Over the skies of Juuban, the eldest of the four Ayakashi sisters hovered as storm clouds began to gather around her and the wind began to ruffle her dark green dress and long black boots.
Moments ago, Rubeus had disclosed his latest plan for capturing the Rabbit. The Rabbit was afraid of thunder and lightning, so he figured that if they used that, the Rabbit would be frightened into releasing a burst of energy, which they could use to find her. And she had just the Droid, too!
And so she, Prisma, finally got her turn to search for the Rabbit.
Prisma raised her right arm and touched a finger to her forehead right where her Black Moon emblem was. “Come forth, Droid Fuuraiki!” she summoned as she closed her eyes. The emblem on her forehead began to shine with a dull green glow. Overhead, a pale-skinned Droid appeared carrying a bass drum in front of her with a pair of electrical probes carried one in each hand; the left one tipped blue and the right one red. A yellow lightning rod of sorts stuck out of her forehead and went straight up, ending a half-foot over her head.
“Make your lightning and thunder,” Prisma ordered the Droid before her. “Cover Juuban in hard rain!”
“Boom, boom!” Fuuraiki acknowledged as she struck her drum with her two electrical probes, causing them to build up an electrical charge. “Flash, flash!” she said as she struck the drum again, causing lightning bolts to surge downward from her drum.
The Droid then drew a hair drier from behind her back and switched it on. “Blow, wind, blow!” she shouted, pointing the drier down toward the street below. A strong gust of wind began to blow down the street, accompanying the rain that was beginning to fall.
Down below, Usagi was running down the street, looking for a good place to get out of the rain. A magazine was held close to her chest in order to protect it from getting soaked as she hadn’t expected the rainstorm that had suddenly appeared from out of nowhere.
“Oh, why did it suddenly have to start raining?” she complained as she ran. Well, on the bright side, it was only raining.
A bolt of lightning arched across the sky as a clap of thunder boomed overhead.
“Aaaaah!” Usagi screeched and ran like mad all the way home.
Usagi sighed as she shook the water out of her shoes. Now that she was safe at home and indoors, she didn’t have to worry about the lightning.
“Mama!” she called out, glancing up the stairs. “Mama!”
“She’s not here,” Luna said as she padded out of Usagi’s room.
“Why?”
“Don’t you remember what she said during breakfast?”
“Hah?”
“Your mom is out shopping with her friends. She said she might be late coming home this evening, remember?”
“Aah?!? Then, Luna, a towel! A towel! I’m all wet!” Usagi exclaimed. “And that’s not good for my beautiful complexion!” she added, with a grin.
“Hey, fools don’t need good complexions,” Luna sweatdropped. “Anyway, you have to grab your rain gear and go to the elementary school right away!”
“Eh? Why?”
“Chibiusa still hasn’t come back from her swimming class,” Luna told her.
A huge bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a roar of thunder.
“Aaaaaah! No way!!! I really, really, really, really hate thunder!”
Luna just sat there, boggling. Especially as Usagi was now pitching a fit like a little kid, right down to the flailing arms and kicking feet.
“I don’t wanna go out in it! Don’t wanna! Don’t wanna! Don’t wanna!!!”
The rain was pouring down hard around Juuban Elementary. Chibiusa watched from the window of her classroom as parents came by to pick up their children. By now, most of the children had gone home with their parents, leaving only herself and a couple of other children whose parents hadn’t arrived yet.
“Mama is late…,” the other girl said, staring down at the tiled floor.
A particularly bright flash of lightning and loud thunderclap frightened all three children into wailing as they covered their ears and clenched their eyes shut. When it was over, the girl began crying loudly while the boy wept quietly.
“Cheer up, you two,” Chibiusa said as she tried to get them to stop crying.
The door opened, causing the children to stop crying long enough to see who had come. “Kaoru-chan, I’m sorry I’m late,” the woman said as she stepped inside.
“Mama!” the girl cried as she ran toward her mother and embraced her. “Mama! Mama! You’re late!”
After Kaoru and her mother left, Chibiusa went out to the front of the school with the boy to wait. The boy was seated on the steps, sobbing while Chibiusa leaned against the support pole for the outcropping and held her Luna Sphere.
“You’re a boy, aren’t you?” she asked, watching the boy. “Don’t cry.”
