Power Transcendent
Sailormoon fanfiction by Jessica
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Chapter 26
Sailor Saturn continued to leap over the rooftops of Tokyo, chasing the
distant shape of Muon and his creation. No matter how quickly she moved,
her prey seemed to get no closer and it was infuriating. And in
response, she could feel her other self growing and taking shape in her
mind. It wasn't exactly as if there was another person in her body...she
knew for a fact that felt different.
No...it was more that she began to remember things. She began to
remember more of her life before her new parents took her, memories of
intense pain and terrible loneliness that had been eased only by the
small girl that her enemy now threatened to take away from her. And
behind that were memories of another existence, so very long ago and so
very different from anything she knew now that she could barely
comprehend them in her current state.
So she concentrated instead on Chibi-Usa. Her mouth thinned into a
tight, thin line of anger and her eyes burned into Muon's back as he
floated ahead of her. She would catch him, and when she did he would
give her back. Or Saturn would *take* her back.
Then, to her surprise, Muon stopped. He came to a halt on the roof of a
radio station, hovering in front of the radio tower with his creation
behind him like an impossible black octopus. Chibi-Moon was still held
in his grip, and even from here Saturn could hear her screaming and
struggling. Saturn put on another burst of speed that put her on the
same roof within a few seconds, the point of her Silence Glaive leveled
at Muon's heart.
"Hold, Sailor Saturn." Muon said. Four black tentacles slipped around
him and almost gently took Sailor Chibi-Moon from his arm. The pink-
haired girl tried to wrench away, but the thing held her in an
unbreakable grip, tendril held over her mouth to muffle her angry cries.
"Let her go!" Saturn cried, starting forward threateningly. Muon held up
a hand, but Saturn didn't pause.
"Hold, Sailor Saturn." The blue robed figure said again. "The Vorago
Navitas will only restrain your companion. She will come to no harm, if
you will just wait a moment." Saturn stopped, glaring up at Muon, who
merely gave the slightest of nods in response to her pause. "Excellent.
I have no desire to fight you, Sailor Saturn."
"Then what do you want from me?" She said in an even, dangerous tone.
"For now, I simply wish to talk."
-------------------
Sailor Pluto had alerted the Sailor Senshi to Muon's ambush as soon as
Saturn had leapt out of sight, and now the rest of the Senshi were
converging on her location as fast as possible. But the sites where the
decoy Anchors had appeared were all widely separated, and it would take
time to arrive.
-Too much time.- Venus thought angrily as she leapt from one rooftop to
another, Mercury just a step behind. She was furious that Muon had
manipulated them so expertly. Especially since she had hardly given the
blue-haired sorcerer a single thought after Gluon's death. Being plagued
with Tachyon's insane assaults, it had been difficult to consider much
else.
"What is this guy's problem, anyway?" She exclaimed as they paused for a
moment while Mercury got their bearings. "Hasn't Saturn had it bad
enough as it is?"
"He does seem a bit fixated, doesn't he?" Mercury said, sounding a
little frustrated herself as she punched a few keys on her computer.
"Well, we're getting close to Pluto's location, but I'm not picking up
Saturn or Muon. So either they're not fighting for some reason or
they're being shielded somehow."
Sailor Venus stepped to the edge of the roof, shielding the sun from her
eyes as she looked out over the city. "Pluto said that they took off
over the roof. We should keep an eye out for them, don't you think?"
There was no reply. Venus turned around. "Mercury? Is something
wrong..." Mercury was still standing there, her head bowed to look at
her computer. She seemed frozen, but then Venus realized she was moving,
just so slowly that it took a moment of staring to detect it.
"Oh no..." Venus whispered, taking an involuntary step backwards,
turning her head from side to side.
"Oh yes!" The piping voice Sailor Venus dreaded to hear said. Tachyon
slowly faded into view right next to Mercury, hugging her legs and
leaning her head against the Senshi's hip. "Hiya!" She said, smiling
brightly. Venus's breath caught in her throat as she saw the glittering
knife the child held loosely in her grip.
