“Having journeyed through numerous dangerous adventures, the prince came to the forest of thorns. Finding the sleeping princess, he broke the evil spell placed upon her by her stepmother, an evil witch, by giving her the kiss of true love.”
“Boring,” Chibiusa complained, interrupting the bedtime story Usagi was reading to her.
Usagi shifted from her seat on the floor and glanced back at the little girl lying on her bed. “What are you talking about?” she retorted. “This is the best part. I’m trying to be a nice cousin,” she grumbled partly to herself.
“You’re not really my cousin,” Chibiusa murmured back sleepily. “Besides, I already know that fairy tale.”
“Honestly!” Usagi complained. “And here I am, trying to be nice by reading you a bedtime story.” With a quiet snort, she turned back to reading the book aloud.
“The spell broken, the princess, who had been sleeping as though she were dead, woke up.” The story over, she closed the book and hugged it to her chest. “Isn’t that romantic? Right, Chibiusa?” she asked as she turned back to the little girl again.
The young pink-haired girl was fast asleep.
“Oh, Chibiusa! Really!” she complained.
“Usagi-chan, leave her alone,” Luna chided as she stood up from where she was curled up at the end of Usagi’s bed. She glanced back at the slumbering girl, noticing tears forming in her eyes. “She’s probably dreaming about her mama who’s in the future,” she remarked sympathetically.
“Yeah,” Usagi agreed. “I wish we could help her.”
Mamoru tossed and turned in his bed as images kept assaulting him in his sleep. A dream about marrying Usagi ran through his mind. Usagi was radiant in her wedding dress, while he wore a white tuxedo. They were dancing together and it seemed as though nothing else in the world mattered.
“Usako…,” he groaned as his mental self leaned forward to kiss his bride.
That’s when his dream turned into a nightmare.
A single tear ran down Usagi’s cheek as her image shifted to that of her Princess Serenity incarnation and the ground began to tear apart and erupt around her. He screamed for his beloved, but it was too late. Everything around him was destroyed and his bride was nowhere to be seen. He fell to his knees in despair as he cried out for her again.
“Chiba Mamoru, you must not get close to Tsukino Usagi.”
Mamoru rose to his knees and stared out defiantly at wherever he thought the disembodied voice came from. “You again? Who the hell are you?!?”
“When the two of you are bound together, the world you will build together will crumble and Tsukino Usagi, or rather, Princess Serenity, will suffer a great calamity.”
“Like hell if I’ll believe that!” he roared back at the voice. “I don’t believe this dream you keep sending me! You’re trying to deceive me!”
“This is a fate you cannot avoid.”
“A lie! It’s a lie!”
“It’s a lie!” Mamoru shouted as he woke up, sitting up in his bed, breathing heavily.
If I get close to Usako, she will be struck by misfortune? he brooded deeply. “Impossible!” he yelled as he flung the blanket off of him and got out of bed.
After going to the bathroom to wipe off the sweat that formed from experiencing that dream, he returned to his bed, picking up a picture of him and Usagi that was sitting on his dresser.
“Usako…,” he sighed as he gazed at the picture. It was just a simple picture of him and Usagi sitting together. Usagi’s expression was one of absolute joy, her smile wide and eyes shining with happiness. It was a picture of happier days; a time that felt like it was years ago, rather than weeks ago.
As he stared at the picture, the glass that covered the photograph cracked and Usagi’s image slumped forward lifelessly. He jerked back in shock and shook his head, thinking that he was imaging things, but as he took a second look at the picture, Usagi’s image was normal again, but the glass was still cracked.
“What?” he gasped, getting spooked at the ominous portents coming one after the other.
“She will suffer a great calamity.”
So, do I have no choice but to stay away from Usako? he pondered in frustration as he stared out at nothing with his cracked picture in hand.
The next morning, Mamoru began his morning jog, as usual, but he paused as he stopped in the middle of a bridge that went over one of the aqueducts that went through the city. He stared out into the water that flowed quietly past as he thought about the dream he had last night.
Why? he brooded in silent frustration. Why will loving Usako bring misfortune?
A set of quiet footsteps drew close, stopping next to him. “Mamo-chan….”
Mamoru stepped back a bit as soon as he saw Usagi standing next to him, watching him.
“Meeting you so early in the morning…,” she said softly, “it must be God’s will.”
He turned away slightly. “Has Chibiusa told you anything more about Crystal Tokyo?”