The boy stopped crying long enough to look at her. “But…,” he said, then went right back to crying again.
A car pulled up to the entrance of the school and opened its passenger door. “Hey, Yoshiro! Did you think you’d have to stay for cram school?”
“Papa!” the boy yelled as he took off running for the car. Chibiusa watched as the boy climbed in, closed the door, and waved as the car drove off.
Chibiusa huddled with her Luna Sphere and sniffled. She was the last one left at the school. She was all alone.
A bolt of lightning flashed through the sky again, causing her to flinch with the accompanying thunder. “Mama…,” she whimpered piteously. “Papa….” A second roar of thunder sounded. Crying, Chibiusa jumped to her feet and took off, exiting the school grounds and running down the street.
Usagi ran down the street, carrying an extra hooded raincoat for Chibiusa under one arm. “Lightning, please don’t flash,” she pleaded under her breath as she ran. “Thunder, please don’t roar.” She had been repeating this same litany over and over since she had left her house.
Flash. Roar. “AAAAAAA!!!”
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be working.
As Usagi ran across a bridge that spanned across the street she had been following, she failed to notice that a soaking wet Chibiusa was running underneath it at the same time.
Usagi finally arrived at Juuban Elementary. “Chibiusa!” she called out as she opened the door and went inside. “Chibiusa!”
There was no sign of the young girl.
Frowning, she exited the building, closing the door behind her. “That’s strange,” she murmured to herself as she glanced around, looking for her. “I wonder if she went home?”
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
Shingo tried to ignore the ringing of the phone as he concentrated on playing his Sailor Moon video game. It was a level boss that he was having trouble with for days now. His last player and only half his health remaining.
Dodge, duck, shoot.
Ring, ring.
Duck, shoot, dodge.
Ring, ring.
“Oh, shut up!” he grumbled at the phone, turning his attention away for a moment. But, that was when the level boss smashed his player. Game over.
Ring, ring.
“Crap…,” he muttered and slumped forward, the very picture of defeat. Well, he might as well go answer the phone, then.
“Hello, Tsukino residence.
“What? Stupid Usagi? What do you want?”
“Shingo, did Chibiusa come home yet?”
“No, she’s not here. I thought you were supposed to go pick her up, or something.”
“What? She’s not back yet? But I’ve already looked for her for over twenty minutes….”
“Looked for her?!? Wasn’t she supposed to be at the school?”
“But she wasn’t anywhere in the school. I figured she came home already.”
“If she hasn’t come home, then she hasn’t come home! Poor Chibiusa-chan’s out there! Make sure you find her!” With that, he hung up the phone.
“Shingo! Honestly!” she grumbled, glaring at the phone as it beeped at her.
“Chibiusa…. Where…? Where have you gone?
After exiting the phone booth, Usagi resumed her search for the missing Chibiusa. She was so preoccupied with looking for the little girl that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and ran into someone at the next street intersection.
“I’m sorry!” she apologized and stopped as she recognized who she ran into. “Mamo-chan….”
“Why are you in such a hurry?” he asked.
“Chibiusa is missing!” she told him, clutching onto his shirt sleeve urgently.
Mamoru’s eyes widened. “What? Chibiusa?!?”
Another flash of lightning struck. Usagi screamed and clutched at Mamoru, frightened. They stayed in that position while the roar of thunder receded and only the soft, rhythmic tapping of the rain against Mamoru’s umbrella was heard.
“Mamo-chan…,” Usagi murmured quietly.
“Usako…,” he said, then caught himself. With a mental effort, he stepped away from Usagi, until she was no longer under his umbrella. Noticing the rain falling on her hands and her hood, she turned a confused, pleading look toward him.
“Stop it,” he said coldly. “I’ve told you before; we’re not like that anymore.”
“Mamo-chan….”
“Never mind that,” he told her. “We have to hurry and find Chibiusa!”
“You’ll help me look for her?”
“Of course!”
Usagi looked away, staring down at the ground beside her. “You’re so cold toward me, but you still worry about Chibiusa.”
“It’s normal to worry about a missing child,” he replied then turned away. “She must be scared and lonely in this storm.” He glanced back at her over his shoulder. “Of course, I’m worried! We’ve got no time to lose. Let’s go!” With that, he took off running down the street.