"Get away from her!" Venus shouted, running forward. Even as she
started, though, she could feel her body slowing. Soon she was a bad off
as Mercury, her mind unchanged but her body barely moving, no matter how
much energy she tried to put into it.
"Don't worry...I don't want her." Tachyon said, stepping away from
Mercury and towards Venus. She used her other hand to lightly trace the
blade of her weapon as she approached Venus. "Lucky lucky me!" She
giggled. "Sailor Pluto's weak and helpless, and I have the prettiest
Sailor Senshi all to myself."
Tachyon stepped behind her, and Venus desperately tried to turn to
follow her, to no avail. She felt cold metal against her leg and would
have screamed, if she could. Then she could feel Tachyon's tiny hands
running through her hair. "I just love your hair." The little girl said
softly. "It's so long and golden...I think I'll keep it when I'm all
done playing with you."
Venus focused on Mercury again. The other girl had finally turned her
head up enough to look back at her, and Venus could see the terror she
felt mirrored in her eyes. Sailor Venus' panic was rapidly giving way to
despair...with Pluto incapacitated, she was at Tachyon's mercy.
The tiny figure walked back into Venus' line of sight. "Well, it's time
to go!" She piped, clapping her hands together. She looked up into her
victim's eyes and then followed them back to Mercury's. Her smile
faltered as she looked back and forth between them, and then her eyes
hardened, as if she saw something in their look that she didn't like.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She said, smiling serenely though her eyes burned with
hatred. "I really wish I could take you both, but I can really only
afford one new toy right now." She glided over to Mercury and yanked
hard on her arms, forcing her down on her knees. She glanced back at
Venus, and her face was an expressionless mask.
"I bet you'll miss this one more than anyone, won't you?" She said, her
voice sounding harsh and old just for a moment. "Well...maybe we should
take something we can remember her by, what do you think?" She grabbed a
fistful of Mercury's hair and yanked her head up. "Something so you'll
never forget her as long as you live." She said in a tiny singsong, her
voice gaining a little of it's usual childish playfulness again. She
held up her dagger in front of the blue-haired girl's eyes.
Venus fought against the force that was holding her slowed in time, but
it was no use. She could do nothing but move forward an almost
infinitesimal amount as Tachyon rested the edge of her blade against her
love's jaw line. "Maybe we should take her face?" Tachyon whispered. "Do
you think you'd remember her then?" She ran the blade down a bit, and
Sailor Venus could see a thin line of red trailing after it.
Suddenly, the little voice in Venus' head spoke up once again, little no
longer. -WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?- It roared at her, and she was
suddenly certain that as much as it sounded like her, these were NOT her
thoughts. -SAVE HER!-
Sailor Venus felt a hot flash run through her body, and the scream she
had felt building in her throat suddenly burst out with shocking
clarity. Tachyon whipped her head around, her eyes wide and round with
shock. With a speed born of desperation, Venus crossed the space between
her and her target in three bounding strides and spun on the last step,
catching the child in the side of the head with a vicious kick that sent
her flying.
"CRESCENT BEAM!" Without missing a beat, Venus attacked, the beam
streaking out towards Tachyon's knife. Her aim was off by just a hair,
and the golden energy caught the hilt rather than the blade, blasting
the weapon from Tachyon's hand and sending it flying in a glittering arc
to the alley behind the building. Then Venus was in the air, another
kick aimed squarely at Tachyon's head as she lay on the roof. The little
girl rolled out of the way and scrambled to her feet with surprising
speed, but Venus was already on her, feet and fists flying.
Sailor Venus knew her only chance was to not let up, to try to keep the
insane little girl too off balance to turn the full force of her powers
upon her opponent. Tachyon dodged her blows with supernatural speed, and
Venus suspected she was using her powers to augment her movements. "You
should have gone after Pluto, not me." She said tauntingly, trying to
throw her off even more. "What's the matter? Are you scared of her? Too
scared to fight her even when she can't fight back?"
