Title: Warriors of Light and Shadow; Chapter 2: A Princess Falls

Author: Storm Bringer

Rating: PG 13

e-mail: the_storm_bringer@hotmail.com

Author’s Notes: As I said in the first chapter, the SM aspect of this story begins at the end of SMS when Neptune and Uranus challenge Sailor Moon’s ability to act as leader. The end of this fight, along with a few other small things, has been altered and those changes are all included in the story itself. Just keep repeating "divergent realities" over and over again as you read.

Disclaimer: Flammable. Do not spray near flame or while smoking. Avoid spraying in eyes. Contents under pressure. The characters within this product do not belong to me.

* * * * * *

Lead gray clouds filled the sky, obscuring the sun and casting a dark pall over the city of Tokyo. The distant rumbling of thunder seemed like an ominous tiding to many who heard it on that bleak, dreary day. It was like the voice of some divine being giving warning to the inhabitants of the great city that the end was near. Or perhaps the words were for the entire world, but whomever they were for, no one listened so in the end it did not matter.

That was not entirely true, there were two people who heard the words rolling along with the thunder. They heard them, but knew not what they portended. It was only a feeling deep in their bones, a feeling that something dark and ugly was approaching. But as of late their lives had become dark and ugly things, so they chose to pay the warning no heed. If death came, they both believed they would welcome it with open arms.

One of those two people was a young woman trudging down a small street, her eyes fixed on the ground at her feet. The area around one of those eyes was slightly puffy and it was beginning to darken. There would be a large bruise there tomorrow, but that didn’t bother her much. She felt that a black eye would fit right in with her shattered heart and torn soul.

It seemed to her that in one moment of weakness she had lost everything. Her friends, the man she loved, even her destiny had been ripped from her fingers. The young woman’s hand tightened over the one thing she had managed to salvage, the one thing she would not surrender until she died. To the unknowing observer, it was only a simple brooch, but she knew that with the object the brooch contained she could forge a new destiny.

It began to rain then. The young woman’s blond hair darkened as it became wet, turning to gold. She paid the storm no mind, the storm raging in her soul being the far more terrible of the two. Even the thunder that normally sent her running in fear could not touch her this day. She continued to slog down the street, searching her heart and soul for answers.

She found none.

* * * * * *

-One week earlier-

Sailor Moon stood across from Sailor’s Uranus and Neptune. Why did it have to be like this, she wondered. Why did they have to be so obstinate? Behind her she could feel the reassuring presence of her friends. Not so much so since she had ordered them to remain out of this fight, but it was still nice to know they were there.

"So the heroine has finally shown up," said Sailor Uranus with a sarcastic smile.

"We’ll show you no mercy," stated Sailor Neptune coolly. A glint in her eye was the only warning Sailor Moon had. "Deep Submerge!"

The blue sphere struck Sailor Moon in the chest, knocking the breath from her lungs and hurling her backwards. Her back slammed into a chunk of concrete and she slumped to the ground with a muffled groan. Shouts from her friends rang through the air and out of the corner of her eye she saw them running towards her.

"No," she said softly. They must not interfere.

A red rose struck the ground between the charging Senshi and their leader, effectively halting their headlong flight. Everyone turned to see Tuxedo Mask standing atop a girder protruding length wise from a pile of rubble.

"Sometimes it is necessary to fight each other to understand one another," he stated in a strong voice that carried to everyone gathered. "You should stay out of this battle."

The Senshi hesitated for a moment, then nodded to themselves and stood where they were. Their faces were grim though, and anger showed in more than one eye when their gazes turned to Uranus and Neptune. Gritting her teeth, Sailor Moon pushed herself to her feet.

"I think she’s going to cry," smirked Uranus.

"You should stay down, Little Princess," added Neptune.

Sailor Uranus’ hand came up suddenly. "World Shaking!"
Sailor Moon was ready this time, dodging aside as the yellow-orange blast zipped past her and exploded against the chunk of concrete she had been thrown against earlier. The explosion caused dust and rubble to be flung everywhere, cutting off her view of Uranus and Neptune. But at the same time they could not see her either.

"Where is she?" growled Uranus when the dust had cleared revealing that Sailor Moon had vanished.

