USAGI IS DEAD II DEAD IS USAGI
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME
Disclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so
these characters really belong to them, except ones I made up. This
means I'm only using the Sailormoon characters for purposes benign.
(And if you believe that, you'd believe anything. ^_^)
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S T A R T
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Just on the border
of your waking mind
you find another time
where darkness and light
are one....
And as you tread
the halls of sanity
you feel so glad to be
unable to go beyond....
"Prologue" from "Time"
Electric Light Orchestra
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"Water-based powers?" Usashin frowned. "There shouldn't be
any Earth senshi here.... Unless, of course, Mercury survived."
"I'm telling you, someone is using water-based powers,
nearby." Michiru clutched her chest, staring out of the window of
the train carriage at the passing countryside as she leaned back
in her seat. Usashin and Kaorusagi watched her with worry. "It's
strong.... A powerful signal... It can't be anyone else but an
Earth senshi...."
"That is impossible, and you know it is impossible. There
aren't ANY Earth senshi on this planet, as far as we know." Usashin
paused. "It is possible, of course, that Uranus or Pluto survived,
and that, along with Jupiter or Saturn, have come to this world....
But Mercury WAS killed, long before the events of the Cataclysm....
There can be no other Water Earth Senshi on this planet."
"I know what I'm feeling, and it isn't good." Michiru sighed,
closing her eyes. Kaorusagi shrugged and stared out of the window.
"Well, we'll soon know. We're approaching the capital. I can
see the towers, now...." She turned back to Michiru. "And if there
is anywhere on this planet that a senshi may be called to use their
powers, it shall be there."
----o
Part Twelve
The Door to Paradise II
----o
"You're really determined, aren't you?" Rina asked, tiredly,
as she plodded after Usagi, down the Hotel corridor. "You really DO
want to see the Hotel Manager." She looked back, momentarily, at
the door to the stairwell, which they had exited. The stairs had
managed to bring them to this level, whatever level it was, but no
further.
"I'm not the kind of person to just stand around, waiting for
things to happen to me.... And ever since I left my room, that's
what has been happening.... I've allowed this damned place to get
at me.... Well, no more."
"How do you know you're not the kind of person you said you
were? You said you weren't able to remember anything about
yourself." Usagi stopped, suddenly, and Rina walked into her,
bumping her nose into the back of Usagi's head. "Itaiii..." She
stepped back, holding her sore nose. "Don't stop like that."
"You know, it's interesting...." Usagi held up a finger.
"What is?"
"What you said.... Indeed, I can't remember anything about
myself.... As far as I can remember...."
Rina rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's just... great. You're
making perfect sense."
"No, I'm not.... And that's the point. How did I remember
what kind of person I am if I can't remember anything about myself?"
Usagi screwed up her nose. "You're right... There is no point in
asking circular rhetorical questions."
"Yes." Rina crossed her arms. "So, what do you hope to
achieve by seeing the Hotel Manager?"
"I've already told you...." Usagi once more started her brisk
pace, Rina following reluctantly. "To see just what the hell is
going on around here."
"And I've already told you.... Nobody who has gone to see the
Manager has ever returned."
"That's possibly because they managed to leave the Hotel."
"Or he ate them. In this Hotel, I wouldn't discount any
possibilities."
"I'll deal with that when I get there." Usagi huffed.
"Hmm... So how would you like to be eaten? Fried? Roasted?
Baked? Boiled?" Usagi shot Rina a dangerous glance. "Sorry,
sorry...."
"So you should be.... Honestly." They both reached a corner
in the passageway, and stopped, suddenly, as they came face to face
with the Hotel cleaner that Usagi had met after first leaving her
room, so to speak. "Kowai." Usagi swallowed as the faceless woman
trundled her trolley up to one of the doors that lined the passage.
"Oh, her?" Rina sniffed. "She's not so bad.... You just
have to get used to the fact that she isn't going to say a lot....
Conversation is limited."
"I'd certainly say so." Usagi smiled, nervously. "Who is
she?"
"Nobody knows. Anyone I've been able to talk to says she's
been here for as long as they can remember."
"If that's so, then she's got to know where the Manager's
office is." Usagi clenched her fists, determinedly.