That seemed to hit a nerve. "Shut up!" Tachyon screeched as she twisted
to avoid another punch. "Shut up, shut up SHUT UP!" With that last
scream, her eyes suddenly started to glow with a pale, grey light.
Sailor Venus was forced to stumble backwards as the space around the
little girl began to twist and bulge alarmingly, and Tachyon rose into
the air, her limbs hanging limply as lines of power raced over her body.
As she fell backwards, Venus suddenly felt the unpleasant sensation of
parts of her body moving through time at a different rate than the
others. Her head swam, and as she hit the ground, she saw Sailor Mercury
kneeling on the roof a short distance away, still stalled in time. -I'm
sorry Ami...- She thought weakly. -I tried...I think I almost got her,
too.-
Tachyon appeared to have gone completely out of control. Pestilential
grey light surrounded her and flashes of white lightning appeared around
her head. The timespace around her seemed infected with her insanity and
flowed in random swirls and eddies. Then a loud voice shouted, "ENOUGH!"
Tachyon's power vanished in an instant, and she fell to her knees on the
roof panting, sweat running down her face. She looked up fearfully.
There, on the next roof, stood Sailor Pluto. She was supported on both
sides by Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, who were almost holding her
upright. But Pluto's gaze was completely steady as she looked grimly
down at the little girl, and her Garnet Orb flashed menacingly.
With a small, frightened cry Tachyon yanked herself to her feet and
staggered to the edge of the roof, throwing herself off without
stopping. But she became insubstantial as she fell, and she had vanished
before she hit the ground. Uranus and Neptune helped Pluto jump onto the
next roof, and Pluto quickly went to Mercury, touching her forehead
lightly with her Garnet Rod and freeing her from her stasis.
Mercury jumped to her feet and ran directly to Venus. The blonde Senshi
was lying on her back, her hands scratching at the ground as she fought
for breath. Mercury knelt next to her, gasping as she saw a thin trickle
of blood at the corner of Venus' mouth. "What's wrong with her?" She
asked as Pluto knelt next to her. "What happened?"
"Her body was exposed to many different flows of time...her organs can't
synch up properly." Pluto said, laying her hands on Venus' stomach.
There was a flash of red energy, and Venus sucked in a massive,
shuddering breath. Pluto's eyes rolled back into her head and she would
have toppled over if Uranus hadn't caught her.
Sailor Venus cracked her eyes open. "Hey Ami." She said in a tired
voice, pulling herself into a sitting position. "What's up?" Mercury
smiled tearfully and hugged Venus tightly to her chest, rocking her back
and forth.
"Mina-chan, Mina-chan...I was so afraid I was going to lose you!" She
whispered. The Outer Senshi smiled softly as they watched the two of
them. After a moment, Mercury looked up, a concerned look in her eyes.
"Saturn!" She suddenly exclaimed.
"Just after we found Pluto, she suddenly felt Tachyon's presence."
Neptune explained. "We decided that no matter what Tachyon was up to, we
had to get Pluto there to stop her. We figured that there was a good
chance that she might be with Muon, as well."
"And we knew that Pluto was the only one who really had a chance to
defend against the little psycho." Uranus added.
"But that wasn't really true, was it?" Pluto asked, looking at Sailor
Venus. "What happened?"
Venus frowned slightly. "It was really strange..." She murmured. "Really
weird...don't really know how to explain..." She trailed off, and
Mercury cast Pluto an alarmed look as she realized that Venus had
slipped into unconsciousness. Sailor Pluto just smiled and shook her
head.
"She's just exhausted, and her body's had quite a shock. Rest is
probably the best thing for her."
Uranus nodded and stood up next to Neptune. "We should go...Saturn still
needs our help." She looked down at Mercury. "We might need you." She
suggested gently.