“Right!” she said and ran after him. Mamo-chan is such a caring person. No matter how coldly you treat me, Mamo-chan, I still love you.
Ryoku stared out from the second story window of the café that he had taken shelter from the rain in. After all, a gray T-shirt and blue jeans aren’t exactly rain gear. After he had grabbed a window table, he had been pleasantly surprised to find Ami and Makoto coming to the same place he did. A half-smile stretched lazily across one side of his face as he noticed that Ami was wearing his favorite dress today. How nice.
They had both joined him at his table by the window; Makoto ordering a soda, while Ami took out her textbooks and began studying. He, on the other hand, had done a little of both; he had a soda and one of his books out. However, it wasn’t for studying, but for writing. Ami had naturally been curious when she saw the numerous empty lines printed on the book’s pages. Once he flipped back to where some were filled out, she understood. It was a book filled with staff paper for writing musical notation on.
He was taking a break from writing and had just glanced out the window when he saw them and frowned. So, Usagi was still at it. Well, he wished her luck. He still wanted to go and throttle Mamoru for what he did to her, but he had promised. He would wait. But if Mamoru didn’t come clean before his patience ran out….
“What?” Makoto said after having seen what had caught her brother’s attention. “Those two together again? I thought they were having a fight, but they look like they’re getting along pretty well.”
Privately, Ryoku disagreed. After all, Usagi was trailing a good distance behind Mamoru, not running under his umbrella.
“Yes, but if they have the time to go run around in the rain, I think they should study,” Ami remarked and went back to her studies. Makoto and Ryoku promptly sweatdropped.
“Ah, Ami-chan, Mako-chan, Ryo-kun!” Rei exclaimed as she and Minako exited the elevator behind them.
“Hey, Rei-chan, Minako-chan!” Ryoku greeted and waved them over.
“Oh, what are you two doing here?” Makoto asked as Ryoku got up to fetch another chair. “We didn’t expect to meet you here.”
“I ran into Minako-chan when we ran in here to get out of the rain,” Rei explained.
“Oh, us, too!” Ami agreed as Ryoku came back with an additional chair. “I thought if I’m going to be stuck here a while, I might as well study my Japanese, math, social studies, and English.”
Mass sweatdropping.
“We just ran into each other,” Makoto added.
“I was here first,” Ryoku added, shrugging.
Minako took the seat beside Makoto, while Rei took the chair Ryoku provided at the end of the table between Minako and Ami. Ryoku returned to his seat between Ami and the window.
“Aren’t coincidences strange?” Minako said, grinning.
“I guess in the end, we all think alike,” Rei remarked.
“But someone’s not here,” Minako mentioned.
“Ah, well don’t count Usagi,” Rei replied. “She’s too stupid, so she’s an exception. Right?” The other girls sweatdropped and nodded, while Ryoku raised an eyebrow and said nothing as he glanced out the window again.
Underneath the same café that the off-duty Scouts were gathered in, Chibiusa huddled against the wall with her Luna Sphere. Even though it was dry underneath the building entrance, it was still cold and she was still wet from running in the rain.
“Mama, I’m hungry.”
Chibiusa turned to see a young girl about her age walking with her mother outside past the entryway.
“Do you want me to make you some pancakes, then?”
“How about pudding?”
“Okay, then.”
She continued to watch the pair until they walked completely past the entrance and out of sight. She let out a quiet sigh and turned her Luna Sphere’s face toward her. She stared at it for a moment, then pressed the nose.
The left eye lit up with a soft glow as the image began to scramble. A faint beeping-like sound emanated from within the ball and faded as the image resolved into a broken semblance of a person. The image was too distorted to make out any details, but she knew who this was.
Chibiusa’s face brightened. “Puu, I want to go back to where Mama is!”
“You can’t do that yet,” Puu’s distorted voice answered.
She reached into her shirt and pulled out the key she wore around her neck. “Puu, I want to use this key you gave me to go back home!”
“It is true that the key will allow you to travel through time, but it is dangerous to use it recklessly.”
“Dangerous?” she repeated in surprise. “But, I want to go back!”
“I know it must be hard for you, but we need the Silver Crystal to save your mother. You must do your best in this world until you find it.
“One day, when the evil forces are destroyed, you can return home and be happy. Until then, you must bear it. Understand?” With that, the image reverted back into the familiar shape of the ball’s left eye.