"So how is she going to tell you? It's not like she can give
you in-depth directions, or anything."
"You know, you can be an amazingly negative person." Usagi
looked at Rina, darkly.
"Sorry, force of habit. Nothing has gone right for me since I
left my room...." Rina sighed and looked at the floor. "All the
same.... It's a lot safer if you accept things as they are.... As
long as you know the dangers you have to face, you're alright."
"That's not good enough, is it?" Usagi huffed. "And besides,
look at me." Usagi held out her arms, which were looking slightly
pale. Certainly paler than they had been when Rina had first met
her. "Whatever is happening to you is starting to happen to me.
It's like we're both degenerating, slowly." Usagi pinched Rina's
cheek. "Your skin is starting to go all blotchy, and dark in
several places. Who knows what is happening to us.... What will
happen to us.... We might end up as living corpses if we don't do
something to stop this."
"Or dead corpses." Rina pulled herself away from Usagi,
rubbing her sore cheek.
"There you go again, being negative." Usagi waved a finger at
her, clicking her tongue, hiding the fact that the thought had
crossed her own mind.
"Sorry.... A month in the Activities Room did wonders for
my.... my...."
"Your mind?" Usagi added, helpfully.
"Yes, that's it. My mind. Terrible, isn't it, the way
certain things just seem to drop out like that...." Usagi shook her
head, sadly.
"For all we know, our memory loss might be related to the
degeneration our bodies are going through."
"The degeneration works faster the more you exercise and move
about.... That's why I.... why I stayed in the Activities Room for
so long.... It seemed to halt the progression of the problem." She
sighed, her legs feeling very weak.
"Well, lets hope your body doesn't start falling apart....
That would be scary, seeing bits drop off." Usagi swallowed and
turned back to where the cleaner had been. "Where has she gone?"
"Into that room." Rina pointed at an open door. "She went in
whilst you were giving me your little sermon."
"Yes, well, considering it is the only open door in the entire
corridor, it's just a slight possibility that that is where she
disappeared to." Usagi put her hands on her hips. "Now, what was
it I wanted to ask her, again?"
"Where the Hotel Manager was located."
"Yes. Of course. I knew that all the time." Usagi strode
forward, towards the open doorway. Rina paused for a few moments,
wondering if she should really follow.... If she had the energy to
follow.... She felt a little dizzy, and put a hand to her head.
What was it that made her follow this Tsukino Usagi person in the
first place? She couldn't remember.... A little voice in her mind
told her to. A little voice....
"JUST WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?!?!?" The voice, with its bland,
homogenised North American accent, boomed from the doorway, making
Usagi leap clear across to the other side of the corridor and Rina
almost wet herself. The pair stared at the manic eyes of the young
man who had popped his head out of the room. "THIS IS MY ROOM!
NOBODY ELSE IS ALLOWED TO COME NEAR."
"Ano...." Usagi managed to climb down from the wall,
nervously approaching the young man. "I just want to ask the
cleaner a question...."
"SO?" The young man sneered at her. "WHAT MAKES YOU THINK
YOU'RE WORTHY OF ASKING HER ANYTHING?" Usagi swallowed as the young
man pointed at her. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU, ANYWAY, WANDERING THE
CORRIDOR SO ARROGANTLY, AS IF YOU OWNED IT?" Usagi was sure she
could feel herself being hurt by his words, striking at her very
heart.
"I... I just wanted to ask the cleaner.... If she knew where
the Hotel Manager was...."
"OH, SO YOU CONTRIVE TO HAVE AN ASSOCIATION WITH THE MANAGER,
DO YOU? WELL LET ME TELL YOU, I KNOW THE MANAGER, AND HE WOULD NOT
EVEN THINK OF CORRESPONDING, IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM, WITH SOMEONE
AS LOWLY AND UNWORTHY AS THE LIKES OF YOU." Usagi winced, starting
to feel a little angry at the young man's hostility.
"Look, I need to see the Manager quickly.... Because of what
is happening to our bodies...." Usagi pointed to herself and Rina.
The young man sneered.
