Sympathy For the Devil
Chapter One
There was absolutely no sunlight in the room at all. The girl liked it that way. She lived comfortably alone-well, that wasn't completely true. She lived with her soon-to-be-fiancé as well. The girl was only eighteen, and still considered living in a house separate from her parents "living by herself". She was a fairly successful girl, for all that she was a teenager. She was, surprisingly, a genius, which was a fact that startled many of her friends. The girl had created several new computers (much smaller than the older models) and even a new theory, having to do with time travel and travel through space. The girl amazed most people, and for other reasons than her genius.
The girl was a princess right out of a fairy tale. Not that she was a literal princess (although she was, but that was not a widely known fact). She was simply many people's idea of what a princess should look like. Her body was tiny, but still well curved. Her face was very mature, and her smile was something that inspired weak knees and sometimes the most popular songs. Her eyes were an endless sea of blue, glimmering in the lighting. Silky blonde hair cascaded down from two buns in a style of pigtails which were now very popular, much to her amusement. She was well spoken, made intelligent conversation, had perfect manners, and was perhaps the nicest genius with a sense of humor.
Unfortunately for this woman destined for stardom, her life was about to take an unexpected turn for the, well, unexpected.
"Usagi," Mamoru mumbled sleepily beside her.
"What?" she whispered, not moving. The darkness pressed in around them, keeping their hangovers from becoming worse.
His hand reached across her and grabbed up her cell phone. Usagi sighed softly and leaned back into her cool pillows. Cell phones would be the death of her, she thought, still mostly asleep. Mamoru answered her phone with a polite hello, and then gave it to her. It was her boss, he mouthed.
Another sigh escaped her, and she took the phone from him delicately. "Hai?" she asked hoarsely.
"Sounds like you need some water," her boss, Seta Gamaru, said humorously. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"
Usagi touched her forehead tenderly, where a headache was beginning to come on. "Actually, you did. It's New Year's Day, Gamaru-san. Isn't this a little ridiculous?"
His throaty laugh sounded in her ear. "You've been drinking, then. You and Mamoru-san by yourselves, then? Or was it a party? If it was a party, who was there?"
She repressed another sigh. Her boss was obsessively in demand for every detail about everything she did. He seemed to think that she would go and do something stupid. She was a genius, Usagi thought with a grin. "Stupid" wasn't in her vocabulary unless it was being used on someone else.
"It was a party. I had over a bunch of my friends. Minako Anio, Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Makoto Kino, Haruka Ten'ou, Michiru Kaioh, Hotaru Tomoe, Setsuna Meioh, Seiya Kou, Yaten Kou, and Taiki Kou. And my cousin, Chibiusa Tsukino. Oh yes, and my brother, Shingo Tsukino. And Motoki and Unazaki (sp? This is his sister, Lizzy) Seimatari*, and Naru and Umino Takakun. I think that's all. Mamo-chan, is that all?"
Mamoru made a strange noise as he was jerked back awake, and then grinned sheepishly. "Hai, I think that's all. Yeah, that was all. Except for that Rita woman- Motoki's girlfriend."
"You hear that, Gamaru-san?" Usagi questioned, wanting very much to go back to sleep.
"Hai, I heard. Jesus, Usagi. A supermodel, a cancer-curing doctor, a pop star, a famous chef, a Formula One racer, a composer, a designer, a hugely famous pop group, and your family. That was one classy party, wasn't it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Usagi laughed lightly. "It was absolutely not a classy party. We had pizza, drank, and played a few games."
"Russian Roulette?"
"Except that instead of committing suicide, we had to drink a shot. Whoever passed out first lost."
Seta laughed. "That's great Usagi. And now that you're more awake, I need you to come down to the office and look over this business agreement. It only needs your signature."
"Can't you forge it or something?" Usagi pleaded. The last thing she wanted was to get out of bed!
He laughed. "No can do, koneko-chan. Just come on down and I'll give you Monday off."
"I have Monday off already."
"Ja, Usagi-chan! I'll see you in a few minutes!"
Usagi gazed at the cell phone in deep depression, sighed again, and then swung her long legs out of the bed. Mamoru made a soft sound of appreciation, and she laughed. Mamoru had this very odd infatuation with her legs, as short as they were. It was one of the things that made her laugh these days.