“She won’t tell me anything,” she replied as she hung her head. “Oh!” she said, raised her head as Mamoru turned away and started stretching his legs. “Mamo-chan, where are you going?”
“An early morning jog is good for your health,” he replied as he stood up and started jogging, leaving Usagi behind.
“Mamo-chan!” she called after him, but he continued to jog without looking back.
Usako, I’m sorry.…
“Mamo-chan… I… I….” She took a deep breath and yelled after him, “I’ll always love you!” She continued to watch him jog away, seeing that he didn’t even respond to her loud declaration of love. “…love you…. Mamo-chan….”
What should I do? Mamoru pondered as he stared at the nearly empty glass in his hand. A few ice cubes clinked together as he swirled the cup while deep in thought.
At the other end of the café, Motoki spotted his friend sitting by himself, looking morose, and walked over to him. “Mamoru? What’s up?”
Mamoru set down his glass and looked over at him. “Motoki?”
Motoki sat down next to him. “You look depressed these days,” he observed. “Are you worried about something?”
He looked away. “No.”
“Don’t lie to me,” he chided. “I want to help. We’re best friends. Tell me.”
Mamoru sighed quietly. “Thank you, Motoki.” He went quiet for a moment, searching for the right way to phrase what he wanted to say. “Hey, Motoki, if you wanted to make a girl hate you, how would you do it?”
Motoki blinked. “Eh? Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”
“How would you make a girl hate a man?”
A red-haired waitress with her hair in a ponytail stopped by his table and set down a tray with a small parfait on it. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Mamoru-san,” she said with a cheery smile.
Mamoru turned to regard the waitress and paused as a thought formed in his mind. “Never mind, Motoki.”
Motoki blinked again, slightly more confused.
“So, Usagi-chan, did you ask Chibiusa-chan about everything?” Minako asked as she and the others sat down on a ring of shaded benches near the outside edge of Sankaku Park. Everyone was enjoying the same type of ice cream bar on a stick, even Luna and Artemis, who were fighting over the remaining half of Ryoku’s ice cream, much to his and Ami’s amusement.
Usagi merely sighed in response.
“She comes from the future city of Crystal Tokyo,” Rei said, summarizing what they knew so far. “It’s under attack by the Black Moon family.”
“And Chibiusa-chan’s mama has been captured by the enemy, right?” Ami added while Luna and Artemis continued to struggle with the ice cream.
Usagi sighed again.
“Crimson Rubeus and the Four Ayakashi Sisters came here to destroy our world,” Makoto mentioned, then rounded on Usagi. “This is no time to just keep sighing!” she admonished, shaking her almost eaten ice cream bar at her. “Your ice cream is going to melt.”
“It must be something really bad for her to space out to this degree,” Ryoku surmised, glancing over to Usagi for a moment before letting his gaze wander back to Luna and Artemis, who were still fighting over his ice cream bar. With a flick of his wrist and a rapid swipe of his arm, he brought out his Star Sword, brought out the blade, sliced though the middle of the ice cream bar and the stick, made the blade of his sword disappear again, and hid the sword behind his back again in a single move so fast that only Ami and the two cats, who had been looking in the right direction, managed to see it. The two cats flew apart from each other, each with half of the ice cream bar they had been fighting over. “Maybe next time, you two will share so I won’t have to do it for you,” he said as he stretched his arms behind his head. He noticed the shocked look the three were giving him. “What?” he asked, raising a puzzled eyebrow.
“Hey,” Usagi said suddenly, “why do you think Mamo-chan is avoiding me?”
“Eh?” the other girls said while sweatdropping.
“Usagi-chan, we have to find the enemy’s base as quickly as possible!” Luna chided.
“That’s right!” Artemis seconded. “We have to work hard to gather information!”
“Right!” the others agreed, nodding. Usagi merely sighed again.
A short distance away, a motorcycle came to a stop at a red light. The driver revved his engine slightly, making a loud noise.
“I’ve got problems here,” Usagi grumbled irritably. “Do you have to be so loud and annoying?!? Shut up!!!”
The driver turned toward Usagi and raised the face screen on his helmet in reply.
“Mamo-chan!” Usagi said, jumping to her feet in shock. There was a female passenger with him…. “Mamo-chan!” she called again as she started running toward him.
“Mamo-chan, who is she?” Usagi asked as soon as she reached the pair. “Is she your relative? Your cousin? Or–“
“It doesn’t matter who she is,” he replied coldly as he reached back up to his face screen. “It has nothing to do with you. It’s none of your business.” With that, he slid the screen over his face again.