"SO YOU'VE GOT A CONDITION. WAH YOU." He laughed in her
face. "WHAT DO YOU EXPECT, LEAVING YOUR ROOMS AND WANDERING THE
CORRIDORS?"
"But.... It wasn't OUR fault. We were thrown out of our
rooms...." Rina tried to plead with the young man, but he wasn't
listening.
"JUST LIKE THE FACT THAT SOMEONE'S AN ETHNIC MINORITY DOESN'T
MEAN THEY'RE NOT AN ASSHOLE, HAVING A MEDICAL PROBLEM ISN'T AN
EXCUSE FOR THE SORT OF CRAP YOU'VE PULLED." He stepped forward, and
both Usagi and Rina blushed. He was as naked as a newborn babe, and
not much of a sight, at that. He stepped up to Usagi, who was now
up against the opposite wall. "BUGGER OFF. YOU'D BE DOING THE
WORLD A GREAT FAVOUR." And with that, he slapped Usagi hard across
the chops, knocking her to the floor. Rina ran to her side as Usagi
lifted herself up, holding her stinging face with a hand as tears
started to well in her eyes.
"Usagi, are you okay?" Rina turned Usagi's face to her,
looking at where she had been struck. At that point, they both
heard the young man chuckling sadistically and turned to see him
holding his crotch with one hand, pulling on it as if rubbing
himself, then turned and strode back into the room, slamming the
door behind him.
The pair watched the door for several moments, shell-shocked,
unable to move or react in any way. "J..." Rina began. "Just who
the HELL does he THINK he IS?" She stood and stepped up to the
door, banging on it with her fist. "HEY! HEY YOU, YOU ASSHOLE!
COME OUT, NOW!"
"Rina...."
"HEY! YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT KIND OF CRAP?!?!
WE'LL BUST YOUR BALLS, YOU DICKLESS LITTLE STAIN!"
"Rina.... Don't. It's not worth it." Usagi slowly got to
her feet. Rina turned to her, looking exasperated.
"But.... That creep... He can't be allowed to get away with
what he did to you..." Usagi shook her head, and Rina paused, mouth
open as if she was going to say something. She then closed it and
sighed. "What's wrong? You're the one who called me negative...."
"There's no point in arguing with that kind of person." Usagi
shook her head, again. "He's the sort who WANTS you to argue with
him. He gets off on it. Didn't you see the look in his eyes?"
"That doesn't mean we can't plant our knees firmly where it is
going to hurt the most...." Rina sighed and shrugged. "Well,
you're the captain of this shipwreck. What do we do, now? Wait for
the cleaner to come out?"
"Well, what else CAN we do? Kick the door in?" They both
looked at each other, then shook their heads in unison. "No...."
Usagi chuckled. "That's just what he'd want us to do. Probably had
the door replaced a thousand times, already...."
----o
"You BITCH!" Du Prae sneered at Makoto from across the
street, clutching at one of the wounds she had inflicted upon him
with her internal electrical discharge attack. "I was going to go
easy on you.... But after this...."
"Oh shutup, you rancid little creep." Makoto clenched her
fists, sneering at Du Prae.
"What did you call me?"
"You heard what I said." Makoto shook a fist at him, making
Hotaru cringe. "You're too ugly to beat me."
"Would you like to make a bet on that, bitch?" Du Prae stood
up, rolling his fingers, which became interspersed with a black
mist, waves of his dark energy, emerging from his form.
"Yeah, I'd like to put money on it, creep. Everyone knows
good looking heroes like me beat the shit outta ugly, weedy little
villains like you." Du Prae paused for a moment, considering
Makoto, then burst out laughing. So did Makoto. In fact, the pair
did nothing else for a good minute or so. Hotaru decided it was
time to conjure up a Silence Glaive and step aside, in case things
got messy.
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!" Makoto suddenly shouted. Hotaru
knew she had good timing. Bolts of energy started flying out in
every direction from the spinning Makoto, striking all but Du Prae
himself. Hotaru knew, then, that they had plenty to worry about as
parts of the town houses started to fall about her. She crouched
on the ground with her polearm, hoping like heck one of the bolts
didn't hit her.
