Part V
Usagi came to around six.
Ramna was shaking her. "Come on lazy, time to get your morning exercises
in!" Usagi replied with some of the more descriptive language of what Ramna
could do with his morning exercises, in a mixture of vulgarities, inquiries
into his copular and dietary habits, and his preferred mode of reproductive
positions, a red eared Ramna beat a hasty retreat out of Akane’s room.
A dismal Usagi staggered behind him, lusting …for coffee.
Soon Usagi sat dazed and comatose,
with her coffee in hand. Soun and Genma cowering in the corner, while she
treated them to choice comments concerning their bath room habits, the
species of their mothers, their general appearances, and their sexual proclivities,
(Separately and in combination), Ramna watched in complete fascination
as Usagi reduced the big, buff, rough, and tough Martial Arts Senseis,
supposedly able to handle any poor, weak, small female, into seemingly
tiny, sniveling, cowering mousies.
After six cups of coffee,
all loaded with sugar, Usagi returned to some semblance of her normally
sunny self. She complied with everything Genma and Soun told her to do.
And by the end of their Katas session they had regained some measure of
self respect. Usagi tripped up the stairs, limber as a rope to take her
shower. Once Genma and Soun realized she was gone they bolted to the yard
for a game of Shogi. Ramna fell to the wall choked with laughter.
Akane sat on her bed lacing
up her sneakers as Usagi came in drying her incredibly long hair. "Have
a nice morning session?", she asked.
"I did, I don’t know about
Soun and Genma, I guess they're not used to teenage girls that early in
the morning." She shrugged and went about getting dressed.
Usagi carefully applied rouge
to Akane’s cheek. "Hold still, almost done, there!"
Akane looked at her reflection.
"Wow! See? Ramna called me an uncute tomboy now!" Usagi had done
wonders, Akane’s hair was curled and tied, her make-up was to perfection.
She stood and clutched her purse. "Are we ready?"
Usagi nodded, "Now remember,
you don’t look up at the world, the world looks up to you!" she whispered,
"I’ll go down first, when I call. Come." Usagi skipped down the stairs.
Genma and Soun looked up from
their endless game of Shogi. Genma whistled, "Wow! Is this the girl who
uttered oaths this morning, to gods I can’t name?" Soun said.
Usagi stuck her tongue out
at him. "Get over here, and see your daughter in her moment of glory, where’s
Ramna?"
Genma shrugged. "I don’t know."
Usagi smiled, "but I can find
him. RAMNA! DINNER!"
Suddenly a salivating Ramna
appeared at her side, "Where?"
Genma blinked, "I’ll have
to remember that one."
Genma and Soun came over to
the steps. Ramna realized there was no supper. "AWW Man! I fell for it
again!"
Usagi hushed him, "Now presenting
the lovely, radiant, Akane Tendo!" Little fire works exploded behind her
and ghostly music began to play. Akane came down the stairs, the sound
of three jaws hitting the ground was heard. Usagi stood behind Ramna, noticing
he wasn’t about to close his mouth on his own, she placed a finger underneath
his chin and pushed his mouth shut. A smile tugged at her lips, "And Kuno
gets this all to himself." she whispered into his ear.
It took Ramna a few moments
to register this new information. "What? No way! No way, she’s staying
here! No way Kuno gets to see her like this!", he yelled.
Akane blushed, but didn’t
yell at him. "Well, Akane, the cab is here!" Usagi called.
Akane swept by a shocked Ramna,
he could only watch speechlessly as Akane and Usagi went out the door.
Ramna blinked, "It’s just a dream. I just ate Akane’s cooking, that’s all.",
HE stumbled up to his room.
Akane and Usagi dissolved into
helpless laughter as they got into the cab. "Did you see the look on his
face?"
"Where to?"
"Kuno Mansion." Usagi directed
him.
"I don’t think so."
Usagi lifted her eyebrows.
"What"?"
"Just what I said?"
Usagi’s attention was elsewhere,
she gasped and glance into the reflector and saw familiar blue eyes on
the cabby’s face. She leaned over to Akane, "When I give the word, open
the door and jump out." she whispered. "Now!" Akane opened the door and
She and Usagi sprawled onto the grass, "Get up, we gotta run." She yelled.
Behind, the cab swerved to
a stop and a man with curly blonde hair got out. Usagi recognized him instantly.
She grabbed Akane’s hand, "Run!" Running in spiked heels is no easy matter,
but when forced you can run fast enough to get away, if you don’t step
in any holes.
"My ankle!" Akane screamed.
Usagi knelt beside her and
hefted her up. Jadeite appeared before them. "You’re mine!"
"Hold it!"
Akane and Usagi looked up.
Jadeite laughed, "who are you?"
"I am Ramna Soatome of the
Soatome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts! Leave them alone!" Ramna
held a staff in his hands.
Jadeite laughed, "Ha! A puny
child like you?"
