centuries to minutes, years to
seconds. The fog that coated the life of Sailor Mars lifted, revealing with
painful, agonizing sharpness all that had been, and all that will be,
expected of her. She felt swept away in the current of memories that
bombarded her, showing her people, places, events, all completely foreign
one moment, completely familiar the next.
For what seemed days, her memories diffused themselves back into
her brain, pouring in like a torrent, until her distant past had resituated
itself once again, and her recent past had become sense.
Yet the very recent past was deadly slow in coming...
*****
There's a cliche floating in the annals of human history:
"Time heals all wounds."
I'd like to ask someone how long it takes, because, so far,
five years hasn't done it.
It's pretty much pissing me off.
Five years I've spent, trying to reconcile myself to the life
I've been given. Five years in a foreign country, seeing the sights,
soaking in the culture.
It hasn't helped.
Looking out a window of my penthouse apartment, I wonder for the
infinite time what I hope to find here, but wondering takes me nowhere.
I didn't find it in Los Angeles, Chicago, or Miami. I don't know what I
was thinking coming to New York City. I'm still as lost as I ever was.
I sigh softly, my breath condensing on the wintry cold glass. Not
more than a foot in front of me, snow falls thirty stories to blanket the
city. If I wasn't in such a brooding mood, I might have enjoyed the
Christmas season.
I'm kind of lonely, too.
Actually, I'm really lonely.
I miss the girls a lot.
That reminds me. I have to finish wrapping up their presents so I
can mail them off. I have this feeling that they'd come looking for me if
I didn't make sure my presence was known. That's mainly what the presents
are for, even though they don't have my address to return gifts of their
own.
The knowledge that they are thinking of me... even that
fool-headed
princess... is all I need.
Smiling to myself, I wander through my home, heading for my
bedroom.
It's almost dark outside, and I'd rather not miss my nightly ritual.
As I ruffle through my closet (okay, so it's more of a room than a
closet) for some warm clothes to wear, I think back to the first time I
attempted this. It was pretty much an accident...
*****
Rei strolled along the sidewalk, lost in deep thought, absently
humming her new song. Ever since she had rocked the house on amateur night
at a local club, the manager had begged her to come back a couple nights a
week to perform. He had even offered to pay a nominal sum, but Rei had
turned the money down.
Money was one thing she would never have to worry about again.
Surprisingly, all of her performances were sold out. People from
all walks of the town would congregate as her popularity grew, until
several agents had approached her about a singing career. She turned these
down also, though. She wasn't ready for something like that. She promised
to keep them in mind later on.
Songs aren't easy to come by, and it helped her tremendously to
take a long walk through the city at night, wandering for hours on end.
She thoroughly forgot how dangerous the city night could be.
Somewhere around 11:42pm, Rei passed by an alley.
Muffled cries and a gunshot, followed by a grunt.
There was no doubt in Rei's mind that she needed to investigate,
but she wasn't stupid. If this was a serious crime, she wouldn't be able
to handle it normally without relying on her magic, and she had made a vow
to use it as little as possible before she left on her sabbatical.
Jumping in as Sailor Mars would be a relatively bad idea as well.
She didn't want it known throughout the world that she was located in
Los Angeles right now.
She fingered something in her pocket, a slow grin encompassing her
face. With a single thought, her skin was covered in a molding liquid metal
armor, her facial features smoothing out like a ninja's mask, and her eyes
glowing like pools of molten gold.
"Damn, he ain't got much cash, but I see some plastic."
"Ooo! Lemme see! Maybe I can forge his name!"
"Fuckin' Aye! You see that ring? I'm sure that's worth a shitload!"
The fourth guy caught a gleam of something out of the corner of his
eye. Swinging around, the guy raised his gun, but hesitated.
A shadowy female figure strode calmly towards him, unconcerned of
the gun pointing at her. The golden light from her eyes cut through the
darkness like twin beacons.
The guy blinked, breathing hard. The other three behind him turned
their attention towards the approaching woman. "What the fuck is that?"
whispered one of them.
A particularly brave punk fired off three shots at nearly point
blank range.
PTING!!
PTING!! PTING!!
The guy nearest the woman went down, screaming and clutching at his
face as one of the bullets ricocheted off her armor and caught him in the
left cheek. A fountain of blood gushed from his face as he dropped to the
ground, his shrill cries of agony echoing through the alley.
All of a sudden, the remaining three were firing their pistols. The
alley sounded like a battlefield as the noise bounced back and forth
between
the narrow lane.
After the initial relief that her armor WOULD block bullets, she
leaped forward, grabbed the first guys firing arm, and punched him square
in the jaw. She didn't feel a thing.
It felt like a steel beam to the guy, who promptly lost
consciousness.
The other two, realizing that their guns were having no effect,
stepped back, suddenly fearing for their lives. "Who the fuck are you?" one
of the vile men asked, fear leaking into his macho tone.
She fixed him with a luminous glare. "A champion of love and
justice,"
she replied coldly before twirling around and landing a circle kick on the
man's temple. He flew with the impact, and landed in a heap against the
alley
wall.
The last guy turned tail and ran, screaming insanely. Rei
concentrated
for a moment.
SMACK!
The murderer ran full speed into a solid, but invisible wall.
Darkness
mercifully swallowed him whole.
She favored the victim with a pitying glance, knowing full well
that
he was dead. Gunshots to the head tend to do that. There really wasn't
anything
she could do.
On her way out, Rei kicked the screaming gunman in the cheek for
good
measure. His cries jumped ten or fifteen octaves.