Usagi jerked back at the finality of that gesture.
“Hold on tight, so you don’t fall off,” he told the girl sitting behind him.
She glanced between him and Usagi in confusion. “Mamoru-san, who is she?”
“Just someone I know,” he replied dismissively as the light changed and Mamoru drove off.
Usagi stood there with her eyes clenched shut and a couple of teardrops slowly falling from her cheeks. The others came up to her with varied expressions ranging from shock to sympathy as they watched over her. Only Ryoku’s expression was different. He stared after the departing motorcycle with a hard, stony look on his face.
“Just someone he knows…,” she repeated in a pained whisper as she finally broke out into full-blown tears.
As he sped away, the dream from last night replayed in Mamoru’s mind. Usako, I have to find out why I keep having that dream. Until then, good-bye.
Some time later, as Mamoru walked down the hallway to his apartment, he noticed someone leaning against the wall next to his door, waiting for him.
“I need to speak with you,” Ryoku said with his arms folded as he continued to stare at the wall across from him.
“Is this about what happened this afternoon?” he asked, frowning. “I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“It won’t take long,” Ryoku replied, still without looking in his direction.
Mamoru sighed. Knowing him, he wouldn’t leave him alone until he gave in. “All right,” he relented as he strode over to his door and unlocked it. “You’ve got ten minutes.”
“More than enough time,” he said as he followed him inside.
“All right,” Mamoru said as soon as Ryoku closed the door behind him, “so, what is it you want to talk to me about?”
“Well, first of all…,” he began and punched him in the stomach hard enough to make him double over slightly, then grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the wall.
“I’ve had enough, Chiba,” he said coldly. “I’ve watched you hurt Usagi-chan over and over again, and because I promised her that I’d leave you alone until you told her why you were doing this, I’ve done nothing.
“Not anymore. Today was the last straw. I want answers, Chiba. I’m not leaving until you tell me the truth, even if I have to beat it out of you.” With that, he released Mamoru and let him slump down to the floor.
“What makes you think that I’ll tell you after you punched me?” Mamoru coughed as he got back to his feet. As soon as he turned to face Ryoku, he found himself staring down the blade of Ryoku’s Star Sword.
“This does,” he said emotionlessly.
Mamoru sighed again. “All right, all right,” he said as he pushed the blade out of his face. “I’ll talk.”
Ryoku nodded as he put his sword away and gestured for him to sit down. “As I said before, this won’t take long,” he said, sitting down after Mamoru. “All I want to know is why are you acting like this. You and Usagi-chan were so much in love that sometimes it made us ill. Your love for each other spanned ages! So, why the sudden change?”
“Why must who I love be determined by what happened in my past life?” Mamoru countered.
Ryoku retorted by making a sound like a buzzer. “Wrong answer! You never complained before, and I’m not going to start believing it now. Try again.”
“Look, I just don’t love her anymore, okay?” he shot back. “Is that too hard to understand?”
“It’s too hard to believe,” Ryoku replied flatly and sighed. “Look, Mamoru-san, what happened a few minutes ago notwithstanding, we’re friends. And as your friend, I want to know what’s going on so that I can offer whatever help I can give. But if you don’t tell me what’s going on, then I won’t be able to help you.” He gave him an earnest look. “Please, Mamoru-san. Let me help you. I don’t want to see you two like this anymore.”
Mamoru was silent for a moment. “I had a dream.”
“A what?” he asked flatly.
“Almost every night, I have this dream where I watch helplessly as Usako and everything else is destroyed around me. Afterward, this voice warns me that if I get too close to her, a great misfortune will befall her.”
Ryoku listened impassively. “Was there anything else?”
“I’ve had visions as well, but everything leads to the same conclusion: stay away from Usako, or else she will suffer a great misfortune,” he told him.
Ryoku was silent for a moment. “Is that all?” he asked quietly.
“What?”
“Was that the only reason you’ve mistreated Usagi-chan the way you did?” he continued, his tone growing in ire. “I thought it would be something more important than that.”
Mamoru grew angry. “Didn’t you hear what I just told you?”
“Didn’t you hear what you just told me?” he shot back. “You said it yourself; a dream. You’re all bent out of shape over some dream. I don’t care how many dreams you’ve had or how many visions you’ve seen, they aren’t real.”
“But what if they are?” Mamoru countered. “What if they are and Usako gets hurt or dies because I ignored the warnings?”
“Who warned you?” he inquired.
Mamoru clenched his hands at his sides and looked away. “I don’t know.”
