Eternal Peace Epic: A Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Fanfiction
by Star-chan
Light One: Sunshine Girl
Taiyoku Kinno had no trouble getting to her first day of college back in Japan. Of course, there were one or two fans wanting autographs, even (she suspected) an over-obsessed-fan-gone-stalker. She was glad, however, that she wasn't as big as the Three Lights had been ("What happened to them, anyway?" she thought). Taiyoku appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed some recognition, but didn't want it to become an invasion of her life, private and public. She had other things to do.
It was generally a good day, she thought, and smiled as small shops opened and students rushed to school. Her first day of college (how exciting!!), and to top it off, she was in her native country... What could possibly prevent her from enjoying herself?
A blond, odango-haired girl could.
"GYAAAHHHHH!!!!!! I'm so LATE!!!!!!!!" Usagi screamed. She avoided colliding into people and objects with a graceful agility that defied explanation (except to a Sailor Senshi) and skidded around corners, throwing her long (and nowadays turning more and more silvery than golden blond) hair into the faces of others by accident. She was proud of herself for the fact that this was the first time in a long time since she'd been late. She rounded a corner, starting to slow down since she was nearing school, when--
CRASH!!!!
"Owwwwww," someone mumbled to Usagi's left. Usagi got up from her current crumpled, human-pretzel-like shape, and said, "Ah, I'm so sorry!! Are you alright?!? I'm so very sorry!!" Usagi bowed low apologetically.
"It's OK," Usagi heard the girl grunt as she got up. Usagi looked up.
The girl was pretty, with shoulder-length golden-blond hair and eyes a perfect sky blue, with something else in them. It both confused Usagi and prevented her from reading the girl's expression. What fascinated Usagi most was the girl's pendant. She didn't get a proper look before it was tucked away into the girl's school uniform.
The girl stared at Usagi for a moment, and her eye twitched. She look as if, looking at Usagi, she had just realized or recognized something. She gave a smile that was strange and smug, and her eyes twinkled. Usagi felt very uncomfortable.
"Once again, I'm so very sorry!!" Usagi said, bowing again. She did this more or less to avoid the girl's bizarre eyes and smile.
"It's alright," the girl replied softly. She paused. "I'll be seeing you again." The girl walked off. Usagi stared after her, confused and a little angry. The girl then added, "Jaa, odango."
Usagi puffed up, furious. "Heeyyy!!! No one's allowed to call me that but Mamo-chan and Seiya!!! You come back here and apologize!!! HEEEEEEYYY!!!" she screamed. Steamed, Usagi glared at the girl's retreating back and heard the distant ring of the bell from her school.
"Aiyaaaaaa!!!!!" she screamed, instantly forgetting anything about the incident.
*******************
It was cold and extremely dark, but Small Lady kept running as if she would turn back if she stopped. Determined to keep herself from doing so, she told herself, "I made a promise. Now I have to keep it." A small, happy smile spread across her face, and her cheeks turned a rosy pink that no one would be able to see in this darkness. She sped up a little, clutching a Time Key in one hand and keeping a tight fist around something in the other.
She suddenly realized, without stopping, that she didn't know how to get to Elysion, or even where it truly was. She knew it was the heart of Earth; its source of power, former Golden Millenium, and sanctuary. It was also where he was. But it could be anywhere. Well, now that she was in the Fourth Dimension, she might as well try and look.
Pausing for a moment, she unclenched her fist and took out a silver pouch with golden strings and embroidery. She gazed at it lovingly for a while, then kissed it, gently. Still holding the pouch and Key close to her, she started walking. However, she stopped soon after, seeing something both fascinating and frightening.
A swirl of light and dark was battling furiously, hanging in midair. Looking at the Key for guidance, she noted that this was somewhere near or in Usagi's time, but it wasn't directly involved with her and the Senshi. "Yet," she thought dully.
The darkness was small, but powerful, and grew like doubt or loneliness in a person's heart. The light, however, was still bigger and stronger by far; but like the mind sometimes does, it started giving in. It stopped for a moment, as if it saw Small Lady and was considering her. The swirl of color and blackness, light and darkness, suddenly hurled itself at her; streaming towards her, fast and furious.
Startled but not hesitating, she cried, "Pink Moon Crystal Power, Make UP!" Eternal Sailor Chibi Moon whipped around and yelled, "Pink Lady's Freezing Kiss!" The swirl made a hole within itself to avoid the attack, replaced it, and kept coming. Without warning, it had seized all but her head, and was consuming her; it made her own light and dark battle withing her own soul.
Choking back a yell that would surely call Pluto's attention, she looked around wildly for something that might help her. She had to hurry; she felt the energy being sapped from her and the emotional battle taking its toll. Images of herself as Black Lady rose in front of her eyes.