*****
Ever since then, I've gone out as many night as possible, more
often
than not delving into my own thoughts. Occasionally I go out for the
express
purpose of beating the snot out of some gang. I don't suppose Usagi and the
others would condone such an action, but I don't really care. They're not
here.
I've even set the armor marble (which I have dubbed Liquid Armor)
into
a gold chain necklace so that I could wear it as a pendant. It's actually
quite pretty.
Occasionally I take that bow I pilfered from The Dragon One's
hoard,
but that's when I expect trouble. Walking about in the middle of the city
with
a bow, while doesn't bother me in the least, tends to unnerve any
passersby.
Anonymity is something I'd like to keep a hold of.
I don't opt for my bow tonight. If I, by any chance, need to shoot
flaming arrows into the night... well, I'll manage.
Pulling out a white turtleneck, black jeans, and red blazer, I
quickly
get dressed. The sun has already slipped below the horizon (not that you
can
see a horizon with all the skyscrapers and such), and I need to grab
something
to eat. I don't really feel like cooking, and who could blame me? I've
been
to several countries now, but Mako-chan's cooking still beats all. I know
how
to cook, but it makes me sad mostly. It's not nearly as good as my brunette
friend's. I try to avoid cooking as much as possible.
Of course, that leaves me with numerous trips out to eat, which
actually becomes quite an irritant. To avoid several trips up and down the
elevator a day, I teleport to a place that I have been to before (in an
out-of-sight spot, naturally).
My powers aren't all that bad.
Throwing on a pair of black flats, I grab my overcoat. Grasping my
liquid armor pendant to make sure it's there (that action has, sadly
enough,
become something of a paranoid ritual before I go anywhere), I summon and
manipulate the latent energies surrounding me.
BWAMF!!
*****
"Hey there, Ice Queen. How's it going? The usual, correct?"
"Hi Jim. Not bad. Correct."
The bartender, chuckling heartily to himself, turned to the task of
mixing me a Gin and Tonic, perhaps one of the most refreshing drinks known
to
man. It's not quite as satisfying as a nice hot glass of sake, but it comes
damn close.
There's some business at this hour in 'Green Shields'. Most of it
is
a restaurant, and it's about time for people to be eating dinner. A nice
bar
fills the front of the eating establishment: quaint, cozy, and nearly
deserted... except for Crack-head Jim.
He doesn't get his nickname from doing drugs or any such nonsense.
Apparently, the story is he actually did crack some guy's head open when
some
punk tried to hold up a convenient store. He didn't mean to kill the guy
(or
so he told me once). "But wrong is wrong, and he ought to've known that,"
he
said, grinning magnanimously.
I'd like to tell that dead punk he was an idiot to try in the first
place. Crack-head Jim is big. REAL big. If a master sculptor chiseled stone
into a man 6'10'' and 275 lbs., the sculptor would have a Crack-Head Jim.
Not
an ounce of flab on him, he makes some of the youma I've fought in the
past
seem like pansies.
It's all a scam, though. Jim wouldn't hurt a fly unless provoked.
He's
quite gentle, kind, humorous. A really big teddy bear would be an apt
description. A big, stone teddy bear.
"Isn't it a little early, Ice Queen?" he smirked, smoothly sliding
me
my drink. "You usually don't come in until well after dark, when this place
is
really swinging. Is my American hospitality finally making some headway on
that
cold shell of yours?"
I smiled sweetly back at him. "How in the world you make any tips
is
beyond me, Jim." I took a sip of the Gin and Tonic, sighing contentedly at
its crisp taste. "If you couldn't make passably good drinks, you'd never
make
any money." He grinned, knowing I'd just paid him a rather obtuse
compliment.
He'd been calling me the Ice Queen ever since I'd found this
establishment. The first time I came in, my attitude was a bit...
reserved.
I had only been in New York City two days, and sitting in the penthouse all
day had gotten seriously dull.
He'd tried every trick in the book to lighten my mood that day, and
the
next day, and the next day. He tried for a solid week before I finally
opened
up. Jim's very bright, too. He knew he was working, even if I didn't. For
one
thing, I kept coming back, quite pleased with the attention he was giving
me,
a total stranger. I guess that's a bartender's job, but I think he went a
little further than the call of duty.
Anyway, he coined the name 'Ice Queen' on me, and while it may have
been unflattering from anyone else's mouth, it always makes me smile when
it
comes from Jim.
No, I am not attracted to him. Period.
I ordered my food and talked a lot of small talk. A couple of guys,
NYU students mainly, tried to strike up a conversation, but my cold
shoulder
and Jim's hard glare handled them easily. Jim and I both know I'm not
interested in flings, dates, and/or relationships. I've never told him
about
any of my deep problems, but I think he can sense them, and he respects
them.
He's remarkably perceptive.
Up in one corner of the bar was a television, some ditzy woman with
too
much make-up trying to make fashion news sound interesting.
As I raised a forkful of green beans to my mouth, my ears pricked
at
the newscaster's last words:
"... the likes of Adele, Minako Aino, and Kirsten-"
"Whoa! Hey! Are you okay, Rei?" Jim quickly poured a glass of water
and
handed it to me as I choked and coughed on my dinner. The TV didn't much
care
what I thought, however, and continued on.
Sure enough, there was Minako, strutting her thing down the
modeling
runway, wearing some ridiculous number that hurt my eyes to look at,
smiling a
cryptic smile that would've been alluring if I had been a male.
I stared in shock as the camera focused on another model working
for
her money.