"Behind you!" shouted Neptune.

Whirling, Uranus found Sailor Moon standing directly behind her with a sad look on her face. Sailor Moon made no move to attack, but that didn’t stop Uranus, she launched herself at the Moon Princess with a flurry of kicks and punches. Hand to hand combat was not something Sailor Moon was overly familiar with, but she did what she could to defend herself from the assault, taking several blows to her face and body for her inadequate efforts.

"Please stop this," she begged, still continuing to retreat and defend. "We don’t need to do this!"
Surprisingly, Uranus did halt her assault then, but not for the reasons Sailor Moon first suspected. Strong hands closed around Sailor Moon from behind, pinning her arms to her side and keeping her from moving. Throwing a furtive look over her shoulder, Sailor Moon saw Neptune standing there with a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

"This is it!" roared Uranus as she charge forward, intent on finishing what she had started.

Sailor Moon watched her come and for an instant she thought she felt something, a power rising out of her soul. It warmed her, gave her the strength she would need to fight back. But as suddenly as it had come it was gone, vanishing like smoke on the wind. In that instant she knew that it was over, that this day she would fall.

The blow struck by Uranus snapped Sailor Moon’s head around and sent blood spraying from her mouth. Neptune released her and she fell to the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. She lay there in the dirt, curled up in a little ball shaking silently as she cried tears that would not stop. Why had the power deserted her? Why had she failed in this, perhaps her most important task?

"Pathetic," spat Sailor Uranus.

"Now you know the truth of what we said," stated Neptune. "You are too weak to be our ruler."

"Enough!" shouted Tuxedo Mask. He walked over and knelt down next to the fallen Sailor Moon. "You have made your point, for what it’s worth. It’s time for you to go."

Sailor Uranus nodded. "Yes, we will go. But we’ll return. Since she is not the Princess, the one who must fill the role is still out there."

"We will give you one week," continued Neptune, "to find the true Princess. Perhaps she is one of these others. If you do not find her, then we will take the Ginzuishou and find her ourselves."

The two of them departed then, bounding over the rubble of what had once been the Infinity College. The other Senshi could only watch them go, not knowing what to say to such an absurd proclamation. They gathered around their fallen leader, looking down at her in sympathy, but also with a touch of confusion. She had been proclaimed as their Princess, but now they began to have doubts.

Was Usagi Tsukino really the one destined to be Queen Serenity? They just didn’t know anymore.

* * * * * *

Usagi sat alone in the darkened room holding a pack of ice against her split lip while trying to hold very still. Her head throbbed and moving too much made the world around her dance and sway in ways it had never been meant to. This strange phenomenon —she had dubbed it the ‘Swirly World Effect’—had the unpleasant effect of making her very nauseous and so she tried to avoid moving as much as possible. The lack of strong light in the room helped as well.

Ami had said Usagi didn’t have a concussion, but that she had been shaken up pretty badly during the fight and it would take some time for her to recover fully. Of course, that was only speaking physically. Mentally she was more than just shaken up. Mentally she had been plunged into a blender. Confusion, doubt, sadness, all these things swirled around inside her head creating a maelstrom of despair.

The Ginzuishou had failed to heed her call, leaving her defenseless in the face of danger. Sailors Neptune and Uranus had defeated her—with ease. Why, she kept asking herself over and over again. The crystal had chosen her, she was the rightful Princess. Or was she?

No! She had to have faith in herself. She was the Princess.

"How are you feeling?"

Usagi turned to see Mamoru kneeling down next to her. He seemed to list to the left slightly as the rest of the room tilted to the right and the ceiling rippled like it was a pool of water into which a stone had been tossed. She had turned her head too fast, kicking the Swirly World Effect into action. Usagi stifled a groan and shut her eyes in an attempt to blot out the nauseating sight.

"The world keeps spinning," she mumbled.

Mamoru draped one arm around her, and his warmth and closeness comforted her. "I’m sure you’ll be better in the morning," he said soothingly. "Rei called your mom for you and she agreed to let you spend the night here at the shrine so you don’t have to worry about making the trip home."

Usagi smiled from behind her ice pack. "That was nice of her. Now I have time to come up with an excuse for all these bruises. It’s a good thing everyone knows I’m clumsy, huh?"