Mercury bit her lip as she looked at Uranus, then down at the sleeping
Minako. Pluto placed a hand on her shoulder. "I can look after her. I
won't be much good in a fight at the moment myself." She looked at the
three intact Senshi. "Be very careful...his new creation can siphon away
our energy very quickly if you allow it to touch you."
"We'll be careful." Neptune said. Mercury gently lay Venus down, lightly
stroking her cheek for a moment before she stood.
"All right, let's go." The three of them dashed off in the direction the
Outer Senshi had come from, leaving Sailor Pluto sitting on the roof
next to Venus, looking at the exhausted Senshi of Love with a thoughtful
expression on her face.
-------------------
While Venus had done battle with Tachyon, Muon and Saturn had been
continuing their face-off. "You want to talk?" Saturn asked, not
lowering the point of her Glaive. "What do you have to say to me?"
"I offer you a chance of survival." Muon said, looking down with her.
The hair at the back of Saturn's neck pricked up as she met that gaze
and felt the utter lack of emotion behind it. "The Sailor Senshi are
formidable." The blue-robed figure continued. "But they cannot hold out
indefinitely. Hadron's plans cannot be stopped now."
"Who is Hadron?" Saturn asked, not wanting to let her guard down but
unable to pass up a chance to learn more about their mysterious enemy.
"What does he want with us?"
"Hadron is the Demon of Burning Gold." Muon replied. "He is a mighty
lord...dozens of worlds lie under his rule. Your Earth was to be his
next conquest. But the situation has changed. Your world will now give
Hadron his greatest ambition. But in the process, it will be utterly
destroyed."
"What?" Saturn exclaimed. "Why?" Muon made a dismissive gesture.
"The reasons are irrelevant. All that matters is that you understand the
inevitability of this outcome. The Earth *will* be destroyed in the most
profound way imaginable, and all those who live upon it *will* die. The
Sailor Senshi cannot possibly withstand Hadron's onslaught. Worlds far
greater than this have fallen to Hadron's forces, and this small world
shall prove no different. And now we come to my offer. Come with me, and
live."
"What is it you want from me?" Saturn asked in a frustrated tone of
voice.
"I wish to study you, your energies. Tachyon prophesied that I would
make my greatest discovery upon this world, and before her powers of
foresight were blocked in regards to the Sailor Senshi, she indicated
that somehow, you would be the key." Now there was light behind his
eyes, but it was cold and dead. Saturn suddenly realized that this man
felt nothing, nothing but a burning curiosity that fueled some need she
didn't understand.
"So here is my offer, in full. Come with me willingly, submit to my
studies. They will cause you little discomfort and take only a few years
to complete in full. Then, you will be free." He looked back at where
Sailor Chibi-Moon hung in the Vortago's grasp. She had stopped
struggling, and was now listening along with Sailor Saturn. "If you
wish, I will take her with us. I will take us to a place far from here,
so far that it will take Hadron centuries to extend his reach to you.
You will be able to live out your lives in peace." He turned his dead
gaze back to Saturn. "Choose, Sailor Saturn. Life, or death."
Sailor Saturn was quiet for a long moment. She lowered her weapon,
resting it against the ground in one hand. The winter breeze sprang up,
ruffling her hair and skirt as she looked down. Muon waited impassively.
Finally she just looked up, not at Muon, but at Chibi-Moon. The small
girl looked back into Saturn's eyes and nodded at her, her eyes
determined. Saturn then turned her gaze to the sorcerer. "I am a Sailor
Senshi." She finally said in a soft voice that nevertheless rang full in
the cold air. "I am sworn to defend this world and its people against
any evil which would try to claim it. I can't abandon the others to face
Hadron alone. I reject your offer, Muon."