Ignoring his protests, Usagi stood and strode over to the shower. She cleaned herself quickly, wasting no time on letting the water wash away whatever lingering negative emotions were left on her from the rude awakening. Toweling herself dry, she dressed herself in very short shorts and a red spaghetti strap. Slipping her feet into her beige flip-flops, she tied her hair up into her customary hairstyle and ran out the door.
She always loved going outside, because there were all sorts of interesting people in her apartment building. Directly across the hall from her was a man who was convinced that he could plant geraniums in the hallway. He was out there every morning, gardening the non-existent flowers. Despite his mental state, he was a very nice man and had given Usagi some very good advice regarding her sanity. Every piece of advice, however, was related to his garden. Usagi had on many occasions spent several hours puzzling through his advice and then hitting upon a very profound truth of life. She had convinced herself that she was going to write a book on philosophy, containing his advice and the meanings she had derived from it.
Further on down the hall was a woman who reminded her a lot of Makoto. Her name was Sheila, and had moved from Montana, America a while back. Sheila was a runaway, and had made it very well in Japan, where it was not unusual for a teenager to live alone. Usagi herself was much of an example, although she was older than Sheila by two years.
Usagi continued past these homes with a hello to the invisible-garden-man and a wave and a hallo to Sheila. Jogging lightly down the long stairs she crossed the main hall to the door and out into the sunlight. Her headache instantly turned ten times worse, and she groaned softly. What had happened to her pledge of drinking absolutely no alcohol? It was undoubtedly Minako's fault, somehow.
She turned to walk across the street and the sunlight suddenly lanced across her vision, making her head scream in agony. There was a loud honk, and a shriek from the other side of the street. Usagi threw herself blindly in the direction the scream had come from, and felt the air press against her legs where something passed above her. Then there was the crunch of metal colliding with something, and the sickening sound of glass shattering.
The sunlight was suddenly gone from her eyes, and she looked over, her heart beating wildly in her chest. A truck was nearly wrapped around a pole- she assumed it was the same truck that had almost run her over. A large crowd was gathering around the truck, tittering excitedly and whispering amongst themselves.
Usagi knew without question that the driver had been drunk. There was a sickening blotch of puke-green and brown hovering over her view of the truck. It was a shame really, that people got into cars and tried to drive while drunk. He could have killed someone!
"And almost did," someone said softly in her ear, but when she spun around, no one was there.
A heavy sense of foreboding grew in her chest like a piano sitting on a safety pin that was near the breaking point. A shudder went through her body, and she forced herself to continue on her way towards her company's building. She repressed another shudder, and pulled her headphones out of her pocket. They were the small type which fit into her ears. The headphones were connected to another one of her inventions, which was a mini-CD player, made to play ANOTHER one of her inventions, which was a mini-CD. A mini-CD was about the size of a quarter, and just about as strong, too. The CDs are made of a special substance, which Usagi invented and called Tsukiga. The CD that was in at the moment was The Rolling Stones, and "She's A Rainbow" was playing.
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, she was walking in the doors to the building. The receptionist smiled happily when she saw her, and laid her papers down on the huge desk.
"Konichiwa, Tsukino-san! How are you today?"
Usagi pulled her headphones out of her ears and stuffed them back in her pocket. Greeting the receptionist was one of her most favorite parts of the day. The woman (what was her name? Oh yeah, it was Shikujo Hida, she reminded herself).
"Ohayo Shikujo-chan! I'm doing alright for almost being hit by a car and having a massive headache, I suppose," Usagi said with a grin.
Shikujo's face became the picture of astonished horror. "You almost got hit by a car?"
Usagi nodded, loving her reaction. She was alive, wasn't she? Usagi never understood why people got so upset upon hearing news like that-she was alive and well, so what was the big deal? She guessed that it had something to do with people being very relieved at the near victim being alive. The reaction was almost as irritating as funerals. Why did everyone get so upset at someone passing on to a better place than Earth? Did they want it to go badly for the soul? Usagi wasn't sure how her idea would be accepted, but she was determined to either be cremated to "Light My Fire" by the Doors or to have a party, as opposed to a funeral. She wanted her death to be celebrated, not mourned.