A short interview ensued with Minako after that on the screen, and
I
nearly choke again, but this time it was more longing than shock. Seeing
her
face hurt. Bad.
"Rei, are you-?"
I waved Jim to silence, fixed on the TV.
"What does it feel like being in the United States, Minako?" asked
the
fashion reporter. "We know you are the rage in Asia and Europe, but this is
your first trip to the US."
Sure enough, the gorgeous blonde dazzled the camera, and I'm pretty
sure I heard a number of patrons around me sigh lustily.
"Well, it's very exciting. I never dreamed I'd be able to come here
to
model. It's very difficult, you know." I feel like I want to strangle her,
so
cheesy her response and continuing interview, but it's the kind of
strangling
we would both laugh at.
Gods, I felt like crying.
Jim tried again. "Um, Rei, are you-?"
I cut him off again. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."
"Actually, there's something I'd like to say," Minako piped in at
the
end of her interview. "If anyone knows where a Miss Rei Hino is, or if
you're
watching, Rei, I'm at the Waldorf Hotel. I'll be here a week. We all miss
you."
The fool girl even had the audacity to hold up two fingers in a 'V'
for Victory.
Wincing, I turned my eyes slowly to Jim, and found him staring at
me
with the widest eyes I'd ever seen on him. "Rei," he half-whispered,
half-choked, "did I just hear the supermodel Minako Aino ask for you?"
"Um, well, we, sort of, went to school together." Not quite a lie.
We
did spend a lot of time together learning the tricks to being the Sailor
Senshi.
Jim continued to gawk.
Laying down a twenty dollar bill, I left as quickly as possible.
It's
unnerving when people stare, and right then, quite a number were doing just
that.
By the time I rounded the corner, I was alternating between
growling
in rage and laughing in delight. Picking a happy median, I ended up in wry
humor, with my feet directing me towards the Waldorf. Hell, I deserved a
little companionship, and who better than a veritable sister?
*****
Three hours later, I trudged under the grand, pleated awnings of
one
of New York's finest hotels.
Thankfully, I didn't run into any trouble along the way, as
strolling
through the city after dark is nothing but suicidal. Any skirmish would
have
disrupted the delicate balance of emotions I had manage to maintain the
whole
way: delight at seeing Mina-chan after so long, fear that she (and the
others)
may resent me for leaving unannounced, frustration that blind luck had
actually
brought her to the same city as myself, and a number of other, more
nebulous
feelings.
Of course, the crowd in front of the entrance didn't help matters.
Apparently, Minako had quite a crowd of fanatical fans, and some
had
decided that a little deception might get them in to see their goddess.
What
better way than to pretend you are Rei Hino?
"Oh, for the love of..." I muttered irritably, covering my face
with
one hand in exasperation. Squaring my shoulders, I started shoving my way
forward.
"Hey!"
"What the!-"
"Watch it!"
One guy had the gall to place a hand on my shoulder, disturbing my
progress. "Wait your turn!" he yelled over the general din of the crowd.
What
did he think this was? A ride?
A quick catch of his wrist, a subtle twist, and suddenly the guy
was
on his knees, face white with pain as I held his little finger bent back
towards his wrist. Suddenly I wasn't feeling all that personable today.
I noticed some of the people around us back away, giving me a small
clearing, and an opening to the doorman, who was watching rather intently.
He
didn't look at all happy.
Releasing the man (he might have been cute in any other scenario),
I
marched up to the uniformed man and said, "I'm Rei Hino. I'm here to see
Miss Minako Aino." I was pretty positive that, if this man was doing his
job
properly, this would be difficult.
He was.
A flicker of surprise crossed his features, and he scanned me up
and
down, before saying, "How do I know that? Everyone here has been claiming
to
be this Rei individual."
I have found that raising an eyebrow in, what I consider mild
irritation, tends to throw people off just enough for me to gain some
advantage in any negotiations. Feeling this to be an appropriate occasion,
I
raised an eyebrow in mild irritation. "Didn't she leave a description for
you
to check out?"
The doorman blinked. "No."
"It figures," I mumbled, rolling my eyes. "Minako tends to be a
little
absent-minded every now and then. Why don't you call her down and let her
know
I'm here?"
"If I did that for every person who came here, she'd never get any
peace and quiet." His tone was flat, and I didn't much care for it.
I'll give the doorman one thing: he had guts. I probably spent one
full
minute staring at him, before I simply turned heels and walked away. I did
get
the minor pleasure of catching him shuffle his feet uncomfortably.
Now, here it was, nearly 9pm, and I was standing in front of one of
the
most premier hotels in the nation, freezing my butt off. I had three
choices
left to me: 1) change into Sailor Mars and use my fine agility to sneak
into
the building, 2) scan the hotel magically for Minako herself and teleport
to
her, or 3) make such a fuss that Minako would have to come down and address
my problem herself (and probably the local police). The first option didn't
feel right to me, and the last choice felt more like an Usagi plan, or even
Makoto, so that left me with the second.
Leave it to me to figure out how to use the one thing I really want
to
shy away from.
Sighing wearily, I leaned up against the wall of the hotel,
looking, I
hoped, like a tired passerby. Closing my eyes, I felt for the surrounding
Weave, and pulled just enough of it away for my purposes.
With a floating psyche, it took a few moments to find another
individual on the premises with a tie to magic herself, and even less time
to
whisk myself into her room... after making sure no one was paying
attention.
*****
Artemis, who had been curled languidly on the mass, king-sized bed,
jumped five feet in the air with marked surprise when I popped into the
room.