Mamoru chuckled softy. "I’m sure by tomorrow the bruises will be mostly gone. But you need to get as much rest as possible tonight. You should go to bed soon."

Nodding—very slowly—in agreement Usagi said, "You’re right. Right now I feel tired enough to sleep for a week."

Mamoru wished her a good night and then stood to go. Usagi hesitated for a moment, waited until he had almost left the room before she called out to him. The events of the day had shaken her faith and there was something Usagi had to know before she would be able to sleep peacefully.

"Mamoru," she began hesitantly. "Do you… do you love me?"

He hesitated for only a half second before answering. If she hadn’t been watching for it, watching for any sign, Usagi would not have noticed Mamoru’s hesitation. Why had he hesitated? Was it because he didn’t love her? No, she thought bitterly, it’s because he doesn’t know if he loves me. He’s destined to marry the Moon Princess and that’s what he’ll do. He’ll love her because it’s his duty to love her.

"Of course I love you," said Mamoru, but Usagi heard the lack of warmth in his voice. "Now get some sleep, okay."

Mamoru left then, returning to the adjoining room where the others were. Usagi could hear the low buzz of her friend’s voices as they discussed what had happened earlier that day. Before, she had been interested in trying to make out what was being said, but now it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore.

Letting the ice pack fall away, Usagi slid out of her chair and crawled over to the futon and blankets laid out on the floor for her. Curling up into a little ball she fought back the tears threatening to spring from her eyes. They leaked out of her tightly shut lids though, ran down her cheeks and soaked her pillow. Fighting to keep from breaking down into hysterics took the last of Usagi’s strength and she fell away into a deep sleep troubled by dreams of running for her life while a shadow garbed in a tuxedo chased her down.

In the next room, the hum of voices continued late into the night.

* * * * * *

The day after the incident, Chibi-Usa returned home to the future with many well wishings and tearful good-byes, and, on the surface, the following week passed normally, Usagi’s failure to perform earlier apparently changing nothing. She hung out with her friends at school, went shopping with them afterwards, and spent time at the shrine reading Rei’s manga. Usagi even managed to convince herself that Mamoru did truly love her and that her injuries had caused her to make more of his hesitation then was actually there. They went out on two dates that week.

That week everything was smiles and fun—on the surface.

An air of aloofness hung around her friends when she was near them though. It was as though a crack had appeared between her and them, and it was rapidly widening into a fissure. They were not mean or cruel, they did nothing to hurt her feelings or drive her away, but she got the distinct impression that she was different from them, not truly a part of their group anymore. She recognized these things. It was the same way they treated Naru and Umino, as distant friends who were not privy to all they shared.

She realized that they had lost faith in her, they did not believe any longer that she was truly their Princess. That meant that, in their eyes, the Ginzuishou did not belong to her. If Usagi lost the crystal she lost the power to become Sailor Moon because her power as a Senshi and her power as Princess had become intertwined. If Usagi lost the power to become Sailor Moon, than she would no longer be part of the one thing that had ever meant anything in her life.

Those two dates with Mamoru had been at the beginning of the week and after the second she hardly saw him again. Her phone calls were picked up by his answering machine and the few times she got the chance to talk to him in person he would claim to be very busy and then after only a few brief minutes of talk, would hurry off. Usagi would be left staring after his back, wondering, questioning.

Twice that week she woke up to find Luna gone. When questioned about it in the morning she had mumbled something about a late night snack and then wandered off before further questions could be asked.

The signs were there and no matter how much she wanted to, Usagi could not deny them. As such, it was a very forlorn and dispirited Usagi who made her way to the Hikawa Shrine one-week after her disastrous fight with Neptune and Uranus. She knew she would be asked to relinquish the Ginzuishou and forced to if she didn’t comply. The lead gray clouds hanging in the sky overhead fit her mood perfectly.

As expected, everyone was waiting for her inside the shrine. The presence of Haruka and Michiru was a bit of a surprise though. Michiru sat in one corner of the room sipping tea while Haruka leaned against the wall next to the door. As she entered the room, Usagi noted that Makoto sat in a chair on the other side of the door from the tall blond. Guards in case she decided to make a break for it.