“What makes you think that this isn’t some kind of plot? Just because someone claims that something’s going to happen, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. Beryl claimed she was going to take over the Earth. Look where that got her.”
“But this is different.”
“So what if it is?” he shot back. “And what about you? Have you become weak all of a sudden? Have you suddenly become incapable of protecting the one you love? You are more than just Chiba Mamoru,” he said, poking him in the chest. “You are Prince Endymion! You are Tuxedo Kamen! And right now, you are acting like a scared little boy, afraid of what might be hiding under the bed!”
“Save the righteous speech, Ryoku,” he said tersely. “You wouldn’t be saying the same thing if it was Ami-chan in danger, would you?”
“Yes, I would,” he disagreed. “And I’ll tell you why. Because I know that for something like that to happen to her, it would have to go through me first. And I’d be dead long before I’d let anything like that happen to her.
“I’ve said all I need to say,” he said as he stood up and headed for the door. He paused before opening the door and turned back to regard Mamoru for a moment. “Listen, Mamoru-san. You’re forgetting something. Usagi-chan is Princess Serenity and Sailor Moon. She commands great power in either form, but her greatest power manifests when she has something she wants to protect. Think about it.” With that, he turned to leave.
“Thanks, Ryoku,” Mamoru said before he left.
“Thank me after you talk to Usagi-chan,” he replied and closed the door behind him.
Luna stalked quietly through the living room and over to the kitchen, where the sounds were coming from. It was late at night and no one should be up at this hour.
“It’s the middle of the night,” she murmured to herself. “I hear noises…. Is it a burglar?”
Quietly, she padded over to where she could see a small light shining from near the refrigerator. Poking her head around the corner, she spotted Usagi sitting in front of the open refrigerator with assorted foods, desserts, and even a two-liter bottle of soda.
Relieved that the noises were not coming from a burglar, Luna walked up to Usagi and was about to launch into a lecture about eating so late at night, when she distinctly heard her sniffle. It wasn’t the type of sniffle that accompanies a runny nose; it was the type that usually came with tears.
“Usagi-chan, what’s wrong?” she asked as she watched her silently bite into a dumpling. The blonde girl did not answer. “Usagi-chan, if you keep eating like that, you’re going to get fat.”
Usagi reached up and took another dumpling, then started crying. “I don’t care…. I don’t care…. I don’t care if I get fat!
“Mamo-chan has another girlfriend,” she lamented miserably.
Behind her, Chibiusa – who had also woken up hearing sounds coming from the kitchen – quietly gasped at the news.
“I’ve been rejected by the person I love,” she whimpered tearfully. “So, I don’t care about getting fat anymore.”
As Usagi broke out into tears again, Chibiusa turned and ran out of the house, tears forming in her eyes, as well.
Mamo-chan…, she thought as she ran through the darkened streets. Mamo-chan having another girlfriend is a lie, right?
As she ran through the streets, her mind confused and torn, she neglected to watch for oncoming traffic as she crossed the street. A huge big rig truck honked its horn as Chibiusa froze in place directly in the truck’s path. Just as she was about to get hit, the golden crescent moon emblem on her forehead reappeared and started to emit a small amount of energy. Although Chibiusa was pulled out of the way of the truck, the emblem on her forehead continued to emit energy, only stronger now. Just as before, a pillar of energy shot into the air above Chibiusa, partially lighting up the night sky.
Back in her room, Usagi looked up from slurping up noodles from a ramen cup and glanced toward the window. “Huh? What’s that?”
Luna suddenly burst into the room. “Usagi-chan, it’s an emergency! I can’t find Chibiusa anywhere!”
“So that energy was Chibiusa, after all?” she said as she glanced out the window again in the direction she had noticed the pillar of light.
“What?” Rubeus said, speaking through one of the mirrors to Prisma and Avery, who were already somewhere in the city. “The Rabbit’s energy was detected?”
“Yes,” Prisma confirmed. “Near Juuban Park.”
“All right,” he replied. “You know what to do.”
As soon as the transmission ended, the two sisters teleported near the area Chibiusa’s energy was last detected in. When they reappeared in the middle of one of the sidewalk paths through the park, they saw Chibiusa running straight toward them.
“Rabbit, we’ve found you,” Avery said, causing Chibiusa to come to a frightened halt. Immediately, she turned around and started fleeing. “Help!!!”
“Running away?” Prisma shouted after her as she and Avery gave chase.