Apparently Shikujo was imagining the opposite of Usagi's desired funeral, because her face had gone utterly white. "Oooohhhh," she moaned. "Usagi, don't scare me like that ever again! I nearly had a heart attack!"
The blonde shrugged and began the walk to Gamaru's office. Deciding suddenly that it would be fun to run in the halls, she sprinted down the halls, up the stairs (she violently refused to take the elevator), and burst into Gamaru's office with a bang. The man looked up in surprise at Usagi's sudden appearance, and then smiled.
"Usagi! How lovely to see you! I honestly didn't expect you to show!"
"You, kind sir, are a very lucky man," she announced, sitting down in her favorite chair. She crossed her arms and looked at him levelly. He blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"I almost died today," she explained.
"Well, you're alright, I see. That's good. Now why don't you sign this paper?" he said, pushing a pen and paper towards her.
Disappointed at Seta's apparent lack of reaction, she bent her head to sign the paper. When he was sure she wasn't looking, Seta had a complete (and silent) fit. His face went red, his mouth formed unsaid expletives, and his arms worked furiously. Usagi's head began to raise, and Seta brought himself abruptly under control. He smiled charmingly at her.
Usagi raised an eyebrow. "I'm engaged, you know," she commented.
Seta changed his smile into a "well done" smile. "I know. Forgive me Usagi dear, it's become somewhat of a habit."
"Right. Ja, Gamaru-san! I hope you have a better day than I have!!!"
The second she closed the door behind her, she heard a vase shatter against the wall. "SHE ALMOST GOT KILLED!" he bellowed from inside the room.
"What a weird guy," she commented to an employee, pleased with her success.
Exiting the building the back way (so that she didn't have to talk to anyone else), she quick-stepped it down the fire escape and down into the alley. Smiling to herself at her cleverness at avoiding human interaction, she exited the alley and began the long walk back to her apartment building. She paused at the alley's opening, and then waited for a break in the stream of people. Usagi found it, and then thrust herself into the traffic. She was instantly swept up in the herd and let herself be carried along for a while.
That was when she saw the fortune teller. The old hag raised her head and made direct eye contact with Usagi, who felt like she had been surrounded by either a very large beacon or a sign saying "Fortune teller needs YOU". Deciding upon a whim to go over and have her fortune read, she wormed her way through the crowd and popped out in front of the hag.
"I'd like my fortune read, onegai," she said politely.
The old woman didn't break eye contact, and merely smiled. "Usagi Tsukino, eh? The supposedly content princess of this fairy tale, and the unknown savior of this dimension. My condolences to you, hime-sama. My services are usually 310 yen. For you I'll make an exception. Give me your hand."
Uneasy now, Usagi held out her hand. The palmist took it and brushed her dry, soft fingers across the surface. A jolt of something ran through Usagi's hand and into her arm, tickling her to the point of open laughter. Usagi beat a giggle back down her throat and tried not to fidget while the woman read her fortune. The woman sucked her teeth, let out a soft "aaahhhh...", and released Usagi's hand.
"Well?" Usagi asked anxiously. Most palmists gave people news just right off the bat, which meant that something weird had happened. Again. Maybe it was some kind of curse associated with being a reincarnated princess slash superhero, but something strange always happened to her under the most normal circumstances imaginable. It was highly irritating, and Usagi realized with a sinking feeling that she was going to be receiving some bad news.
The palmist regarded her solemnly. "Your past has been haunted by false promises, lies, betrayal, and many, many deaths. Your present is plagued by doubt, dissatisfaction, and a forced personality. Your future, however....." The woman trailed off, and then narrowed her eyes.
"I suggest that you trust no one- absolutely no one, unless it feels right in your heart- and change your name. Surround yourself with allies, and smile while you can. Your future path is a hard one, hime-sama. Best of luck to you."
"Hey now," Usagi began, but then realized that no one was there.
"Nani?" she exploded. This was impossible! First a fortune teller that knew she was a princess AND Sailor Moon, and then a booth that disappears, along with that woman! This was NOT happening to her!