“Puu!” Chibiusa called out, lifting the ball to eye-level as she stood up. “Puu! Puu!”
A large bolt of lightning snaked through the air very close to where everyone was at, startling the group inside the café, as well as frightening Chibiusa. The young girl took off crying as she ran inside the building and into a clothing store while grasping the key in one hand.
“I still want to go home anyway!” she cried as she stopped and thrust the key into the air in front of her with her eyes clenched shut.
Several thin beams of light shot out in various random directions, each reflecting off of whatever surface it came into contact with. The light beams shot everywhere, filling the clothing store like a spider web. As the light beams filled the store, everything that wasn’t attached to the floor began to float slowly into the air. The lighter items lifted first as heavier items rose more slowly.
Chibiusa opened her eyes in surprise as she felt herself lift off of the ground, and screamed.
Ryoku whirled around as he spotted the first beam of light coming from the stairwell from the reflection in the window. As the others turned to see what had caught his attention, several other beams shot out of the stairwell, bouncing off of whatever surface it struck.
“What the hell?” he said as he watched a beam shoot past the left side of his head.
“What is this?” Rei exclaimed, jerking back from another beam that passed too close.
“Light beams?” Makoto wondered, glancing from one to another.
“Oh, no! My textbooks!” Ami panicked as she quickly gathered her scattered books.
“Wait…. They’re… gathering?” Ryoku noticed as several beams disappeared and several discs of light started to form on the floor. “What–?” He was cut off as the discs became columns of light. As more columns of light formed, he started to feel a sense of weightlessness wash over him. He reached down to grasp at the table as the girls did the same, shouting in their panic.
Several columns merged with others, making larger columns, until the entire room was flooded with a blinding white light.
The girls’ shouting stopped as the light faded away. Everyone stared as they glanced around at their surroundings.
“What the…?” Makoto said as she floated several feet off the ground. Glancing around, she could see that everything in the room that wasn’t fastened to the floor was floating… except for her brother, who was still clinging to the table.
“W-what… what is this?!?” Rei stammered unsteadily as she rose into the air, the top of her head down to her nose ending up being covered by the back of Minako’s skirt.
“Hey! Pervert!” Minako exclaimed angrily.
“Wha–?” Ryoku said, glanced up… and froze. Ami was so concerned with gathering all of her errant textbooks and other items that she had neglected to keep her skirt down. “Blue…,” he murmured to himself before snapping out of his daze and covering his eyes, releasing the table as he did so. He promptly started to rise into the air as well.
“What a strange phenomenon!” Ami remarked as she paused in gathering her things. “Gravity seems to have disappeared.” She took a quick glance outside. “But, it’s normal outside….” She giggled as she placed a thoughtful finger on her chin as she studied the ceiling. “This is getting more and more mysterious. Let’s see, mass times mass times….”
“Ami-chan, this isn’t the time for such complicated topics!” Minako said as Rei managed to get disentangled from her skirt. Her eyes widened as she noticed where Ryoku – who was covering his eyes for some reason she didn’t know – was floating toward. “Ryo-kun, look out!” she warned. “You’re heading toward–“
“Huh?” He removed his hands from his eyes and looked up. Unfortunately, that’s when Ami had turned around again to see what her boyfriend was heading toward. She found herself with her boyfriend’s head underneath her skirt, his face in that area, and reacted without thinking.
“Kyaa!” she screamed, her face turning red as she shoved her dress down after kicking him away from her, unintentionally sending him hurtling toward Minako. Ryoku flailed his arms, trying to stop himself, but ended up crashing into her all the same. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Ryo-kun!” she exclaimed as she realized what she did.
“Ow…,” he groaned as he tried to push himself off of Minako. “Are you okay, Mina– Oops….”
Minako promptly hit Ryoku over the top of his head. It wasn’t too hard; he had already been kicked in the stomach by Ami even if it was an accident, and he didn’t mean anything by it. The poor boy probably felt bad enough as it is. “Ryo-kun, it really isn’t polite to grab a lady there, you know,” she chided, blushing slightly as her right hand brushed over her breasts where his hands had accidentally rested.
“Someone, just kill me now,” he moaned, his head completely buried in his hands in utter mortification. “Please, just kill me now.”