Something between a yell and a catish hiss escaped his throat before he
recognized me.
From the door that I assumed led into the bathroom, a caterwaul
screeched out, Minako's hideous attempt at singing. The shower was humming
in
the background.
"Rei!" Artemis squeaked after landing on the bed again.
Smiling warmly, I picked him up and squeezed him in a cuddling hug.
"It's good to see you, Artemis," I whispered, rubbing my cheek against his
fur.
His purrs rumbled from him in waves.
"Where have you been? We've been looking all over for you. Do you
know
how much I hate flying? It's awful! They stuff you in this little box with
holes in it and-"
"Artemis? Who are you talking to?" I heard Minako ask from inside
the
bathroom. I shook my head slightly to the furrball, smiling cryptically.
This
was my chance to surprise her.
"Uh, no one, Mina-chan," the cat replied loudly, taking my hint. "I
must have been asleep."
An indelicate snort echoed in the bathroom, followed by, "It wasn't
Luna again, was it?"
If a cat could blush, Artemis would be deep red right about now.
"Do me a favor and bring me my robe. I think I left it on the chair
next to the nightstand."
It took all of my willpower not to burst into laughter as Artemis
gave
me the most scandalized look of horror on his face. "M... mm... me?" he
screeched, eyes wide with aghast. I could just picture his imagination
running wild.
"Oh, come one, Artemis! It's not like you haven't seen me naked
before. I've caught you peeking plenty of times."
The furrball keeled over in a faint.
"Besides," she continued, "I'm wearing a towel, Mr. Ecchi Cat."
Chuckling to myself, I grabbed her robe, tiptoed to the bathroom
door,
and opened it softly.
Sure enough, Minako was standing in front of the mirror in a cotton
towel, drying her hair with another.
"Just leave it on the sink, Fuzzy," she called out from underneath
the towel. "And close the door! You're letting the heat out!"
How she could tell the heat was leaving was beyond me. The heat
lamp
in the bathroom made it nearly a sauna in there.
She must have sensed something then, for I hadn't moved to close
the
door or anything. In fact, I hadn't moved because it hurt too much to tear
my
eyes from her after being alone for so long.
Minako lifted the towel from her head, glanced in my direction,
leaped
back, and screamed in fright. "GGAAAAAHHHHH!!"
"Wha-? Who? What?" I heard Artemis call, coming into the other
room.
I wasn't too sure what to say, so I smiled my widest grin and held
out
her robe in one hand.
Now, I'm sure some people would consider me arrogant and full of
myself, and frankly, I don't discourage such sentiments. In that spirit, I
imagined Minako would run into my arms, we'd be all teary eyed and girly,
and everything would be alright. Maybe she'd even convince me to go back to
Japan with her at the end of the week.
In reality, Minako's face altered from fright to cold, hard ice.
"You
have a lot of nerve, Coward." She stomped over, reached out, and ripped her
robe from my suddenly numb hand.
Even the heat lamp couldn't melt the sudden frosty chill that
covered
my heart, pumping frigid liquid through my veins.
"Minako!" Artemis gasped, padding into the bathroom. "How could
you?"
"How could I? She's worse than Usagi's ever been," the blonde
sneered.
"At least Usagi-chan never ran from her duty. I ought to court martial you
here
and now." Artemis gasped even louder.
I couldn't feel any worse if I tried. It was like someone had
reached
into my chest and was squeezing my heart of any hope that I had, any joy
that
I had felt. Rather, it was Minako reaching into my chest, one of my
closest,
dearest friends.
I whimpered.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" the blonde asked haughtily, cinching her robe
about her. "Five years you wander about, never once telling us where you
are,
never coming to see us. Do you even know what's been going on in our
lives?"
"Stop this at once, Minako!" Artemis demanded. She ignored him.
"Do you know Ami's in medical school now?-"
"Aino Minako, stop!"
"Do you know Mako-chan has her own restaurant?-"
"STOP!"
"Do you know Usagi and Mamoru are planning their wedding? Do you
know?!
DO YOU?!"
Her fury backed me away, tripped me on the bathroom threshold, and
dropped me on my back, but I couldn't break away from her sapphire eyes,
wide
with rage. I was shedding tears unabashedly now.
She leaned over me, throwing her shadow upon me. "Have you ever,-"
Suddenly, her voice cracked, and her eyes misted, "have you ever had to
reassure Usagi-chan that her dream about Rei was not actually Rei's spirit
coming to say good-bye?"
My heart flattened under THAT hammerblow.
Minako was now crying, and the more she cried, the more her anger
fell
away. "I had to hold her, Rei. I had to tell her that you were fine, that
it
was only a dream, and all the while, I couldn't let her know that I was
scared.
I didn't want her to think that I believed... "
"Oh, Mina-chan." I wrapped her in my arms and held her, shaking in
our
sobs. "I'm so sorry. So so sorry." And at that moment, comforting her as
best
as I could, strangling my selfishness, my cowardice, I decided that it was
high
time I returned home. My foolishness would end now.
*****
"I'm so sorry," Minako apologized for perhaps the hundredth time.
"There's no need to apologize," I answered for the hundredth tome.
"You
had every right to be angry. I HAVE forsaken my duties for the last five
years."
She didn't seem comfortable yet, so I reached across the coffee
table
and squeezed her hand gently. When she looked at me, I smiled as warmly as
possible. She returned it weakly, her misgivings growing smaller with every
apology.