"Roses!" someone called from the other side of the street. "Roses for sale!"
Usagi looked over instinctively and met eyes with a child no older than Chibiusa, who was about twelve. The child, who had disturbingly pink cheeks and a shock of red hair, tugged on her white tank top, and then, strangely enough, patted her shiny black shorts. The girl brought out a box, and then cranked a bar on the side of the box. Nothing happened for a second, and then Usagi watched from across the street as the box opened, revealing a rippling blackish purple aura of power.
Music reached her ears, and Usagi realized with a jolt what was going on. The music wormed inside her chest like a thick, squirming snake and struck at her heart. Her eyes went completely blank, and she was dimly aware of her feet beginning to move. Rage's hammer beat against the music's cage, but to no avail. Usagi stepped out into the street and walked dauntlessly (or so it seemed) in front of the path of traffic. Then suddenly the music stopped and the life came back to Usagi's eyes. She spun around to see the girl smiling hugely at her and waving.
In a terrible replay of the morning's events, she heard the horn, the scream, and then felt the iron grill slamming into her body. She lay there on the street, blood pouring out onto the concrete around her. For one terrible moment, reality sparkled like cold crystal around her. She looked into the people's faces and knew them and their hearts. She saw them and knew that they were not sad about her-they just wanted some action; something to gossip about. She managed to turn her head to the side and look over at the girl, who was smiling and waving. She reopened the music box, and Usagi squeezed her eyes shut as the piano part from "She's A Rainbow" danced through her head. Rage and hate towards the girl that killed her bubbled up inside her. She tried to sit up so she could maybe kill the girl with one look, failed, and then died.
*
*
Her eyes snapped open, and she jumped up. "Where is she?" she hissed, and then froze.
She was in an office. Usagi blinked once to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, but the office remained. It was very richly furnished, and had the air of casual professionalism. The dark paneled walls were decorated with paintings of landscapes that she had never seen in her life, and then suspected there was a reason. In one of the pictures there was a woman standing above a lake, holding a sword and looking passively down on something. It struck Usagi that the woman looked vaguely familiar, except for the fact that she never knew anyone with long, velvet rabbit ears. For that matter, she didn't know anyone with that look of passiveness self- assurance. Then something caught her eye. Was she just hallucinating, or was there a smear of gold on the woman's forehead? In the shape of a crescent? But that would mean-
"I see you like my painting," someone said quietly, interrupting her astonishment.
"Who is- who are you? Where am I?" she demanded before she was able to get a grip on her mouth.
Then she stopped and took in the man before her. He was very tall and well muscled. Not skinny, but not overly buff either. He had shaggy black hair and twinkling black eyes that peered out at her from beneath beautifully dusky eyelashes that should have belonged to a girl. His face was fine boned, and he carried an air of superiority and some malice that made Usagi shrink back.
"Full of questions, aren't we, hime-sama? Or is it Usagi Tsukino, now?" He snapped, and a folder (very thick, she noted) appeared in his hand. He riffled through it, the same look of disinterest she had observed on other higher ranking deities. "Yes. You are Usagi Tsukino. Now why couldn't you answer me in the first place? Astonishment, of course. Humans are so immature," he said archly, and then peered down at her to observe her reaction.
Usagi scowled at him. "I'm not immature! I'm reacting as well as I can to this situation! As far as I know, I just almost got hit by another car! What's going on? Is this some kind of hospital?"
He frowned at her and replaced the file wherever it came from- and then it occurred to her. No hospital in Tokyo could do that file trick. Fear and misery began to grow inside of her. His frown worsened.
"Pathetic," he commented. "I expected more out of you. To be so afraid of someone: insanity, and utterly degrading. Your first lesson is to never be afraid. If you are afraid, never show it. Be arrogant. You are a youkai, and deserve respect."
"Excuse me?" Usagi finally exploded.