Rei hit him over the head in the same manner Minako did. It was slightly more difficult because she was currently floating upside-down beside him. “That was for good measure,” she told him in a slightly admonishing tone. Ryoku grunted and nodded, but didn’t take his head out of his hands.
“I will get down!” Makoto declared as she tried to swim through the air to the ground. “I will get down to the ground!”
“What?!?” Chibiusa exclaimed as she felt herself lift off the ground. However, her surprise wasn’t because of her inability to remain on the ground. “I can’t get back to Papa and Mama!”
Frustrated, crushed, and feeling utterly alone, she began to cry. Once again, the crescent moon symbol appeared on her forehead, followed by an enormous column of energy shooting off from her into the air.
A far distance away, Prisma smirked. The column of light was as good as a beacon, telling her exactly where her target was located. “I’ve found you, Rabbit.”
Already, her Droid was heading straight for the target, beating constantly on her drum.
Usagi whirled toward the huge column of light, recognizing it immediately. “It’s Chibiusa’s energy!” she shouted, causing Mamoru to halt suddenly and stare toward where she was pointing.
That was when the column of light faded away.
Chibiusa’s crying slowly ebbed, along with the energy that she had been discharging unconsciously. When she had gotten herself under control, she glanced around, finally realizing that she, as well as everything else around her, was floating a good distance off the ground.
“What’s going on?” she said, thoroughly confused.
Before she had a chance to wonder about how she ended up a couple of meters off the floor, the Droid Fuuraiki suddenly crashed through the glass doors at the entrance and stopped.
“Boom, boom, boom!” Fuuraiki said as she banged on her drums while building up a charge. “Flash!” she yelled, thrusting both probes at the young girl. Chibiusa wailed as she scrambled to avoid the electrical blasts, making her way toward the stairs that lead up to the second floor.
Outside, Usagi stopped in front of the building’s entrance, having noticed the broken glass door, and looked inside. She saw Fuuraiki launch another bolt of electrical energy at the young girl, who was rushing madly up the stairway. The bolt smashed into the steps underneath her feet, launching the pink-haired girl up several more steps before she regained her balance and continued to run.
“Chibiusa!” Usagi shouted as she started to run into the building… only to get caught up in the zero-gravity effect that filled the building and find herself struggling to regain her mobility.
Meanwhile, Chibiusa had finally reached the second floor and started air-swimming toward the café area.
“Chibiusa-chan?” Rei said, surprised to see the girl making her way into the room in such haste.
“What’s wrong?” Ryoku asked as he maneuvered himself toward the ceiling.
That was when Fuuraiki started air-swimming in after her.
“A Droid!” all five exclaimed at once. Immediately, Ryoku kicked off from the ceiling and tried to rush the Droid. Fuuraiki spun around and slammed her huge drum into him, sending him hurtling past the girls and into the wall behind them.
“Blow, wind, blow!” she declared as she brought out her hair drier and turned it on, blowing the other girls toward the same wall. Makoto hit first, followed by Minako, then Ami and Rei. All four landed on Ryoku.
“Ungh…,” he groaned painfully. “That wasn’t… so bad….”
That was when Chibiusa landed on Rei – who was still on Ryoku – and the Luna Sphere smacked him square in the face.
“Never mind…,” he groaned and blacked out.
On the floor below, Usagi heard the screams of her friends and quickly reached for her broach. “Moon crystal power, make up!”
“Boom, boom, boom!” Fuuraiki said as she pounded her drum over and over, building up a large enough charge to finish everyone off. “Boom, boom, boom!”
“Hold it!” Sailor Moon ordered from the doorway. She was holding herself in place with all four of her limbs; her right hand on the top of the doorway, right foot and left hand on the sides, and her left foot on the floor.
Chibiusa roused enough to notice the newcomer. “Who are you?” she murmured weakly.
“I’m the Sailor Warrior fighting for love and justice, Sailor Moon!”
Chibiusa stared at the newcomer, completely stunned. Sailor Moon?
“So, you’re the one responsible for the sudden rain and thunder?” she continued angrily. “For disturbing the peace of the city with your thunder and bringing fear into the hearts of little children, I won’t forgive you! On behalf on the Moon, I’ll punish you!”