Du Prae stared as bolts flew by him. "Well.... That was...
very interesting." He grappled for words as Makoto stopped
spinning, looking rather concerned that she had failed to hit her
intended target. "Was there any reason for presenting me with this
rather spectacular display?"
Makoto swallowed. "Bugger.... It always worked before." She
crossed her arms, closing her eyes in deep thought. "I wonder what
went wrong with my ability to actually hit the target...."
"Well, I don't suppose its any consolation." Du Prae cracked
his knuckles. "But an attack like that was too piss poor to really
have done anything of any worth to my person. But it's the thought
that counts." He smiled. "Now, would you be so kind as to allow me
to return the favour."
"Oh, hardly." Makoto held up her fingers, again. Du Prae
attempted to form a barrier, but it was for nought. The little
pockets of energy that Makoto created within his flesh exploded
outwards. Blood sprayed in all directions, being forced out at a
sufficient speed to tear through his clothing. He staggered
backwards, stepping up onto the footpath.
"Oh, now was that really sporting? Honestly, I thought you
were supposed to be on the side of good." He clenched his teeth,
speaking through the pain. For him, it was nothing he hadn't
experienced before, and the wounds were too shallow to do any major
damage.
"Well, I kinda thought that, if it works once...." Makoto
suddenly let out a cry of pain as wounds suddenly opened up over her
body, blood spraying from her in exactly the same way it had from
Du Prae. She fell back against the town house wall, quivering as
blood ran from the wounds. "What.... What the FUCK?"
"As I said.... I'd like to return the favour, and so I have.
Whatever you do, I can do BETTER." Du Prae sneered. "What do you
take me for, a fool?"
"He's an experienced senshi." Hotaru stood, leaning against
her polearm. "He's fought better than us, Jupiter."
"Thanks for telling me." Makoto tried to stand, failed, then
looked over at Hotaru. "Touch." Hotaru sighed.
"Yes, I got the feeling I'd somehow end up covering your ass."
She shook her head, holding out the glaive in Du Prae's direction.
"Well, I'm not really into a large retinue of attacks.... So that
limits me, rather."
Du Prae looked at her, strangely. "You.... You have the air
of darkness about you."
"Well, I suppose you could say I have.... Not that I'd admit
it in public, or anything...." Hotaru took a breath. "Seeing as my
best attack tends to wipe whole worlds away, how about a Silence
Glaive Surprise?"
"Oh, after you." Du Prae gestured to Hotaru, dramatically.
"I'm sure its not as much of a surprise as it sounds."
"Well, you'll never find out until I do it." Hotaru smiled at
Du Prae, sweetly, who smiled back.
"Be my guest, then." And, with supreme arrogance, he sat on
the ground, crossing his arms and legs. Hotaru wondered what the
man was made of, considering the number of atrocities that had
already been committed against his person by both Miste and Makoto.
"Very well." Hotaru closed her eyes, and both Makoto and
Du Prae watched as a multicoloured mist rose around her figure. She
then held the glaive aloft. "SILENCE GLAIVE....
....SURPRISE!"
There was an explosion of energy in Du Prae's direction as Hotaru
swung the Glaive in a long slice. Du Prae held up his hands, and
was consumed within the blast that erupted around him. Hotaru was
flung back with the force, through the hole in the wall that had
been created by Miste.
Makoto did her best to shield herself from the blast, but
it still hurt. She knew Hotaru must have been containing herself,
for if she really had let fly, it was likely that this entire
portion of the city would be reduced to nothing more than a crater.
All the same, Makoto felt a shiver run down her spine.... The sheer
energy that Hotaru contained, and the ease with which she used it,
frightened her. Makoto liked to think that, being the senshi to
represent the largest planet of her solar system, she was the most
powerful.... But times like this reminded her.... Her powers were
that of an inner senshi.... They were, by their very nature,
contained, by some means unknown to her. By Serenity, perhaps?
As the blast subsided, Makoto spat to clear her mouth of dust,
and peered over to where Du Prae had been sitting. She felt elated
when she couldn't see him. Elation that turned to despair as she
was grabbed by the collar and hauled to her feet by a figure who
smelt of old cigarettes. "Now that's what I call a surprise, don't
you think?" Du Prae smiled in her face. "You girls seem very adept
at shooting yourselves in the feet."