The man arched an eyebrow at her. "Why are you so surprised? You didn't know you were a youkai? I suppose that's possible. However, you must be educated on your situation as quickly as possible. Usagi Tsukino, born on June 30th, 1985. Died January 5, 2003. Tragic, I'm sure. Now Usagi, for the rest of your history. Your father, Kenji Tsukino, is a rather respected youkai. Your mother, Ikuko, is from another, more respected youkai clan. You and your brother Shingo are somewhat remarkable in the fact that you inherited the more powerful wing transformation from your mother, and the famous speed of your father's clan. You also gained one other thing from your father's side. Black velvet rabbit ears. You've got to be careful about those. They fetch a outstanding price on the black market."
"N-nani?" she stammered. Black velvet rabbit ears?
The man breezed right over her barely audible question. "Now, I'm sure you're incredibly put off by being dead. It always comes as such a shock to those who enjoy life much too much. I assure you despite our reputation, for youkai such as yourself, Hell is a very nice place to spend your afterlife."
"Hell?" Usagi gasped. "Why am I in Hell? I didn't do anything!"
He looked at her in irritation. "I know you didn't do anything, and although I'm sure this is rather a classic movie line, it's what you didn't do that brought you here. Yes, you were a senior member of the Department of Supernatural Justice. Yes, you're a pure, innocent princess. Yes, you did everything that everyone ever expected of you and more. That, my dear Hishima, is exactly the problem. You never did a goddamn thing for yourself, and are now suffering the consequences. Also, it's generally a rule that youkai are not allowed into heaven. Their souls generally burn up when they die, or, if they're lucky and have dabbled in some human interaction and are somewhat civilized (meaning we do not allow those youkai that are thoughtless beasts in here), they come to Hell. You, my dear, are one of the lucky ones."
"I want to call my mother! There must be some way out of this! I don't want to be dead!" Usagi shrieked, flinging her disgusting gold harp at the floor. "And furthermore, if I'm in Hell, why am I dressed in this repulsive white robe? And what the deal with the halo and the harp? I demand that I see my mother!"
The man nodded and sat down in his chair behind the big desk. "This is much better, although you still need to get the emotionless bit down. And I'm afraid, Usagi, that you've used up your last reincarnation. You're stuck here."
Usagi stared at him in shock and began to feel that feeling commonly described as "your world falling apart". Just a few hours ago she was a normal eighteen year old genius, living happily in a costly apartment with her loved one! Well, not exactly loved one. Which was another one of her regrets about dying. She never even got to find her one true love, dammit!
A sob rose in her throat, and she sank back down into the chair. "Who are you?" she asked finally.
The man stood and bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. In the famous words of The Rolling Stones, I'm a man of wealth and taste. Let's say that I was around when Jesus had his moment of doubt and pain. I was also at the palace when that man killed the Tsar and when Anastasia cried out in vain. I was the one who cried "Who shot the Kennedys?", when in fact, it was me." He sighed, and then smiled reminiscently. "The halcyon old days, eh? Hitler was my main man, that crazy sonnova bitch," he said fondly.
"You- you- you're--!" Usagi sputtered, pressing herself into the back of the chair. Why was it always her that ran into the kawaii evil men?
"Lucifer," he said cordially. "the fallen angel. Thief of many man's soul and faith. Oh, and there was one other man that I forgot to mention in my little recitation. Naraku," he said, and then seemed to pause in wait for something.
"Who's Naraku?" she asked listlessly, not really even caring anymore. It always paid to be polite, she reminded herself through the fog of shock.
"The man who sent the youkai that killed you," he said smoothly.
It was like a shock of electricity rammed into Usagi's head, raising her from her stupor. Her shining fingernails sunk into the plush armrests, and she leaned forward, eyes flashing. "What did you just say?" she said, barely containing the rage that howled furiously inside her head.
Lucifer grinned. His bait had been placed and then gobbled with no hesitation at all. Why was he doing this again--? He glanced to the side, and was reminded instantly. His smile became less, and was suddenly very polite.
"Naraku is a incredibly powerful half-youkai residing in an alternate dimension. This is his story thus far. He began as a badly burned thief named Onigumo, who was tended by a powerful priestess named Kikyo. Kikyo was in love with a half-youkai named Inu Yasha, who was initially after the Shikon no Tama, which was a jewel in Kikyo's possession. The Shikon no Tama is the most sought after jewel, because it grants unimaginable power to anyone who can claim it. Well, Onigumo fell in love with Kikyo, and allowed a horde of youkai to consume his body in order to gain Kikyo."