Usagi felt a presence edge
onto her own. A stray cat. There was one chance that Ramna could defeat
Jadeite. "Hey Ramna! A cat!"
Ramna screeched, "Cat! Where
ahhh!" HE began to fold in on himself. Then purr? Ramna was down on all
fours.
"The Shiro Neko Ken maneuver!
Usagi you’re a genius!"
Ramna rushed Jadeite, Jadeite
managed to get away with three threads across his cheek. "I’ll be back!",
he vanished in a cloud of blue flame.
Ramna-neko came to them. "Hey
Ramna!", Akane went to her knees, Ramna-neko bowled her over.
Then rubbed up against Usagi’s
leg and gave her a look that said. Thank you. "You’re welcome.", Usagi
scratched Ramna behind his ears. "What are we going to do with you now?",
Akane knelt and snapped her
fingers in front of Ramna’s eyes. "Snap out of it Ramna!", She whispered.
Usagi blinked, "Let me try
this. I saw this on an American TV show once.", She held her two index
fingers together and waved them back and forth until Ramna’s eyes followed
them, then she abruptly moved them in opposite directions.
"Ouch! What happened!" Ramna
rubbed his eyes. Akane began to laugh.
Usagi, Akane, and Ramna were
gathering up their books and preparing to go home, when Kuno entered the
classroom. "Ladies! Where were you yesterday?"
Usagi sighed, "Our cabby tried
to kidnap us."
Akane nodded, "Yes, but Usagi
got us out. Then Ramna showed up and Usagi got him to use the Shiro Neko
Ken maneuver to scare him away."
Kuno came to Usagi, "It seems
we owe you a lot. We really must find some time to repay you!" He kissed
her hand once more.
Usagi got a flustered blush
across her cheeks. "I..", Suddenly a low buzzing filled the room and the
lights faded.
"What’s going on?" Ramna yelled.
"I don’t know, but it’s not
good!" Kuno answered.
"How very astute of you. One
would be surprised at your talent for stating the obvious. Though I must
admit, it is very common in humans." Mist coiled up from no where to form
a woman with long red hair, brown on brown eyes, and a long blue dress.
"Beryl!", Usagi squeaked.
Queen Beryl gave her a condescending
look, "I see my reputation has proceeded me if such a pathetic being has
heard of me! You see I have a problem, I am in need of Energy to…"
"Let loose the Negaforce."
Usagi quipped.
Beryl blinked, "Yes, and between
you four there is more than enough. Unfortunately you won’t survive the
experience. Give up your energy to the Nega force!" Beryl raised her arms,
Usagi shielded her friends with the Ginzuishou. "What the? How are you
able to resist my power?" Beryl cried. Then her gaze fastened on
Usagi. "You, I should have known. With you being the one holding the bulk
of the energy you would shield them. No worry, you shall watch them suffer!"
Usagi was thrown to one side
and crashed into the wall with a sickening thud. "Usagi!" Akane cried.
She pulled out her mallet "You’re in for it now!"
Beryl laughed "You go next!"
She cast tendrils of dark energy at Akane, they fastened to her and drained
her of energy. Akane slumped. "SO weak!", her mallet sputtered out. "Now
to get rid of you before you can replenish your supply!" Beryl cried.
A energy ball formed in one hand, before it could hit Akane Usagi pulled
herself up from the wall and threw herself before Akane.
"Over my dead body!", Usagi
fell smoking as the ball dissipated after hitting her, she did not rise
again.
"Usagi no!", Akane whispered
before she passed out.
"That one is going nowhere.
Time to deal with you two!", Ramna and Kuno braced themselves for the attack.
Void, then the world explodes
into color, for a second, then returns to darkness. *I am Sailor Moon!*
the color returns and a heart beat can be heard. One beat, two, then nothing,
the void returns. *I am the champion of Love and justice * four
heart beats and then silence. *I will right wrongs and triumph over
evils* The silence between heartbeats is lessening. *In the name
of the Moon.* Now there is no pause between heart beats. IT is firm
and steady. "I’ll punish you!" the thought whispered, the
words echoed through the room as if screamed by a thousand voices.
Beryl looked away from Ramna
and Kuno, Akane was up now she had a mallet and was trying to defend Usagi’s
body. "What was that?"
Usagi pushed her upper half
up from the floor and looked Beryl in the eyes. "I said I’ll punish you."
"So, there is life left in
you yet! I’ll remedy that!" she laughed. Usagi hauled herself up. The crescent
moon on her forehead flared to life. Kuno, Ramna, and Akane gasped. Beryl
backed away a step. "How can this be? That is the mark of the Royal Moon
family! They died out centuries ago!"
Usagi held her locket in her
hand, "Not in my world. Moon! Crystal Power!" Sailor Moon stood between
her friends and Beryl, "I killed you once and I can do it again!"
Beryl stepped back again.
"Who are you?"