She saw the pouch, which had torn open. A tiny, golden bell had fallen out of it. "Yeah! The bell!!" She pried her arm out of the swirl and grabbed it. "Twinkle Yell!" A faint whinny in the distance; Chibi Moon's heart lifted at the wonderful sound. But nothing happened. Shocked and scared, she tried again. "Twinkle Yell! ... TWINKLE YELL!!"
Nothing.
The swirl regained control, sucking more energy and pulling her in. She dropped the bell and her whole body went numb, and her eyes fogged. She felt herself slipping... Why didn't he come...?
"HELIOS!!!!"
Then... Darkness.
*******************
He heard, but didn't believe. He felt, but didn't understand.
Helios was kneeling under the great canopy, praying to the Gold Crystal Tower with the Menards. He had been wondering why his mind kept straying...
The Tower was an object of power that showed images as well as recieved prayers. It showed whatever necessary or relevant; a premonition, a message from a higher power, or what's in the priest's mind (which is not always necessarily relevant).
Lately, there were images coming that were very important, but they were blurry and distorted. An outside power was interfering with this important premonition, but Helios thought something else was also trying to communicate with him, on a personal level. It felt like...family...? Nonsense. Helios hadn't spoken with his family in how long...?
It was not only this alien phenomenon, but also the priest himself. The Menards would giggle quietly and look at him in mock anger whenever a long stream of hair as softly pink as a rosy cheek, or a puff of hair like cotton candy appeared in the Tower.
Helios didn't expect her to return, promise or not. She had probably forgotten all about him; found Prince Charming, and was living happily ever after, he thought grimly. And besides, how could a princess love a priest? It was politically impossible as well as morally. How many thousands of years older was he...?
The Menards were very understanding, but after a while they would take him aside and tell him, gently but firmly, that this was interfering with their prayers. The three of them knew that two very different but equally important messages were trying to get through. It was more Helios than anything else preventing them from coming through.
Because of all this, the Menards really lost their patience when he stood up in the middle of prayers. "Little Maiden...?" His hands were shaking terribly. "She... She's calling me... In trouble...?" he said weakly, his eyes wide and staring into space.
"Now, really, Priest Helios--" one of the Menards began angrily. Helios' hand zipped up to silence her. After listening a moment, he turned and ran from the canopy. Putting two fingers to his lips, he blew a long whistle. His white pegasus came to greet him, and poised to fly as Helios jumped on his back.
The flew up, up, higher and higher into Elysion's perfect blue sky, the Menards screaming after him, until--
ZAP!! CRACKLE!!
The pegasus had hit a black barrier, and fell, Helios still clinging tightly to him. Muttering a quick prayer, Helios emitted a small burst of energy from his hand to slow their fall, cursing as he looked to see how hurt his steed was. It was bad; the barrier had immediately drained the poor beast of almost all of its life energy.
Helios brought them both safely to the ground and looked up. Beyond the beautiful sky was a black, evil barrier that they hadn't seen. It now fizzed and crackled with dark power, preventing their escape or communication to the outside world.
They were trapped. Again.
****************
Taiyoku paced the stage, nervously nibbling on her thumbnail. She would have to tell them... Sooner rather than later. It was unbearable to think how they'd take it... Having them not be surprised about it and rejecting her would be infinitely worse than having them BE surprised and trying their hardest to accept her, though knowing all along that it would never work.
She was supposed to be rehearsing at the moment, but found it hard to concentrate. She had been grumbling all day; only here a few days and already there were problems. When would she get any rest?!
A flash outside. Damn, shit, and may everybody go to hell for all she cared.
When Taiyoku's manager came to ask if she had stage fright about tomorrow night, he found himself having a temper tantrum about her disappearance.
****************
Usagi got home after dark that night. Amazingly, the teacher was also late, so Usagi missed receiving a detention. It didn't stop her from playing a couple of rounds of Sailor V at Crown and visiting Mamoru after school.
After greeting her parents, Usagi went to her room, put her bag on the floor next to her desk, then walked over to her bed. She landed softly onto her bed in one swift, graceful motion. She sighed deeply. Something about that girl she bumped into kept bothering her...
Trying to shake it off, Usagi went to do her homework.
Usagi eventually finished the complicated math problems, but she had found it hard to concentrate. Usagi could tell by looking into the girl's eyes that she was afraid of being hurt, and kept many strong mental barriers. However, it didn't prevent her from giving off stronger emotions.
She looked so burdened... And I could tell she has too much negative emotion gnawing at her... Is she lonely...? I couldn't tell what she was feeling, but I know it wasn't good. Maybe... I should look out for her? See if I can talk to her again, maybe? Offer my friendship. Usagi smiled to herself.