Over near the entrance of the park, Usagi and Luna spotted Chibiusa coming toward them as they ran to save her. “Chibiusa-chan!” Luna called out to the young girl.
“Help!!!” she shouted again as the two sisters drew closer.
Usagi came to a stop as she brought out her transformation brooch. “I’m in a very bad mood tonight!” she said as she raised the brooch overhead. “Moon crystal power, make up!”
Avery leaped forward and grabbed Chibiusa, lifting her off her feet by her arms. As the young girl struggled to free herself, Prisma stepped forward, smirking victoriously. “Tonight, I’ll finally kill you,” she said smugly.
“I won’t let you do that!”
Both sisters turned in the direction of the voice. “Sailor Moon!”
As they were distracted, Luna leapt onto Avery’s arm and swiped at it viciously with her claws. Avery dropped Chibiusa and flung Luna away as she gingerly held her injured arm, while shrieking in pain. Luna landed on her paws and stood protectively in front of Chibiusa.
“Two against one?” Sailor Moon decried. “Two grown women ganging up to bully one little girl is completely unforgivable! On behalf of the Moon, I’ll punish you!”
Avery laughed as soon as Sailor Moon was finished. “Sailor Moon, we’ve been waiting for you.”
Sailor Moon blinked in confusion. “What?”
“Akamuda, come here!”
Above Sailor Moon, a pale-skinned Droid with short blue hair dressed in a black and green bodysuit and a white horn in her forehead appeared. “Dream, dream, dream…,” the Droid wailed eerily.
Sailor Moon glanced up and gasped in surprise.
“Dream…,” Akamuda wailed again as her eyes glowed and a ring of dark energy formed beneath her. The Droid brought her hands together, gathering energy into the horn in her forehead. “Dream, dream, dream…,” she said again as a bolt of energy struck the ground in front of Sailor Moon.
“What?!?” Sailor Moon exclaimed and threw her arms up in front of her for protection as the bolt refocused into a cone of energy coming from the now-glowing horn in Akamuda’s forehead.
“Sailor Moon, be careful!” Luna shouted.
“Sleep, sleep, fall asleep…,” Akamuda chanted in the same eerie tone as before. Instantly, Sailor Moon fell to her knees, then toppled onto her side.
“Sailor Moon, don’t fall asleep!” Luna cried out.
“I’m too full from eating midnight snacks to stay awake…,” she replied with an apologetic smile. “Good night….” With that, she quickly fell asleep.
Prisma chuckled as Chibiusa gasped and trembled in fear. “Pitifully easy,” she remarked as she raised a hand in front of her and extended her thumb and index fingers, allowing a spark to jump between the two fingers. “Now, time for you to die, Rabbit,” she said as she turned to Chibiusa.
Before she could take a step toward the young girl, a bolt of lightning flashed between the two sisters and Chibiusa, causing the sisters to leap back away from the girl. As they whirled toward the source of the attack, the other five Sailor Scouts and Artemis rushed forward, surrounding them.
“You weren’t the only ones to see that energy in the sky!” Jupiter told them. “So this is what was going on!”
“Damn!” Prisma snarled as she and her sister stood cornered. “Not again!”
“It’s two against five,” Avery said. “We’re obviously at a disadvantage if we fight. Right?” she added as she leapt up in preparation to retreat.
Prisma lost her footing, since she was backed up against her sister, and stood quivering in anger at her younger sister for leaving her behind. “No fair!” she yelled after her as she leapt up as well.
“Running away?” Mars shouted after them. “Cowards!”
“Akamuda alone will be more than enough to take care of you,” Prisma declared confidently with her arms folded beneath her breasts. She then teleported away, laughing smugly.
“Akamuda,” Avery added, “invite these girls into the world of nightmares, like you did for Sailor Moon, and kill them!”
“Who’re you calling a girl?” Knight retorted and flung his blade at Avery, but she had already teleported away after her older sister.
Akamuda brought her hands together again and summoned more energy into her horn. “Dream, dream, dream….”
“The enemy is trying to use hypnosis!” Luna warned. “Everyone, be careful not to let her put you to sleep!”
“Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep…,” Akamuda intoned as her hypnosis continued to assault their senses, forcing the Scouts to their knees.
“Enough!” Knight growled through clenched teeth as he reached out with on hand and called for his Star Sword. The blade shot back through the air, coming close to striking the Droid as it passed. Although the blade missed, the distraction was enough to lessen the power of the hypnosis effect.