There were few people in the coffee shop at 11pm. In fact, the
waitress, alone it seems, frowned when we walked in, took our orders
tersely,
and left us with, at best, passably hot chocolate. Apparently she didn't
recognize Minako, for which I was thankful, and for which I didn't complain
about the service. Today, for once, I'd keep my temper in check.
"So, after five years, your dreams have come true, Mina-chan."
Minako grinned loftily, already falling into her pose. "You mean
the
modeling? This is just to pass the time. Frankly, it's starting to be a
bore.
You know, there isn't a brain in any of them all over the world! It's like
a
sorority or something..."
I let her prattle on for a good while, sipping slowly on my drink.
Before her self-absorption could suck me into a suffocating death, though,
Minako turned to me and asked, "So you didn't send her that dream?"
"What? Of course not. I can't do that." I frowned over the lip of
my
cup. "At least, I don't think I can."
She shrugged. "That's too bad. It was a rather pretty dream, now
that
I know it wasn't about you dying. Seemed really vivid, to Usagi I mean.
You'd
have been proud."
"Proud?"
"Oh yes. You guys didn't fight once during the whole thing." She
gazed
at me meaningfully.
I stared back for a moment before my mouth quirked in humor in
spite
of my efforts otherwise. "You're waiting for me to ask about it?"
"Not in the least," Minako replied in mock indifference, eyes
twinkling
in mischief.
Settling back into my seat, I made myself as cozy as possible in
the
wooden chair, smoothing my jeans out and picking a few imaginary pieces of
lint from my turtleneck blouse. When I had pushed her patience to its
fullest,
I let loose a magnanimous sigh, announcing my readiness. My grin was as
sweet
as pure sugar..
"If you're quite through," she muttered, taking a sip herself, "she
dreamed her dream about two months ago. The way she told it, you came to
her
window that night, kind of ghost-like and transparent. You were all smiles
and
kindness, which really threw her for a wrench to begin with-"
"You know, Minako-chan, I'm not ALWAYS mean to her."
"Who's telling this story, you or me?" she rebuked slightly, then
continued on. "Anyway, you came to her through the window and told her you
would take her flying. Well, you know how Usagi-chan is. She was out of
bed
and outside with you in a snap."
"I think you took her all over Tokyo, laughing and playing like the
two of you were schoolgirls." Minako chuckled softly. "She told me she felt
like a kid again, flying the city over. She hadn't been that happy since
you
left."
I'm pretty sure I blushed at that.
"You guys ended up in the park, and this is where the dream really
takes an interesting turn. You began teaching her to use the Silver Crystal
with your magic."
"My, Usagi has developed quite an overactive imagination, hasn't
she?"
I made an effort to keep my tone calm and measured, but it belied my
amazement.
"You're not kidding. Apparently, you taught her how to use the
Crystal
in a variety of ways: fireworks, manipulation of reality, even turning back
time."
"I bet Setsuna liked that part," I piped in. Minako giggled at my
quip.
"At the end of the dream," she concluded, sobering suddenly, "you
asked
her to let you touch the Silver Crystal one last time. Those were her exact
words, not mine, Rei. 'The Crystal pulsed with light like a heartbeat, and
then grew still.' That's when you gave it back to her, and she woke up."
Neither of us said anything for a minute or so.
"Well, that didn't seem typical Usagi-chan, but I suppose a dream
is a
dream." I sounded like I was trying to convince myself. "As you can see,
she
not a prophet or anything. I'm perfectly hale and healthy."
Minako gave me a gentle, almost pitying look. "She misses you a
lot,
Rei. We all do."
"Thanks, Minako, but I already told you that I would come back-
Ow."
The blonde blinked once, confused. "What?"
I ignored her, focused on the sudden onset of a mammoth headache
that
was growing at an exponential rate. Ringing filled my ears, and my stomach
didn't seem to be agreeing with anything inside of it.
"Rei? What's wrong?"
Every one of her words felt like a two-ton hammer slamming into my
brain. My innards spasmed painfully, throwing me off my chair. I curled
into a
fetal position, hoping that would ease something, anything, into a more
comfortable position, but nothing helped. The pain grew worse.
When the nausea peaked for a moment, I gagged, unheeding of
Minako's
presence, nor that of the waitress who, I suppose, had come to help.
Stumbling
blindly, with bright sparks of light exploding in my vision, I think I
managed
to make it to a restroom, where I collapsed next to the toilet.
The nausea and my migraine backed down for only a moment, and then
burst over me again, and I threw up, and I felt the world move.
When the heaving ended, and the agony died down, I noticed that the
world was still moving. In fact, bits of the ceiling were falling on me,
and
the floor was having a hard time staying under me.
Weakly, I picked myself up, and stumbled back, listening to the
screams
that seemed to be coming from the serving room, but also echoing through
my
head. Something was definitely wrong here, and it was getting more and more
familiar, just out of the reach of my senses.
With the floor bucking sporadically, all I could really do was
anchor
myself in the hallway outside the restroom, panic trying to gain a hold of
me.
"Minako! Where are you?!?"
"In here!" I heard the reply over the roar of everything. I just
caught
an image of her against the far wall, huddling over a very frightened
waitress.
The earthquake went on for nearly five minutes after that, enough
time
for me to best my fear and analyze the situation. The only problem was,
this
wasn't the kind of situation I could analyze. Who ever heard of an
earthquake
in New York City, not to mention one of such a caliber?
The rumbling quieted down finally, allowing me to stumble into the
coffee shop main. The waitress instantly fled, along with a cook in the
back
who I hadn't noticed before.