Lucifer laughed suddenly, and leaned over the desk. "And then guess what happened? He became a shapeshifter, and immediately transformed into Inu Yasha, who had made a deal with Kikyo that if she would bring the jewel to him he would become a human. Naraku (as Inu Yasha) attacked Kikyo and stole the jewel, and then through a chain of events that doesn't really matter blah blah blah he somehow lost the jewel, Kikyo killed Inu Yasha for the supposed treachery, and then died. Fun stuff, huh? Well, now it gets interesting. About 500 later, this girl named Kagome Higurashi (or something to that effect, I pay absolutely no attention to last names) falls back 500 years with the Shikon no Tama in her body. To make a very long story short, Inu Yasha is revived, the Shikon no Tama is split into hundreds of pieces, and now Kagome, Inu Yasha, a youkai named Shippo, a priest Miroku, and the exterminator Sango are on a mission to kill Naraku."
He rubbed his forehead, and conjured a glass of water, which he downed in a gulp. "Also trying to kill Naraku is a wolf youkai called Kouga, the miraculously revived priestess Kikyo, and Inu Yasha's full-blooded youkai brother Sesshomaru, who is traveling with the human girl Rin and the creature Jaken."
Usagi frankly didn't see why this was supposed to be effecting her. So bunches of people are going to kill Naraku because of a tragic love story. Hadn't she seen something like this on TV once? Possibly. Well, she was a little mad about losing her revenge, but she wasn't going to let it eat her up. Now, if it had something in it that directly effected her, she was going to blow a cork and have a nervous breakdown.
"I don't see why I should care a bout a measly half-youkai's tragic love affair. So he and a bunch of others are going to kill Naraku. Fabulous. Can we return to the subject of bringing me back to life?" she asked plaintively.
"We are on the requested subject," Lucifer said, and then waited for it to sink in.
Usagi felt like she was swimming through molasses, and crawling slowly upon the island of a revelation. "You mean," she began slowly, "that if I kill Naraku, I'll be brought back to life? Back home? In year 2003? Tokyo? My dimension?"
He nodded. Usagi brought this idea into focus, examined it, nodded faintly at him, and then fainted.
*
*
"What is it?" someone asked.
"I don't know, but her ears sure are pretty!"
"All black and soft! Think we can cut them off and sell them?"
"I don't see why not? Kya! What's it doing? Karin, it's smiling! Look at those teeth!"
"Get back Yuki, it's moving! It has fangs and claws and is moving, so RUN!"
Usagi opened her eyes to see two strangely dressed kids hightailing it into the forest. Slowly, ever so slowly, her senses returned. Prickly green grass pressed against her bare arms. Sunlight glanced off of the river that she was half submerged in, making her shield her eyes. The metallic taste of some kind of drug was still in her mouth, reminding her bitterly of Lucy, as she had called him a few infuriating times. Then it occurred to her that she could hear things. Lots of things. She could hear the kids' heartbeats. She could hear their feet pounding against the ground. And it was making her mad.
She dragged herself out of the river, using a pole that was handily nearby as a support. Then she took stock of what she knew for sure. According to Lucy, she would be calling herself Hishima Usagi now, and would be required to summon a cat called Akkineko, who was a gift from Prince Diamond, of all people.
Usagi was wearing baggy red pants that actually kind of looked like a skirt sometimes, she thought disappointedly. There was no real shirt on her, but there was a tight binding across her chest that wrapped her breasts, ribcage, waist, and then went down below the waistband of her skirt-pant- thing. It was really a lot like a bathing suit. There were white bandages wrapped around her hands (fingers left free and mobile) and lower arm. The wrapping stopped just short of both elbows. Usagi assumed that the bandages on her hands were protection from the rough staff that was apparently to be used as some kind of fighting tool. Her feet were clad in just a pair of normal beige sandals.
But now it was time for the true test. She reached up and felt at her head. Her hair had been removed from its usual style and was now tied in a thick braid that hung down her back to her knees. Brushing her fingers across her forehead, she could feel the warmth emitted by the golden insignia. With a suddenly dry throat, she reached back and touched her long black rabbit ears that hung down to a little above her shoulders. They were indescribably soft, she decided after a few attempts at appropriate description. They were just... amazing. And she could hear every goddamn thing in the entire freaking world, she thought with irritation.