Fuuraiki answered by drawing her hair dryer again and turning it on Sailor Moon. “Blow, wind, blow!” she shouted, launching a gust of wind. The gust easily flung Sailor Moon back, as she was still weightless, and smashed her against the wall upside-down.
“Sailor Moon!” Rei shouted.
“Hang in there, Sailor Moon!” Chibiusa shouted encouragingly.
“Why, you…!” Sailor Moon growled as she peeled herself off the wall.
“Boom! Flash!”
“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” she yelled while being electrocuted by Fuuraiki’s second attack. “I feel numb,” she mumbled as the attack ceased.
Fuuraiki closed in on her, smiling ominously as she deliberated struck her dumb slowly, letting the charge build up as she closed in. Once she was close enough, she raised her probes and touched the tips together, letting the built up charge shoot off small arcs of electricity for an additional intimidation effect.
“Oh, no!” Minako exclaimed. “She’s gonna get killed!”
Fuuraiki continued to strike her drum, building up her charge for the killing blow. Suddenly, a rose cut through the air, ripping through one side of the drum and bursting through the other, leaving a gaping hole in both sides of the musical instrument. Moments later, the built-up electrical charge began to discharge through the Droid’s body, as if the Droid had suddenly shorted out.
Sailor Moon glanced toward the source of the thrown rose. Standing in one of the windows, using one hand to brace himself against floating into the air, was Tuxedo Kamen.
“Sailor Moon.”
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama,” Sailor Moon said, brightening at the very sight of him.
Chibiusa stared at this new arrival. “Tuxedo Kamen?”
“When a drum is used correctly, it brings excitement to people’s hearts,” he stated. “But to use a drum as a weapon is not to be allowed. You are a disgrace as a musician.” He raised his free hand, brandishing four roses. Fuuraiki merely snarled at him. “If you must play a drum, play the cheerful tune of a traditional Japanese dance,” he added as flung the roses. Each rose made the Droid hop backward in order to avoid the attack and to keep her off-balance.
“Now, Sailor Moon!” Tuxedo Kamen shouted.
Sailor Moon glanced back toward him. “Thank you, Tuxedo Kamen.” She turned back toward the Droid, frowning angrily as she brought out her Moon Scepter. “Moon princess halation!” she shouted as she waved the scepter in front of her, firing a blast of white energy at Fuuraiki. The attack stuck the Droid, knocking her through the window as it shattered her skin to pieces, leaving only her figure in crystal, which disintegrated into a pile of powder in midair. The jewel with the upside-down black crescent moon turned from a soft turquoise into a dull lifeless gray as it continued to fly through the air, until Prisma caught it from her vantage point on the roof of the building across the street.
Prisma stared at the dull jewel in her hand, scowling fiercely at it with controlled anger. “Rabbit….”
“Oneesama,” Bertie said as she faded into view beside her older sister, “it looks like you failed.”
“Shut up!” she snapped, dropping her hand and glaring at her younger sister.
“So, what are you going to do now?” Bertie asked, unfazed by Prisma’s glare.
Prisma turned back toward the building where the battle took place. “I will not try to fight in that strangely warped space,” she stated. “I will withdraw for today.” With that, she faded from view.
“Ah! Wait for me, oneesama!” Bertie said as she followed suit.
“Well done, as always, Sailor Moon,” Tuxedo Kamen stated as he leapt down off of the window ledge with his cape draped around him and tried to land on the floor. However, his foot landed on a soda can, causing him to slip and rise up into the air like everyone else.
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama!” Sailor Moon shouted as she watched her love tumble into the air.
“Smooth, cape-boy,” Ryoku called out jokingly. “Real smooth. Welcome to the Midair Club, where gravity ain’t our problem.”
“Ryo-kun…,” Ami said, sighing in vexation while Rei just swatted him in the head again. Makoto and Minako laughed quietly.
“Just what is going on here?” Sailor Moon asked, ignoring the others as she glanced around at everything suspended in the air.
“I’m sorry,” Chibiusa said as she floated over to them. “It’s my fault.”
“What?” Ami said as she floated toward the young girl. “Chibiusa-chan, you caused this?”
Chibiusa nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry,” she apologized again as she clasped the key that dangled around her neck and tucked it back into her blouse. Laying one hand over the key inside her blouse, she closed her eyes and concentrated on returning to the ground. She slowly sank back down to the ground were she touched down gently on her feet, restoring normal gravity as she landed.