Minako looked very pale as she stood up, clutching her
communicator.
"They called when you..."
"What? Usagi?"
She nodded, swallowing. "She didn't get a chance to finish. I think
the earthquake interfered with it somehow." She clicked the call button,
but
received static.
"Did it sound urgent?"
She nodded, still focused on pressing the button again, and again,
and again. "Come on, dammit! Answer!"
I touched her arm. "Minako, leave it. We have to find out what
happened."
"I know, but what if they're in trouble? There's only two of them."
"Two? I thought-"
"Ami's at medical school in Germany. She's not in Tokyo."
I gazed out the window for a moment, taking in the chaos that had
taken
over the streets. Cars had crashed into each other, though nothing serious
that
I could tell. People were running about aimlessly, some helping others,
some
not. Why did the earthquake feel so familiar?
The sky was unnaturally lit.
"There's something wrong here," Minako said, voicing my thoughts as
she, too, gazed out the window. Together, we strode outside.
Sure enough, the sky was lit with a lunar phosphorescence, though
the
source seemed to be coming from far off to the west, source we couldn't see
through the skyscrapers.
"Hold my hand," I told her, and she complied. With a thought, we
were
atop the tallest building I could see from the coffee shop, facing west.
Somewhere farther than could normally be seen, perhaps hundreds,
maybe
a thousand miles away, a brilliant argent geyser was exploded into the
atmosphere from the earth, showering down a rain of shooting stars
throughout
the land.
"My God!" Minako exclaimed, but I don't think He was listening.
Wherever the falling stars fell, a massive sphere of destruction ruined the
land, or so I thought. It was too far and dark to see what was actually
happening, but I recognized the overpowering vibrancy of the Weave as each
fell, each a resonating tone to my attuned senses.
This was why I suddenly became ill only moments ago. Even this far
from
the impact, the waves of eldritch energy hit me with a psychic force I had
not
been prepared for.
As we stood atop the tower, gazing in awed horror at the spectacle
erupting before us, I trembled, gathering what little wits I could, for
this
was something vastly beyond anything I could do.
Or rather, vastly beyond anything I would be willing to do.
"This is all wrong," my voice whispered to the winds, high above
the
ground. "Someone... something is harnessing the Weave and devastating the
land."
Minako turned to me, a ghost-like appearance in the afterglow of
the
latest explosion. "You don't suppose Usagi-"
That's all I needed. Grabbing her arm, I whisked us back to her
hotel
room. "Artemis!" I cried ignoring the mess created, presumably, by the
earthquake.
"Well, it's about time you showed up," the cat replied, crawling
out
from under the bed, his voice strained with exaggerated calm. Minako rushed
over and scooped him up.
"Forget your stuff. We'll worry about it later." With the
possibility
that Usagi was in danger from... whatever, I wanted to get back to Japan as
soon as possible. "Take my hand." I ignored another mild headache, this one
from the excessive teleportations after having used my magic so little in
the
last few years.
*****
"My God!" Minako gasped for the second time tonight, or rather,
today,
as it was supposed to be fairly early in the morning. With the heavy
overcast
billowing angrily in the sky, though, you'd hardly know it.
A cascading series of silver lightning crashed among the heavens,
deafening the world. Wind, crisp and bold, sought to take us off our feet,
so
strong they were. The most disturbing part, though, was the majestic geyser
of
the same liquid cosmic light pouring up into the atmosphere. Parts of the
display broke off from the pillar and shot off in various directions,
lighting
the clouds and horizon as they streaked away.
Artemis made the most chilling observation at that moment. "It
looks
like the Silver Crystal gone mad."
Both of us looked at the cat in surprised horror, then at each
other.
We were way beyond panic now.
"Venus Crystal Power!"
"Mars Crystal Power!"
The ecstasy of the transformation never felt so good, after not
having
used my alter self in roughly five years. I sank into the raging warmth of
the
flames, momentarily forgetting the phenomenal danger that seemed to have
taken
hold the planet.
For the first time in those years of self-imposed exile, I felt the
blessedness of being a part of mankind's greatest heroes.
*****
The Tokyo Olympic stadium.
That's where the geyser led us.
"Love and Beauty Shock!"
"Mars Flame Sniper!"
Two more of the frighteningly demonic creatures fell before us, but
more sought us out with their rending claws. In fact, I dodged one just in
time, as it took out the old vending booth behind me, splintering it into
so
much wooden debris.
Back to back once again, Venus and I tried to catch our breath. I
shuddered at the appearance of these beasts, before releasing another blast
of
flames. That incinerated three more, backing them away in haste. Actually,
all
of them backed away, leaving a clear circle with us in the center, hissing
and
growling at us.
"Artemis, are you alright?"
"Sure, Minako, if you consider being surrounded by a gaggle of
youma
alright."
I wanted to whisper a quick plan to my compatriots, but the world
vanished in a brilliant flash for the span of an eternally painful second.
*****
I dropped to the ground unceremoniously, gasping deeply for my
breath.
Nearby, Venus did the same, while Artemis looked like the most miserable
furrball to grace Creation.
The first thing to touch my senses after the intruding teleport was
the
rather large number 10 painted into the turf upon which we had been dumped.
The second thing was the celestial choir that was ringing an
unearthly
hum in my ears.
The third was the geyser erupting from a being in the endzone, not
more
than ten yards away. The energy was dissipating, falling back into the
individual.