"I see." Muon said, not sounding in the least perturbed by Saturn's
refusal. "It would have been easier had you acquiesced. But still,
willing or no, you will come with me. Perhaps you will be more willing
to cooperate after a small demonstration." He made a waving motion, and
the luminescent blue core of the Vorago flared to life, sending veins of
blue energy through its pseudopods and into Sailor Chibi-Moon, who
suddenly gave a muffled cry of pain and began to struggle again. The
lines of blue lights flashed and turned sugar pink where they touched
her, and that pink light began traveling back towards the core.
"Chibi-Moon!" Saturn cried and started forward once again.
"Stay where you are or the Vorago will drain her to death." Muon said
tersely. "This is merely a demonstration. The Vorago Navitas is the
latest application of the principals I first used in the Death's Tears,
and is far more advanced at draining the power from you Sailor Senshi
and turning it back upon you. Observe."
He made a sharp gesture, and three tentacles curled up over the back of
the Vorago's bell, their points aimed squarely at Sailor Saturn, who
fell into a crouch, her Glaive held ready. The Vorago attacked, each
tendril firing a stream of bright pink hearts down at Saturn, who hopped
lightly out of the way with a surprised expression. The hearts impacted
the roof's surface with a tinkling sound, doing no damage.
Muon and Saturn both stared at the hearts for a long, still moment.
Finally Muon made a small gesture, and the Vorago retracted it's
tentacles, cutting off the attack. "Why do you allow this one to fight
with you?" He asked, a lifted eyebrow his only change of expression.
"She's in training!" Saturn said, a bit more defensively than she meant
to.
"A poor time to be a student." Muon said. Chibi-Moon gave one final cry
and fell limp. Her fuku broke into a swirl of pink ribbons of energy and
then vanished, leaving Chibi-Usa hanging unconscious in the Vorago's
grasp, dressed in her normal clothes. "The Vorago Navitas has drained
Sailor Chibi-Moon's Senshi power completely." He said, sounding like a
rather unexciting professor giving a lecture. He motioned, and the lines
of energy retreated back into the Vorago's core. "Any further energy it
drains will be from her life force. She will be unable to survive for
long if it begins to drink from her again."
Muon drifted down until his feet reached the roof, the black mass of his
creation following him down. "Again, I ask you to come willingly. It
would be pointless to do battle here."
Sailor Saturn's mind worked furiously as she considered her options.
They seemed very limited. Whether it drained Chibi-Usa's energy or not,
Saturn was fairly certain that the Vorago was capable of crushing the
life out of her before she could free her. Perhaps if she pretended to
surrender, she could get close enough...she took a step forward,
lowering her weapon submissively.
A shower of roses suddenly fell from the top of the radio tower. They
embedded themselves in the roof, forming a ring around the Vorago. A
petal-filled field of rose-pink energy flew up from them, sending the
black jellyfish into violent convulsions. Its grip slipped, and Chibi-
Usa fell away from it as the energy field faded.
Then Tuxedo Kamen was there, throwing himself down from the tower like
in a black blur. He scooped his daughter into his arms and leapt away,
the Vorago reaching futilely for his fluttering cape. He bounded behind
Sailor Saturn and paused for a moment. Saturn glanced back with a smile.
"Will you be alright?" He asked. Saturn nodded firmly.
"I'll be fine. Get her some help. Thank you, Tuxedo Kamen." Tuxedo Kamen
smiled back and nodded.
"Of course. I'll tell the others where you are. They'll be here soon."
Then he leapt into the air, Chibi-Usa cradled to his chest.
With Chibi-Usa safe, Saturn had no more hesitation. She dashed forward,
jumping into the air with her Glaive sweeping down towards the Vorago.
The gleaming blade met only air as it drifted out of the path of her
strike, but she felt a certain satisfaction that the thing wasn't as
quick as she feared.
She spun around, holding her Glaive up in both hands defensively just in
time to deflect a strike from Muon. His saber bounced from the shaft of
the Silence Glaive, it's curved blade crackling with blue light. "You
will not escape me." He said with quiet, emotionless certainty.