“Thanks, Knight,” Mars said as she shook off some of the effects of the attack. “Now it’s my turn. It’s not over yet!” she shouted at the Droid as she pulled out an ofuda. “Not even close! Rin…. Pyou…. Tou…. Sha…. Kai…. Jin…. Retsu…. Sai…. Zen…. Evil spirit, begone!”
The ofuda attached itself to Akamuda’s forehead just beneath her horn, making her bellow in pain. The Droid’s body converted into greenish-black smoke and vanished.
“Sailor Mars, thank you!” Mercury said as she and the other Scouts stood up. “You saved us!”
Venus, Knight and Jupiter rushed over to Sailor Moon’s unconscious body. Venus knelt down and lifted her upper body. “Sailor Moon, hold on!”
Above them, Akamuda reappeared as a swirling cloud. “Sailor Moon is in the dream I gave her,” she said as her glowing eyes appeared in the middle of the cloud. “And in that dream, she will expend all her energy until she dies.” The cloud thinned itself into a stream as it flowed into Sailor Moon’s mouth, despite Jupiter’s and Knight’s attempts at stopping it. As soon as the entire cloud was inside, her skin color quickly paled.
“What was that?” Mercury exclaimed in shock.
“Sailor Moon!” Mars exclaimed, followed by Luna, then Artemis.
“Sailor Moon!” Venus said as she gently shook her. There was no response.
“Sailor Moon!” Jupiter shouted, kneeling down and shaking her forcefully. “Sailor Moon!”
“She can’t hear us,” Knight said as he put a hand on Jupiter’s shoulder, stopping her. Just as he did so, a soft pink glow enveloped Sailor Moon’s body. “Here. Give her to me.” He knelt down and took her in his arms as he stood up and carried her over to the nearby concrete benches where he carefully laid her down.
“Sailor Moon, wake up!” Jupiter shouted again as she knelt down beside him at Sailor Moon’s head.
“Please, wake up!” Venus pleaded as she and Mars knelt down on Sailor Moon’s left side, while Mercury knelt down on her right with Luna standing beside her. Artemis stood at Sailor Moon’s feet, while Chibiusa watched a short distance behind him.
“Stop sleeping!” Mars ordered as she slapped Sailor Moon’s cheek.
“Nothing,” Knight said in frustration. “It’s not working.”
“Her energy is leaving her body!” Mercury observed. “Unless we do something, Sailor Moon is going to die!” She grabbed her head and forced her to sit up. “Hang on!”
“Sailor Moon, wake up!” Venus shouted again and she grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. No reaction.
“Wake up!” Mars shouted as she slapped her across the face. Still nothing.
“Forgive me, Sailor Moon,” Knight said as he moved to her side, “but I have no other choice.” He then reached back and punched her across the face as hard as he could, almost knocking her off the bench.
“Sailor Knight!” Luna gasped, shocked at his actions.
“Wait,” he said, holding up a hand as he noticed that she was starting to stir.
“Mamo-chan…,” she moaned sadly, but remained asleep.
Luna whirled toward Sailor Moon. She remembered that earlier, she had been extremely depressed and apathetic toward almost everything. Could it be…?
“Wake up! Wake up!” Jupiter screamed at her.
“She really is going to die!” Mercury lamented.
“No!” Mars yelled. “Knight, hit her again!”
“But–” he began reluctantly.
“Do it!!!” she all but screamed.
“Right,” he nodded grimly and punched Sailor Moon again. This time, there was no reaction. “Wake up!” he yelled and hit her again, harder. Still no reaction. “Don’t you dare die on us!” he yelled again as he struck her several times more without getting a single response. “Dammit, why isn’t it working anymore?” he muttered in frustration.
Luna turned away and started running. It was clear that there was only one option left now. When Usagi said that she had been rejected by the one she loved and that nothing mattered anymore, she knew that there was only one person that could reach her now.
Artemis chased after Luna, being the only one to notice her leaving. “Luna, where are you going!” he shouted after her as she leapt up and started hopping across rooftops in her effort to reach her destination as rapidly as possible.
Mamoru was fast asleep in his bed when he felt something stomp into his stomach. “Ugh!” he grunted as he snapped awake and sat up in his bed. “What?”
“Mamoru-san, it’s an emergency!” Luna shouted urgently. “Sailor Moon is in danger! Please, wake her up! There’s not a moment to lose! You must go now! Hurry!”
Mamoru stared at the cat without saying a word.
“No one else can wake her!” Luna added, seeing that he was still in bed. “Only you can do it!”