"How did you...?" Makoto began. Du Prae clicked his tongue.
"Honestly. Did you think I'd be caught out by a little energy
blast like that? I'm made of MUCH sterner stuff. Now, where was I?
Oh yes.... I have to kill you." He waved a finger in her face.
"Must get it done properly. My boss would be ever so miffed if I
were to let just one of you survive."
Makoto felt Du Prae's hands close around her throat. He was a
lot taller than she thought, as he lifted her off the ground with
consummate ease. She threw her hands up to meet his, attempting to
lever them away, but they held like a vice, slowly throttling the
life out of her. She kicked and bucked, trying everything she could
to loosen his grip, as her face went bright red. She could hear her
blood, straining to get through, in her ears. She opened her eyes
and peered into his, but they had become nothing more than empty
pools of darkness, his face contorted with rapture.
He's enjoying this, she thought to herself. Angrily, she
swung a foot back and brought it to bear, solidly, into his family
jewels. It had the desired effect, as he let her go, doubling over,
both hands holding the bojangles. Makoto fell to her knees, rubbing
her sore throat as Du Prae did a funny little dance over the
cobblestone road.
"HITEN MITSURUGI RYU.... DO RYU SEN!" Makoto heard the
woman's voice, crying out over Du Prae's strangled gasps. He looked
up for a second, having caught glimpse of something flying towards
him. He was hit solidly in the face by the blade of a sakabatou,
crunching his nose as his head was forced into the ground.
As the dust settled, Makoto looked at the figure of the woman
who stood, triumphantly, over the defeated figure of Du Prae. Her
eyes opened, widely, as she recognised the individual. "U....
Usa... shin?" She stood as the samurai Usagi clone turned to her,
smiling.
"Hello, Jupiter-dono. It is very nice to see you, again."
"But... But you were.... Saturn said you were...."
"Killed?" Usashin smiled as she resheathed her sword. "It
would seem the news of my passing was unfortunately premature."
"USAAAASHIIIIN!" The voice of another young woman echoed
along the street as they both turned to the two approaching figures.
One was a young woman, dressed in a yellow kimono, with her hair
tied up in a ponytail by a red ribbon, and the other was.... was....
"Neptune...." Makoto heard another voice say. She turned to
Hotaru, who was climbing out of the hole in the wall. "But
that's... That's impossi...." Hotaru turned to Usashin, and almost
fainted. "What's going on, here?"
Makoto stepped up alongside her. "This is.... weird." She
whispered. Hotaru looked up at her, helplessly, as Usashin slowly
stepped away from Du Prae.
"You don't understand. I can see you don't understand." She
crossed her arms in front of her. "Is the concept of resurrection
so beyond you? It is at the very heart of the mythos by which you
live."
"More than that...." Said a voice from behind. They both
turned as Miste stepped out of the rubble she had created. "The
planet we are on is at the very heart of the universe.... It is the
hub by which the universe operates. This is where the Big Bang had
its origin.... Where the energies that created this Universe
escaped, from wherever it was they had been formed." She climbed
through the hole and started to brush herself down. "That is why
these things are possible. Wyccfaer is the mind, body and soul of
the universe. And whomever controls it also has control of that
universe." She looked up at Usashin and frowned. "You appear to
me to be my Princess, Serenity."
"Both myself and my good friend, here..." She gestured to
Kaorusagi, who had now joined her. "...Were born from the template
of Serenity, herself. It is not surprising that you should
recognise her within us." Usashin paused. "I take it you are the
source of the aquatic energies my friend, Neptune-dono, felt
earlier?"
"Neptune?" Miste turned her face to the other newcomer, and
her eyes opened wide. "Aquius!" She trembled. "Aquius.... It is
you...."
"Who is Aquius?" Michiru frowned at Miste for a second, after
waving nervously to the dumbfounded Hotaru and Makoto.
"Yes.... Now EVERYTHING is clear to me. Aquius.... You
WHORE!" And with that, Miste flung herself at Michiru, hands
clawed.
END OF PART 12
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S T O P
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Next Chapter - "The Door to Paradise III"
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Version 1.0 - Sunday, December 6th 1998