Part of me wanted to deny desperately what I was seeing, so
horribly
beautiful it played out, so deliciously, agonizingly ironic. The rest of me
bubbled with rage, hellish and unrequited, searing through me. I never
noticed
the anger-boiled tears flowing from my eyes.
"Why?!?" I cried hoarsely. Venus screamed in denial.
The final wisps of the cosmic light faded away, revealing the
prone
and limp bodies of Sailors Jupiter and Mercury, suspended in air just above
the
ground. Neither of them had the slightest bit of color in their flesh. Both
had
features of peaceful sadness.
"Because I can," replied my soul twin, the sound of her voice
increasing the twinkling hum in my ears.
Robed fully in a voluminously flowing robe of pristine white, half
of
my soul stood calmly, staring at me with an almost delicate hint of
amusement
on her terribly familiar face. For a brief instance of time, I took in all
of
her features, distantly acknowledging that her skin glowed with the same
argent
light released in all of the Weave geysers. She had not aged a day in the
Spiritwrack, it seemed, but somehow she had gained a limitless amount of
power,
her eyes of pure darkness radiating a wisdom and intellect far beyond her
years.
If I wasn't mistaken, I could have sworn she looked minutely
sorrowful.
To my left, the width of the football field away, Prince Endymion
picked himself up, uncovering that which he was protecting from the geyser
blast.
Sailor Moon.
I blinked almost three times before I could put my finger on what
was
wrong with her, because she sure didn't look like the same Eternal Sailor
Moon
I had left five years ago.
"Deep Submerge!"
What was wrong with Sailor Moon?
"World Shaking!"
Why use such an early version of her transformation?
"Love and Beauty Shock!"
Why was the Silver Crystal so dirty?
...And then the entity before us, the one who wore my face, who
harbored my memories, who felt all that I do, began to systematically
murder
all that I held dear.
The three strikes of Sailor power crashed into a scintillating
globe
encompassing Jupiter, Mercury, and my twin. With a frown, she sprang up
into
the air, a pair of billowing angelic wings bursting from her back, flapping
grandly to lift her into the air.
Sailor Neptune and Uranus leapt out of the stands, splitting to
gain
better cover, but the quickness of the sorceress's counterattack took us
all by
shock.
As each reached the apex of their leap, hundreds of cosmic streaks
slit
their positions, materializing around them. The pencil-thin beams pierced
them
repeatedly, holding them in midair while they twitched and gasped as caught
fish on a hook.
My breath caught in throat at the hideous sight of my friends in
such
agony, evaporating the thought of any spell.
The sorceress then turned slowly, focusing her attention on Venus.
Before I could even twist around in time to claim witness, the Sailor of
Love
and Beauty was lashed from behind by wriggling tentacles of silver light,
firmly grasping her wrists and ankles.
"No!" cried Artemis, and he made an attempt to break the grip of
the
tentacles, but the moment he touched them, every hair on his body stood up
erect, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he fell, limp and
smoking, to Venus's feet.
All this was happening to fast for me to react. I had never felt so
helpless in my life.
The blonde tried to writhe towards the cat, but the entangling
factors
wrenched her back, flipped her backwards, and slammed her with crushing
force
into the ground. She squealed once, moaned, then collapsed.
"PLEASE, REI!! NO MORE!"
My knees had suddenly turned to cold water, dropping me, stunned,
to
the ground. It took me a moment to realize Sailor Moon had spoken, and not
to
me.
The seraph twisted angrily towards Usagi, a fury in her that seemed
all
too familiar. "Why? Why should I stop?"
"Please, for Mercy's sake, don't do this." Sailor Moon was visibly
sobbing with all of her being. "You've hurt them enough."
Prince Endymion drew his sword, a blade glowing with holy light.
"Mercy? Where was your mercy? You left me broken and decrepit in
the
Spiritwrack!"
"WHERE!-"
... the rays about Sailor Neptune brightened, and a soulwrenching
scream ripped from her throat...
"-WAS!-"
... Sailor Uranus's screams...
"-YOUR!-"
... Sailor Venus's screams...
"-MERCY!-"
... Sailor Jupiter...
"-THEN?!?"
... Sailor Mercury.
I truly believed Sailor Moon died five times over when the cries of
agony began. She clapped her hands to her ears, adding her own cries to the
scene.
I don't know if it was coincidence or what, but at that exact
moment,
as my full power ripped itself into the front of my mind and coalesced into
an
elemental storm of crimson fury, Sailor Pluto added her considerable
attack,
blindsiding the seraph, from directly above, appearing from nowhere.
The sorceress was expecting my attack, for she shattered my control
with a wave of her hand, but the temporal energy caught her straight in the
back, driving her down into the ground.
Sailor Pluto landed nimbly beside me, her eyes of magenta brimming
with
furious tears. She raised her staff to level a killing blow on my twin. I
was
lying on the ground, dazed by the countereffect against my spell, but I
caught
the look of rage she threw my way.
The wings spread out, blazing with silver fire. They elongated to
twice
their former length, and reached to engulf Pluto, who had to dive away to
avoid them. In the process, she lost her balance, tripping slightly.
As the sorceress picked herself up, the ground rumbled violently,
ripping and tearing. Ten gouts of the same silver fire blasted through
across
the turf, and it was all Sailor Pluto could do to raise her staff to ward
them.
It didn't help.
Merging into one flaming column, the conflagration punched through
her
defenses, slammed into her abdomen, and carried her nearly a hundred feet,
breaking her against the concrete siding of the stadium. Even from this
distance, I heard the snap of bone, and a fountain of blood erupted from
her
mouth.