The memory of one of his visions – the one where Usagi’s image slumped lifelessly against his in his photo – replayed in his mind. “But, right now I….”
“Your love for Sailor Moon spanned the ages!” Luna said, close to tears. “Why have you become so cruel to her?”
His hands gripped against his bed as he looked away. It was the same thing Ryoku had asked him not too long ago. “That’s…,” he began, but trailed off. He had thought long and hard about the conversation he had had with him, but there were still some things he was uncertain about. He still needed to think….
“Sailor Moon is dying!”
Mamoru’s snapped back to Luna. “Where is she?”
“I’ll take you to her!”
Moments later, Mamoru was dressed in the same clothes he had worn that day and was on his motorcycle, taking directions from Luna as he drove.
Sailor Moon.… No. Usako, please stay alive until I get there!
There was a flash of light, and suddenly, Tuxedo Kamen was riding the motorcycle instead of Mamoru.
“Don’t die, Usako!”
“Sailor Moon! Wake up!” Venus screamed frantically as she violently shook her friend. “Wake up! Please open your eyes!” she cried, nearing tears.
“Why?” Jupiter said, completely frustrated. “Why won’t you wake up?”
“Sailor Moon…,” Mercury said as she leaned closer to examine her. “Her body temperature is dropping rapidly!” she exclaimed apprehensively.
“What?” Mars exclaimed as the sound of a motorcycle coming to a stop interrupted her from saying anything further. She glanced over to see who it was as she held up a hand to guard her eyes from the bright headlights.
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama?” Chibiusa said, noticing the new arrival as well.
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama?” Mercury, then Venus also said, as they saw who was approaching them. Knight saw him as well, gave him a hopeful look, then moved out of the way, taking Mercury with him.
Tuxedo Kamen paused as he now saw what had happened to Sailor Moon. At once, he rushed forward and dropped to his knees in front of her motionless body. “Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon!” he shouted as he gathered her into his arms and tried to shake her awake. “Wake up, Sailor Moon!”
There was no reaction. He hung his head, seeing the calamity he had been dreading come to life before him.
“Mamo-chan….”
He raised his head again, hearing her soft voice calling out to him. “Usako, forgive me!” he said as he held her to him. As he held her, the other two Scouts and the cats went to join Knight and Mercury so as to not get in the way of whatever Tuxedo Kamen had to do.
After a moment, Tuxedo Kamen leaned forward and kissed her.
As soon as he broke the kiss, the glow enveloping Sailor Moon shattered, as the darkness that possessed her began to escape her body.
“Look!” Knight shouted, getting everyone’s attention.
“Sailor Moon is…,” Chibiusa said as she pointed. Everyone else turned to see the last of the darkness leave Sailor Moon.
“The power of love has restored Sailor Moon’s energy!” Mercury said, relieved.
Sailor Moon opened her eyes and smiled. “Mamo-chan…,” she sighed happily. “You’re so warm.”
“Sailor Moon…. Thank goodness,” Tuxedo Kamen said in relief.
“The fairy tale came true,” Chibiusa noted as she watched them.
“Damn you, Tuxedo Kamen!” Akamuda seethed as she reappear overhead and pulled the horn out of her forehead, revealing a glowing blade at the end of it. “How dare you interrupt me?!?” She dove forward, blade held ready.
“Look out!” Sailor Moon shouted as she shoved Tuxedo Kamen out of the way of Akamuda’s attack before diving out of the way herself. Tuxedo Kamen evaded most of the attack, but the blade managed to strike his left shoulder.
“Girls always dream about pursuing the one they love!” Sailor Moon declared.
“Useless!” the Droid growled. “Useless! Utterly useless!”
“Abusing that, of all things, I won’t forgive!” Sailor Moon exclaimed as she quickly brought out her scepter. “Moon princess halation!” she shouted as she waved the scepter in front of her, firing a blast of white energy at Akamuda. The attack struck her, shattering her skin to pieces, leaving only her figure in crystal, which disintegrated into a pile of powder. The jewel on her choker with the upside-down black crescent moon turned from an emerald green into a dull, lifeless gray.
“Sailor Moon,” Tuxedo Kamen said as he stood back up and turned to look at her, “another brilliant and graceful victory.”
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama, you do care about me, after all…,” she said, blushing faintly.
“Sailor Moon…,” he said as the vision he had a while ago replayed in his mind again.
“I do not–!”
“Do not what, Tuxedo Kamen?” Knight called out as he approached the pair. “You weren’t going to say what I think you were going to say, were you?” he added with a frown. “Or have you forgotten what we’ve talked about earlier?”