However, for the seven people still in the air, their landings weren’t as light, or as graceful. Despite hovering a short distance in the air, Tuxedo Kamen managed to pull off a passable landing. Sailor Moon, unsurprisingly, landed on her behind. As for the other five….
“Mako-chan… you’re heavy….”
“Not as heavy as all of you piled on my back at the same time, Minako-chan. Would you all please get off so I can breathe?”
“Sorry, Ryo-kun.”
After everyone had managed to get to their feet, Makoto started toward the young pink-haired girl. “Hey, what the heck was that, anyway?” she inquired as she grabbed one of Chibiusa’s arms, trying to get a better look at the key she wore around her neck.
“Let go!” Chibiusa shouted as she struggled to free her arm. “I just wanted to go back home!”
“Go back?” Rei said thoughtfully. “Home? Where is that?”
Ryoku stepped forward and placed a hand on his sister’s shoulder. “Enough, Mako-chan,” he said soft, but firmly. Makoto gave him a confused look for a moment, then nodded as she let her go and stepped aside. “Now, would you mind telling us where ‘home’ is?” he asked as he knelt down in front of her.
Chibiusa frowned at Makoto for a moment, then turned back toward him. “Home is where my Mama and Papa are,” she replied curtly.
“Where are your Mama and Papa?” Ami asked.
Chibiusa looked at Ami for a moment, then lowered her head sadly, saying nothing.
“Where did you come from?” Makoto asked, more gently than before.
The young girl still remained silent.
“If you tell me honestly, I’ll help you,” Sailor Moon said with a soft, gentle smile. “Come on; please tell me.”
Chibiusa stared at Sailor Moon as if realizing something. As Sailor Moon continued to speak, the words from the distorted image in her Luna Sphere returned to her mind.
We need the Silver Crystal to save your mother. You must do your best in this world until you find it.
“Come on, Chibiusa-chan,” Minako said as she bent down behind her and smiled, placing an arm on her shoulder, “please talk to us. We’ll protect you–“
“That’s enough,” Tuxedo Kamen interjected. “Everyone has things they don’t want to talk about.”
“But…,” Sailor Moon said, but trailed off into silence.
Ryoku stood up slowly and strode toward Tuxedo Kamen, stopping only ten centimeters away from him as he stared the masked man straight in the eyes. “Sometimes talking about your problems can be a good thing,” he said with a coldness that matched his icy glare. “Remember that.” With that, he stepped past him without another word, continued on toward the staircase, and left.
Chibiusa stared at Tuxedo Kamen, remembering what he said. It was like he understood what she was going through. Certainly better than everyone else was. She didn’t know why the boy was so upset at him, but she didn’t care.
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama!” she shouted as she smiled and ran to him, arms outstretched. As she ran to him, he flung his cape out with one hand and drew it around the young girl and himself as she rushed into his arms.
“Hmph!” Sailor Moon snorted as he picked the little girl up, placing her hand on her hips and tossing her head back in irritation.
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama…,” Chibiusa sighed happily in his arms as he smiled back at her.
Outside, Chibiusa skipped happily along as she held Tuxedo Kamen’s hand while he walked beside her. As they started to cross over the street bridge that would take her to the other side of the street, she began to sing a nursery-school song that she learned during her time in school.
As they went on their merry way, the others – including Ryoku, who had been waiting for the others outside – watched from a distance, each glad to see the young girl in such a cheery mood.
“That’s my Tuxedo Kamen-sama she’s clinging to!”
Well, almost all of them.
“But…,” Usagi said as she watched Chibiusa skipping happily along, “I guess it’s all right.”
In the middle of the bridge, Chibiusa stopped and rushed excitedly to one side of the bridge. “Oh! Look, look, Tuxedo Kamen-sama! It’s a rainbow!” Tuxedo Kamen turned to look at the rainbow shining over the cityscape and smiled.
Below, the six others all looked up to see the giant rainbow as well. “Ah, it’s beautiful!” Usagi said, gazing in awe.
“Indeed, Usagi-chan,” Ryoku agreed, nodding with a small half-smile on his face. “Beautiful, indeed.”
To Chapter 61: The Big Argument