"Come on, stop her! Do something! Please!" Sailor Moon seemed to be
pleading with the Silver Crystal, shaking it desperately, all to no avail.
Anything that came to my mind, I flung at my counterpart, hoping
beyond
hope that something would stop her, but nothing worked. Balls of flame,
earthen geysers, storms of lightning, gales of wind, all for naught. She
simply
stared at me, dispeling all of my attempts with so much ease. "You as yet
do
not understand, my sister," she said at one point.
"Don't call me that! I'm not like you!"
She ignored my outburst. "Why do you not ask Usagi what the problem
is?
She knows."
As yet, Endymion had not attacked, which was probably the smartest
thing he could do. Rather, he was paying attention to the sudden appearance
of
countless youma into the stadium, filing in for some grand spectacle that
only
they knew of.
The captured Senshi had gone silent, and I had run out of most of
my
power, even as Sailor Mars. "Sailor Moon, do something," I growled out, my
throat hoarse from exhaustion.
"I... can't," she sobbed, crying terribly.
"Dammit, stop being a baby and DO SOMETHING!"
"I CAN'T REI! SHE HAS THE CRYSTAL!"
Everything stopped. Endymion turned around to gaze at Sailor Moon
in
shock. I, in my infinite clarity of the moment, went stock still, staring
at
her like she was the most ignorant imbecile in the known world. Rather, I
was
staring at the Crystal in her hand. Very, very slowly, I turned my eyes to
the sorceress.
"Actually," my twin retorted mildly, floating above us, "she's
partially correct. I don't HAVE the Crystal. I AM the Crystal."
Dear God.
Shaking my head in denial didn't help. Staring about at the lying
bodies of my fellow Senshi was plenty testament to her sudden power. It
explained her shrugging off all of my attacks. It explained her precision
and
speed. It even explained the worldwide explosions.
But how?
Before my next thought could register, before I could gather the
remains of my energy into a devastating spell, she shook her head once. "I
do
not recommend it, Rei-san. The Crystal is the power of the universe, the
cosmic
energy. I can more than stop you."
"How?" It was all I could think of, fumbling dumbly.
"How? You, the only one with the probable capability to stop any of
my
plans, are gallivanting half way around the world for the last five years,
and
you have the gall to ask how? Sailor Moon is the most naive individual on
the
whole rock. How easy it was to convince her that you had returned from your
sabbatical."
"And now," she continued, her countenance hardening, "there is no
place
you can run."
"I won't let you hurt the Princess," Endymion growled, positioned
in
front of Sailor Moon protectively. His sword gleamed with his presence.
On cue, Moon began to blubber about not leaving anyone, and some
other crap, but it still made a lump form in my throat. Realistically
speaking,
there wasn't going to be any way to stop my darker soul from destroying all
of
us. With the apparent power of the Silver Crystal backing her up, she'd be
able
to tear us all to Limbo if she wished.
Not without a final blaze of glory.
The fires of the ether answered so instantly, I think they may have
been awaiting eagerly for me to release them. The very air about us
spontaneously combusted at my whim, blossoming in radiance far grander than
anything I had attempted before. Vortices spun wildly, bending and
sprouting,
engulfing youma and stadium alike. Everything I wished that felt my inferno
burst into ash.
Everything, that is, except for my twin.
The glowing luminance from her seemed to drink in any of the flames
touching her. A scornful grin remained, gazing at me darkly, reminding me
of a
decision I would now, and forever, regret.
Mercy would not save my goddess as it had the taint of my soul.
Slowly, she raised up higher on the hands of her magic, shining as
a
star within my fury. She pulsed once, twice, and then a third time, ripping
through the conflagration with a celestial radiance that seared away my
arcane
hold. Wave after wave of cosmic force bombarded us, pounding the last of
Serenity's young court to our knees. The suffering I witnessed then was not
so
much pain as it was a total sense of despairing hopelessness, of a sheer
lack
of will. From where I kneeled, I could see the couple, even to the end,
trying
desperately to protect each other.
"Please... please. You're killing them," I moaned, weeping despite
myself. "Leave them. Take me. Please."
"No, Rei-san," intoned the buzzing-ringing of her voice, sounding
again
at once holy and terrible. "Yours is the only suffering I seek. Your agony
is
the only wish I have left to me, the only one which has allowed me to live
this
long. To that end, everything that you hold dear will be obliterated: your
friends, your home, your world. Only you will be allowed the sanctuary of
life,
so that you will be consumed by endless, eternal guilt."
So there it was. All of this was my fault yet again. Aghast, I
tried to
erect some sort of barrier, but my exhaustion was complete. Nothing was
left
within me to fight back with. Usagi and Mamoru would die, like the others.
In those final moments, I gazed about my world, tears streaming,
sobs
shaking me. All I saw was white, pure and simple.
Then, the white disappeared abruptly, replaced with inky blackness
everywhere, masking out everything but me... and Sailor Moon. She still
lay in
the curled, kneeling pose as before, with eyes closed.
Eternal Sailor Moon, wings and all.
In her hand, the Silver Crystal glimmered a sooty grey, and in
those
last miraculous moments, her voice, the most wondrous to exist, graced my
degenerating mind gently. "Protect her from the awful fate laid before her,
please, so that her guilt, her terrible burden she will undoubtedly place
upon
herself, will not destroy her. Help my best and dearest friend, for this is
my
final desire, Silver Imperium Crystal."
"I wish for Hino Rei, Super Sailor Mars... member of my eternal
court... to... forget..."
Those were her final words.
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