Nervous looks and half-smiles met her gaze as it swept around the room. There was no animosity there, even from Michiru and Haruka, but that sense of ever widening distance was painfully present. Mamoru was there and he gave her that broad, winning smile that had melted her heart so many times. Usagi just looked at him until that smile faltered and slipped away. The tension in the room was so think it was a wonder everyone could still breathe.

"Glad you could make it, Usagi," greeted Rei with an attempt at cheerfulness that failed miserably. "Makoto made your favorite treats," she continued, gesturing to a platter laden with sweets.

Usagi sneered, anger boiling up inside of her. "A last meal for the condemned," she spat angrily.

Rei flinched at that statement and others averted their eyes, staring down at the floor. Everyone except Haruka and Michiru were uncomfortable with the situation. Michiru met her gaze levelly and Usagi could feel the weight of Haruka’s eyes against her back.

"It’s not like that," stated Haruka. "You are not the one, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. The role is very difficult and not just anyone can be expected to fill it."

"This is not an execution," continued Michiru. "In fact, I would think you would be happy to pass on the burden you have carried on your shoulders for so long. Won’t it feel good to be a normal girl again, not having to always worry about your duty to the world."

To be a normal girl again, to shed the burden of world’s savior, those words struck a chord in Usagi’s heart. How many times had she wished for just that? How many days spent dreaming of times when she could read the adventures instead of living them? These thoughts swirled around in her head and for an instant she was tempted to just give it all up.

But then Usagi realized with cold certainty that she did not want to set this burden aside. This was her duty and despite the hardships it caused it meant everything to her. She would just as soon cut off her own foot as hand over the Ginzuishou to another.

"I am the Princess," she stated coolly. "The Ginzuishou is mine."

Shaking her head, Michiru set her tea aside and rose. The others followed suit until they surrounded her like a cage enclosing some type of wild animal that might try to run or bite. She wouldn’t bite, but if she got the chance she’d sure as hell run.

"Are you going to make this difficult?" asked Michiru. "Are you going to force us to take it from you."

Usagi gazed around at the others and they could not meet her eyes. Sadness showed on the faces of her former friends, but she knew that would not stop them from doing what they thought needed to be done. Determination showed on the faces of Haruka and Michiru. Those two didn’t care who they hurt as long as they got the job done.

Usagi’s fists clenched at her sides, her own face becoming a mask of determination. Then she let it all wash away. Her hands opened, her face showed only despair. She hung her head in defeat, reaching up to take the brooch from where it had sat for so long.

"I will…" she began, her voice choked with tears. "I will… I will not!"

Spinning around, she ducked under the blow she expected Haruka to throw and made a dash for the open door. Something hard struck her across the face before she could make it out though. Falling back with a startled cry, Usagi clutched at her eye, where the blow had centered, and stared up into the triumphant face of Haruka. But it had not been Haruka who had struck her, for the blond had indeed swung high.

Usagi’s head turned slowly. She looked up at Makoto whose arm was still extended from the punch she had thrown, aiming for the midsection, but striking the face instead. Shock showed in the brunette’s face, but it could not compete with the betrayal lining Usagi’s.

"I didn’t mean…" stammered Makoto. "It was a reaction, I didn’t mean to… Oh god Usagi! I’m so sorry!"

"So am I," whispered Usagi.

In that instant something died deep inside Usagi’s soul. A horrible, despairing feeling washed over Usagi, threatening to draw her down into a deep abyss from which there was no escape. She might have gone too, but in losing a piece of herself, she had also gained. The fires of determination roared to life in her soul and Usagi vowed that no one would take the Ginzuishou from her as long as she lived.

Usagi reached out for the strength to fight and the Ginzuishou answered her call.

The brooch opened, revealing the sparkling crystal held reverently inside. The Ginzuishou released a blinding radiance that filled the room and caused everyone there to throw up their arms in an attempt to shield their eyes from the intense glow. Everyone except Usagi that was, upon whom the light had no effect. The brilliant light died as quickly as it had appeared, leaving all but Usagi rubbing at their eyes in a vain attempt to restore lost sight.

A few of those gathered had the good sense to leave off the eye rubbing and make blind grabs for Usagi before she had the chance to escape. They were too late though, Usagi was already gone.