“Sailor Knight?” Sailor Moon said in confusion as she looked from him to Tuxedo Kamen. “Tuxedo Kamen-sama? What does he mean–?”
“But, what about my–?” Tuxedo Kamen began.
“Talk to her,” he cut in forcefully. “It’s better than hurting her by keeping her in the dark and uncertain. You saw what just happened to her. She could’ve died if you hadn’t come in time. However, if this keeps up, do you think you’ll be in time the next time this happens? Or the next time? Or the next?
“If this keeps up, you won’t have to worry about it coming true; you’ll make it come true yourself,” he pointed out coldly.
“Knight, what are you two talking about?” Sailor Moon asked concernedly. “You’re not making any sense.”
“Talk to her,” Knight said insistently. “Please.”
Tuxedo Kamen turned away for a moment, his hands clutched at his sides.
“If you truly love her, trust her,” he said pleadingly. “You can’t fight this thing alone forever.”
Tuxedo Kamen’s hands relaxed and he gave an almost imperceptive nod.
“Thank you,” he said with a sigh of relief. “All right, everyone,” he said as he headed back over to the others. “Time for us to go home.”
“What’s going on?” Luna asked him. “What were you two talking about?”
“That’s between him and Sailor Moon,” he said pointedly as he nodded toward Chibiusa. “Take her home, too. All right?”
As everyone left, Sailor Moon turned toward Tuxedo Kamen, who was still turned away from her. “Tuxedo Kamen-sama?”
“I have something I’ve been meaning to tell you, Usako,” he said quietly without turning around. “But I’ve been afraid that if I told you, it would only make things worse. But after I had a talk with Ryoku, I’ve come to realize that by not telling you, I’ve been making things worse than they had to be.”
“What is it, Mamo-chan?” she asked as she came closer and reached out toward him. “What’s happened to make you act this way toward me?”
“I’ve… been having dreams and visions,” he told her as he hung his head. “In my dreams, someone keeps telling me that if I continue to stay close to you, in the future, you will suffer a great misfortune. In my visions, I keep seeing everything being destroyed all around me, including you. I’ve been afraid that if I stayed close to you, you could end up dying because of some great calamity.”
Sailor Moon was quiet for a while. “Was that why you’ve been acting so cold toward me?” she asked, her voice soft and quiet.
“I didn’t want to see you die,” he told her.
“I don’t care if I die!” she shouted at him with tears forming in her eyes. “All I care about is being with you, no matter what happens in the future!”
“I don’t want to see you get hurt, Usako…,” he began reluctantly as he turned to face her.
“Then, don’t push me away!” she shot back as she embraced him. “It doesn’t matter what happens in the future; as long as we’re together, we’ll be able to make it through anything! As long as you’re there to protect me, I’m not afraid of the future.”
“Usako…,” he said softly as he embraced her as well. “I’m sorry.” He then leaned down to kiss her.
Near the entrance to the park, Sailor Knight stood observing the pair with a relieved half-smile on his face. “Now, that’s more like it,” he said to himself as he turned to leave.
“Eh?” Usagi exclaimed in surprise as she almost leaped out of her booth. “Furuhata Unazuki-san? You mean, you’re Motoki-oniisan’s little sister?”
Unazuki smiled. “That’s right,” she confirmed. “Mamoru-san really saved me when he gave me a ride the other day.”
“He took you home?”
“Mm,” she nodded. “The café was so busy, I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it in time for my date with my boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Usagi repeated. “So, Mamo-chan….”
“Oh no!” Unazuki said as she stood up. “I already have a boyfriend that I really, really, really love!” With that, she waved and went back to work.
“Lucky!” Usagi said as she reached for the ice cream soda she had ordered a while ago. “So, she already has a boyfriend, as well!” She took several sips from her ice cream soda, then set it down again.
“But, what am I going to do about what Mamo-chan told me?” she thought to herself as she stared down at the table in front of her.
“Well, at any rate, there’s no sense worrying about it until it happens!” she concluded with a cheerful grin as she picked up her soda and started stirring it. “After all, Mamo-chan and I are back together now!” She smiled dreamily as she drank the rest of her soda. “Everything will work out in the end! I know it!” she cheered loudly, causing everyone to look at her, wondering what was wrong with the girl. In the end, everyone merely turned back to whatever it was they were doing, figuring that it was better that they didn’t know.
To Chapter 66: Change of Heart