In the heat of battle, Saturn felt her other self coming more and more
into prominence. "You cannot win." She replied, sweeping the blade at
him and forcing him back. She threw herself onto her back, watching as a
bundle of black tentacles of energy sped through the air where she had
just been standing. The Glaive came up with a deadly whistle and severed
them in the air.
Then she was on her feet, flipping over so she was facing the bizarre
magical construct. Tentacles lengthened into whips and flew down at her
but she slashed each one out of existence as they approached, rushing
forward. The Glaive slashed down into the Vorago's bell and it made a
high, keening sound that could almost have been a screech of pain. It
twisted away and up into the air, a massive dent carved into it's side.
Saturn felt the air move behind her and without looking thrust her
weapon into the air, feeling the impact as Muon's blade struck it. She
turned, her face as expressionless as her opponents as they looked at
one another, weapons striving for dominance. With a sudden, violent
twist Saturn knocked Muon back, his weapon slipping from his grasp. SHe
jumped backwards, high into the air, landing directly on top of the
Vorago Navitas. Holding the Silence Glaive down in both hands she
stabbed the blade down through its black energy form and into it's azure
core.
The black thing screamed and shuddered, and Saturn leapt away as it
began to fall apart, drifting to the ground and melting away. It's
dissolving form lay between herself and Muon, who had just regained his
balance. "You gave me a choice between death and life, Muon." Saturn
said in a deadly voice. "I tell you I am the Warrior of Death and Life.
I am Sailor Saturn, Senshi of Silence, and you will never take me." She
held the shaft of her weapon to her chest and closed her eyes for a
moment.
When she opened them, they were shining with violet light. She swept the
Silence Glaive out in a wide arc before her and a terrible, silent wave
of destruction spread before her. "SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!" The remains
of the Vorago were annihilated instantly as the attack reached it, and
Muon held up both hands, a blue shield of energy surrounding him. It
cracked and sputtered as Saturn's attack hit him, and he vanished from
sight just as his protection failed completely.
Sound returned to the area a moment later and Saturn surveyed the
aftermath. There was a cloud of dust, and a massive gouge had been torn
out of the roof, allowing her to look down into the utility chambers
below. Of Muon there was no sign.
She fell to her knees, feeling very weak and weepy, as she usually did
when her other self fought through her. Saturn heard a small sound and
looked up, an expression of relief spreading over her face. Running over
the rooftops directly towards her were Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune and
Sailor Mercury. And from another direction, a bit further off, she could
see Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter coming as well.
When they reached her, her parents both scooped her up and hugged her
tightly as the other Sailor Senshi surrounded her with cheers and
smiles. She leaned into Neptune's embrace and closed her eyes with a
smile, knowing that now, she was safe.
-------------------
Some distance away, in his lair in the heights of a skyscraper, Muon
appeared in the center of the laboratory, kneeling and grasping his
chest. Sweat was beaded on his forehead, and strain was etched into his
face. Gylax rushed to him, her quicksilver form rippling with worry as
she knelt next to him.
"Muon, you're hurt!"
"Yes..." Though his voice was tight, it displayed no further emotion.
"Sailor Saturn proved a far more competent opponent than I expected from
one so young. I underestimated her."
He rose to his feet, still holding his chest. "Are you damaged?" Gylax
asked, watching him fearfully.
"No...this is merely the backlash of my shield's destruction." He said,
breathing deeply. "If Sailor Saturn's attack had reached me in full, I
would have been destroyed utterly."
"So it was a failure?" Gylax would have been terrified to ask any other
superior such a blunt question, but she had learned that Muon responded
best to directness.
"Not entirely...I prepare for all outcomes, including this one." He took
his hand from his chest and opened his hand. A small white crystal sat
in his hand. In the center of the gem pulsed a tiny point of violet
light.
"What is it?" Gylax asked curiously.