"I'm everybody's friend!" she said aloud, cheerfully.
"Not mine, you're not!!" Shingo, her little brother, had poked his head in. He made a face and ran.
"That little..." Usagi growled.
Exhausted, Usagi started getting ready for bed. Putting on her special pj's, the ones that Mamoru and Chibiusa both had identical pairs of, she sat down at her dressing table and started undoing her buns, letting her long, silver-blond hair fall. She started brushing it, and looked at her reflection.
Every day she was looking more and more like a lady, like the Queen she was destined to become. She wondered if the mirror could possibly see what was inside as well as outside of a person. For while her appearance changed, Usagi thought she wasn't and hadn't changed all that much.
She suddenly remembered something about mirrors... When the nightmare with the Dead Moon Circus was starting, Chibiusa had once told her and Mamoru a story her mother, the Queen, had told her about mirrors.
"You must not look into a mirror during a full moon," Chibiusa had said. "You'll get sucked into the other side of the mirror, where this dark world exists."
Usagi smiled sadly at her reflection. That adorable package of pink sugar must have grown a lot by now, Usagi thought.
Usagi got up and started walking to her bed, but stopped halfway. She looked back at the picture on her dressing table. Her, Mamoru, and Chibiusa.
Our royal little family, Usagi chuckled. She smiled warmly at the picture. "Good night, Chibiusa. Good night, Mamo-chan." She crawled into bed and turned out the light. "Good night, everyone."
**************************
Usagi dreamed
She was walking down a dark, forbidding corridor. There were many doors on each side, and she was frightened by what she heard coming from behind them. Uncontrollable sobbing, moans of anguish, cries of pain and other such noises came from behind the doors. But the ones that scared her the most were the ones the contained nothing but silence.
She came to the end of the corridor, where there was one solitary door. A little afraid, she opened the door and stepped inside.
Except there was no floor.
Usagi plummeted down, down into the bottomless hellpit, trying to scream but uttering no sound. Though, as she fell she fell through a couple of nets that slowed her fall. They were warm and comforting, and each had the distinct feel of someone who she cared, and vice versa. But none of her Senshi, or Mamo-chan or Chibiusa.
Just when she thought shed crash, she fell onto something soft and embracing. Surprised and a bit shaken, she looked to see tall, strong pillars beneath her. Though they looked solid, they were so soft when she landed on them.
Usagi that realized the pillars were each one color, and were the colors of her Senshi. With that in mind, there was one pillar for each Senshi, all in a circle. In the center was a golden pillar and a pink pillar. She was so astounded by this that she didnt really notice when the pillars changed into fukus
Usagi blinked.
The pillars had changed into those dearest to her: her nine Senshi, Inner and Outer, and those two most precious; Mamoru from the gold and Chibiusa from the pink.
She embraced them all joyfully and thanked them over and over again for saving her. She didnt get to celebrate long before
Usagi blinked.
Another corridor. Her beloved friends and family had disappeared, and she was completely alone. Or was she?
A young girl was standing before her, back turned so Usagi couldnt see the girls face. The poor girl was chained and strapped to a giant gold cross, and she stooped and strained under its weight, and her body bled where the chains and ropes chafed her.
Slowly, painfully, the girl turned to Usagi and said in a whisper, We all have our own cross to bear. Usagi was shocked to notice it was the same girl she had bumped into earlier that day.
The girl turned around and faced the corridor, and started dragging the cross. Usagi, curious, followed.
The girl started growing younger, Usagi noticed. The cross shrunk also shrank with her, but never fully disappeared. Maybe this was the girls true self? A small, frightened, hurt little girl?
A small, seemingly five year old was now pattering in front of Usagi with little feet. She stopped and turned to look at Usagi. After considering her for a moment, the girl reached for her chest, where the cross had turned into a necklace. She picked it up, with some effort, to show it to Usagi. Successfully holding it up, the little girl said, This is heavy.
The little girl turned away and started trotting through the corridor again. As Usagi followed her, she could the girl sobbing quietly as she passed the doors that held such pain and sadness. A few, Usagi saw, were open from just a crack to halfway open. The pent-up emotions flowed freely, and Usagi could identify them; fear, despair, sadness, and the like.
What stopped Usagis heart, however, was not what she expected.
The little girl had slowed and stopped at two doors. These were open fully. Although Usagi had never felt these negative emotions for long, she still knew them. Loneliness and jealousy.
**********************
Notes:
jaa- a very informal way of saying "see you later," "later," "see you tomorrow"
odango- means "dumpling," and Usagi has been called this by Mamoru and Seiya (only in the anime) because of her hairstyle