Usagi found herself back in
that red world she had ended up in when Ann and Alan’s Cardian had forced
her to de-transform. "Oh crap! Dead again!"
"Not so, merely out of the
picture for a while." As queen Serenity had appeared, Setsuna appeared
beside her.
"For how long?"
Setsuna shrugged, "Until you
decide to go back."
Usagi looked at Setsuna. "What’s
there to go back to? I can’t get home. The mirror won’t work!"
Setsuna sighed and gestured,
a hole appeared, in it she could see the Sailor Senshi. "Ami, Rei, Makoto,
Minako! It’s them!" the scouts were battling a youma, Prizma and Avery
were helping. Soon the Youma was gone. "My senshi." Usagi whispered, she
felt a strange motherly feeling towards them. As if she had given birth
to them herself.
"Yes, you woke them up. You
trained them, forced them to be the best that they could be. You didn’t
know it at the time but you did." Setsuna replied.
"How so?"
Setsuna looked at the scouts.
"You used a method, unused by most trainers. You made yourself the epitome
of everything they didn’t want to be, they forced themselves to be the
best they could be. And as you began getting better, they forced themselves
to do so as well. It was a drastic measure, but it worked. You are a success
as a trainer. So you moved on, now they will force themselves to grow in
your memory."
Usagi blinked "How? How could
I have trained them? I was learning on my own as well!"
Setsuna nodded "Yes, that
is what makes a trainer. You forced yourself to believe in yourself and
win. So when more were brought you unconsciously accepted the role as trainer
and did so in your own style. From this place you can go anywhere, you
could go back to your scouts , or you could go back to Ramna and the others.
Their world is without Senshi, someone must go through and bring them out
and train them up."
Usagi looked longingly at
her Scouts, now she let herself realize her words. Like Luna and Artemis,
she now thought of the as her Senshi. Her children.
Then the scene changed, her
body was laid on a gurney, and she was in an ambulance. Ramna, Kuno, and
Akane were riding with her. Akane had her hand on Usagi’s forehead. Tears
streamed down her cheeks. Medics were pushing Akane away and pressing defibrillators
to her chest. Her back arched and she lay prone once more. Usagi fumed,
"Watch it! I don’t have all that much in the way of chests, I don’t need
you zapping them off!" she snapped. Setsuna chuckled. Usagi saw the pain
written in Kuno and Ramna’s faces, She swallowed. "The scouts don’t need
me much anymore. It’s Ramna, Akane, and Kuno who need me now! I’m going
back there! Home can wait. They can survive for a while with out me. I
will go back soon, but not until after I’m done there!"
Setsuna smiled. "You have
passed the final test. The mirror will now work for you!"
Usagi did a double take "What?"
Setsuna smiled, "You have
shown that you would not use the Mirror for selfish purposes. That you
would not abandon those who would need you most. Now, see the Future of
the Scouts and Chibi-Usa’s story."
Usagi closed her eyes and
everything played in her mind like a movie reel. "Somehow, I’m not surprised."
she whispered. She opened her eyes. "How do I get back?"
Setsuna smiled, "Click your
heels…"
Usagi face vaulted. "This
is no time for comedy!"
Setsuna smiled again, "When
you get to be my age, you don’t pass up a chance for a lasting joke. There
is always time for comedy, your father knew that."
Usagi looked to Setsuna, "My
father?"
Setsuna nodded, "What did
you think? Queen Serenity just hatched you out of an egg?",
Usagi sweat dropped, "Ah no.
Who was my father?"
Setsuna winked, "That’s for
you to find out!" she faded out .
"Wait! Oh! And they have the
nerve to call me aggravating!", Usagi looked at the mirror she just realized
she had been clutching it to her chest. "What now? Oh well, might as well…"
She looked deep into the Mirror’s liquid surface, she solemnly clicked
her heels together and whispered, "There’s no place like my body! There’s
no place like my body! Take me to it!" the mirror’s surface rippled and
Usagi opened her eyes.
She was in a white room full
of blinking machines. "I knew it. I’ve been abducted!" she groaned and
sat up. She looked around the hospital room. Flowers were placed in certain
locations, thankfully none of them were roses. She sighed, "Wonderful.
What in hell in this?" she looked at the IV on her arm, "Gods I hope that’s
anesthetic."
Suddenly doctors rushed in
"She’s awake! It’s remarkable! All traces of brain damage are gone! It’s
a miracle! Someone up there likes you to send you a miracle like this!"
one told her.
Usagi looked at him solemnly,
"I make my own miracles." she said evenly.
The doctor ignored her and
began puttering with her IV, we can get rid of this now. You’re awake and
can eat on your own." he muttered.
Then Akane, Ramna , and Kuno
ran in. "Usagi! You’re OK!" Akane threw her arms around Usagi’s neck .
Ramna and Kuno hugged each other and danced around, then realized who they
were hugging and jumped back as if burnt. Usagi laughed, it was good to
be back.
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