"A tiny sample of Sailor Saturn's energy." Muon replied. "With the
knowledge I have gained from my other project, it may be the key to her
capture." He glanced at the other side of the chamber. "How has it fared
in my absence?"
Gylax fell into a puddle and sped over to the large cylinder of violet
liquid. The pearly substance swirled violently as the dark shape in its
center struggled for escape. "I had to increase the energy of its
containment field again." Gylax said, flowing up into humanoid shape
once again. "It almost breached the chamber before I had a chance, so
I've set the field to increase power over time automatically. But it
will reach maximum output in a few days."
"Well done. I can make other arrangements if it exceeds that power
before it is ready." He surveyed the struggling figure carefully, and
then examined the shifting blue runes on the floor around it. "Tomorrow
you will inform Meson that I will have a new weapon for her to use
against the Sailor Senshi very soon."
-------------------
After informing the rest of the Sailor Senshi of Saturn's location
Tuxedo Kamen had taken Chibi-Usa to the hospital, just in case. She was
diagnosed with extreme exhaustion and given a bed. Some time later, most
of the Sailor Senshi joined Mamoru to see how she was. They had seen
Minako safely home to rest, but Setsuna, though extremely weary as well,
wanted to check on her Small Lady.
"Chibi-Usa?" Usagi called softly, once they were all there. "Chibi-Usa,
are you alright?" The pink-haired girl stirred and slowly cracked her
eyes open.
"Usagi?" She murmured. Then her eyes flew open and pulled herself
upright. "Hotaru? What happened."
"I'm right here." Hotaru smiled from her side, hugging her tightly. "I'm
just fine."
"What happened to Muon?"
"It seems Hotaru gave him the beating of his life." Michiru said with a
soft, proud smile. Hotaru blushed softly and looked down at her hands.
"How are you feeling, Small Lady?" Setsuna asked with a gentle smile.
"Tired." Chibi-Usa said with a yawn. "But okay, other than that."
"Good." Setsuna nodded. "Usagi and Mamoru should be able to take you
home then."
"Did you really beat Muon by yourself Hotaru?" Chibi-Usa asked, her eyes
shining in admiration.
"Yes..." Hotaru said with a shy smile. She hesitated for a moment, then
spoke in a small voice. "After...after he hurt you I couldn't just let
him get away with it." She blushed, and Chibi-Usa blushed as well,
smiling. Everyone else just smiled fondly and looked away, not wanting
to embarrass the two of them anymore.
Suddenly there was a small cough from the doorway, and everyone turned
to look. Dr. Mizuno was there, leaning against the doorframe with an odd
expression on her face. Ami felt her heart sink as she saw that look.
"Well." She said, smiling warmly. "When I heard a girl with pink hair
had been brought in, I thought it might be Chibi-Usa. You're all very
nice to come visit her." She walked in, looking carefully at the group.
"You don't look very well yourself, Meioh-san." She said, tilting her
head at Setsuna.
"A little fever." Setsuna said with a serene smile, not shaken in the
least. "But I'm recovering well."
"I'm glad to hear that." She stopped by the bed and looked down at
Chibi-Usa, her face unreadable. She reached out and gently placed her
palm to the small girl's forehead. "You seem to be fine. Just stay in
bed for a day or so, and I'm sure you'll be well again in no time." She
glanced over at Usagi and Mamoru. "You two will see her safely home?"
They both nodded, and she smiled. "Excellent." She turned to leave and
then paused at the door, not looking back.
"Ami...when you get home, I think the two of us need to talk." She left
then, and Ami felt the eyes of the others on the back of her neck. She
turned back with a helpless little smile and shrugged.
"Well..." She said in a shaky voice. "It had to happen sometime, right?"
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AUTHOR'S NOTE- Hmm...honestly I don't have a lot to say here. This one
just of flowed out in no time. The action scenes have gotten so much
easier to write since I started! ^_^
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