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Interview with A Senshi
By
Nicholas Leifker
And
Andrew Norris
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, and all characters are owned by Naoko
Takeuchi. No infringement is intended.
This story may be distributed freely, as long as no profit is made, and
the whole body remains intact.
******
Prologue
Live to Tell.
******
Usagi stopped.
She looked back at the path she'd taken, hot, blissful air overfilling
her lungs. She could taste the stench of the city around her, and feel
the pulse and noise of industry that surrounded her. Letting fatigue
take over, she sat on the ledge, trying to get what energy she could
back. She didn't notice the grime that smeared her skirt, or the black
smudges from the ledge she'd grabbed.
Thoughts came back to her in that moment, words she tried to escape
from. Michiru had no right to say what she had. She'd been through the
same thing Usagi had been through, lived through the same battles, and
worn the same scars.
Why, then, did Michiru say she needed a vent?
Usagi took her mask off, and let out a long sigh. Unfortunately,
Michiru was right - and Michiru did have a vent of her own. The Senshi
of Neptune had the Senshi of Uranus to comfort her; together, they could
survive what two people separately could not. They even had a child to
take care of, an instant family that almost made her weep with envy.
Slowly, her body protesting every move, Usagi rose from her seat. She
couldn't take much more, she knew; like an aged prizefighter, she'd been
banged up too much too soon, and the fights were taking their toll.
She'd fought with broken bones, hid the bags under her eyes with makeup
in school, occasionally caught the occasional snooze there, and put the
mask on to hide everything at night.
Tonight had been the final straw. She'd nearly plunged to her death off
a maison; her body had made a protest at the wrong time, and she'd
missed a jump as a result. Worse, as she fought to crawl her way up, a
voice inside of her spoke: Would it be so bad to fall? In the end,
something would have to give; letting go of her pain was the only sane
option left.
But to who?
********************************
Hikaru was bored.
The apartment was all his, for once; his parents had left for Nagasaki
that morning. All of his friends had found something else to do that
evening; not even the prospect of a home without parents could drag them
over. He'd already beaten the video game he'd bought last week; all of
his studies had been completed an hour ago.
Something needed to come into his life. Something did.
A knock came from his window; he shuddered in surprise. It was... her.
In a flash, he opened the window, letting her inside.
"May I come in?" The voice didn't sound proud or warlike; if anything,
it sounded tired.
"Sure," he replied, his eyes wide. When seifuku-clad superheroes show
up at your window, it's best not to refuse.
She looked around, an act which caused him no small amount of
embarrassment at first. She looked over his unmade bed, to the
collection of papers by his desk, to the posters covering his walls...
Only when she looked under the bed, at the pile of unwashed clothes
beneath, did he realize: she was wary not of messes, but of monsters.
She wrinkled her nose at the stench, then stared up at him. "Hikaru, do
you remember when you found out about me? The promise you made?"
Hikaru nodded carefully. He hadn't told anyone; she had to know that.
She sighed, and sat down on his bed. "Hikaru... now I need to trust you
with a lot more."
Hikaru let out a held breath. "What?"
She took off her mask; he swallowed at how... ragged she looked. Eyes
sagged with nights without sleep; a mouth that would look so much better
smiling simply didn't have the energy. Smears of grime crossed her
body, soiling a once pure-white outfit.
The hero wasn't here; this was a warrior, pure and simple. She let out
a long sigh. "I need to tell my story... while I still can."
His eyes widened. "What's wrong?"
Her mouth moved up and down, as though trying to find words. "I... I'm
so tired. I've fought for too long. I... I need to vent to someone,
before I blow up or break down." She met him with her perfect blue eyes
- the only pure part of her left.
In an instant, he nodded. "Okay. I'll listen, and never tell."
She smiled weakly. "Good." She looked around. "Do you have anything
to drink? I have a feeling this is going to be a long night."
He mentally berated himself; he never was much of a host. "Sure. Just
a sec." He ran into the kitchen and prepared coffee as though life
depended on his speed. He never thought brewing could take so long...
each drop seemed to torment him.
"Take it easy. It'll wait."
The voice startled him. She stood a few feet behind, watching him
curiously. "Huh?"
She smiled, as though she knew a riddle he didn't. "Never be in a rush
if you don't have to. The more you rush... the more you burn."
Hikaru blinked. It really was a riddle she knew but he didn't. He
waited for the coffee to finish, then poured two cups for them.
He stared at the black liquid in his mug. "So. What did you want to
tell me?"
She sat still for a moment; he could hear the cogs working inside her
head. Finally, as though making some grand decision, she nodded to
herself, and smiled.
"Everything."
He blinked. "Everything?"
Her smile widened; the mirth in her eyes was returning. "Everything."
*******
Author's Notes:
Andrew's
The original idea for this came to me after reading Nick's Thin White
Line, so I suggested we do it. And we are.
This is only the opening to the tale.
The first two parts will cover R, and S in the Interview With A Vampire
(Movie) format.
Stars will be covered in the Third part, and a fourth will cover the
aftermath of the Choices Usagi made.
We hope that you enjoy this story.
"Beware of fighting Monsters, lest ye become one."
Interview with A Senshi, Prologue, Authors:
Andrew Norris
Nicholas Leifker
2/20/00