She didn't feel much more powerful, for all that she was in a stage of semi- transformation. She twirled her staff experimentally, and grinned. It seemed Princess Serenity didn't leave herself as helpless as anyone had originally expected. Apparently Queen Serenity had blocked that bit of her memory, or had just deemed it unimportant, but Serenity had been a master with the staff. She was also a fair hand at sword-play, and had a knack for picking up hand-to-hand combat techniques.
It was really too bad then, she decided, that the old Queen had put some kind of mental block up that prevented Usagi from regaining her past experience. How depressing. It looked like she'd actually have to work to get anything done in the world. But at least she knew how to get to the Shikon shards!
The question was whether she should go after Naraku right off. Usagi quickly came to the conclusion that with her lack of physical strength and what Lucy called "youkai arrogance", she would be pummeled. It would be best if she followed after either Kagome or Kouga's group and practice her staff on the way. Maybe she could even pick a few techniques from them during the impending violence.
Now that she had some semblance of a plan, it was now time to execute it. Cocking her ears, she tuned into the lesser shards. Kouga and Kagome were both further north, so she wouldn't have to decide who to follow until quite a bit later. So. Off she went, she thought with sudden good humor.
Feeling much cheerier than she had since she died, she struck the ground with her staff once, and then smiled wickedly. So Kouga of the wolves thought he was a hotshot with his two leg-based Shikon shards? Hah! She'd show him, she thought with a grin before she set off at a rocket-speed towards the forest. She could hear a high pitched ringing, and correctly assumed that it was the Shikon no Tama. Hmph, she thought with a smirk and really getting into the whole overconfident deal. So it made people more powerful? Maybe she'd take it off their hands, she thought with a smirk, not noticing the black lines appear at the corners of her eyes.
Usagi hit the cover of the trees and leaped into the branches, leaping to one tree from the other at record breaking speed, intent on her final destination.
_______
*I DON'T KNOW ANY OF THEIR LAST NAMES!!!!!!!!
Um. I hope you liked this, although I'm not entirely sure. It was fun writing, and now I have a favor for you all! Will you go and review watergoddess' fics for me, please? She'd really appreciate that.. And so would I! THANKS, YOU GUYS! Have fun reviewing! If you don't know how, all you've gotta do it click on the "Go" button in the bottom corner! FAST, EASY, AND COMPLETELY FREE! IT'S THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME, AND IN RETURN YOU GET ANOTHER CHAPTER!
Chapter One
There was absolutely no sunlight in the room at all. The girl liked it that way. She lived comfortably alone-well, that wasn't completely true. She lived with her soon-to-be-fiancé as well. The girl was only eighteen, and still considered living in a house separate from her parents "living by herself". She was a fairly successful girl, for all that she was a teenager. She was, surprisingly, a genius, which was a fact that startled many of her friends. The girl had created several new computers (much smaller than the older models) and even a new theory, having to do with time travel and travel through space. The girl amazed most people, and for other reasons than her genius.
The girl was a princess right out of a fairy tale. Not that she was a literal princess (although she was, but that was not a widely known fact). She was simply many people's idea of what a princess should look like. Her body was tiny, but still well curved. Her face was very mature, and her smile was something that inspired weak knees and sometimes the most popular songs. Her eyes were an endless sea of blue, glimmering in the lighting. Silky blonde hair cascaded down from two buns in a style of pigtails which were now very popular, much to her amusement. She was well spoken, made intelligent conversation, had perfect manners, and was perhaps the nicest genius with a sense of humor.
Unfortunately for this woman destined for stardom, her life was about to take an unexpected turn for the, well, unexpected.
"Usagi," Mamoru mumbled sleepily beside her.
"What?" she whispered, not moving. The darkness pressed in around them, keeping their hangovers from becoming worse.
His hand reached across her and grabbed up her cell phone. Usagi sighed softly and leaned back into her cool pillows. Cell phones would be the death of her, she thought, still mostly asleep. Mamoru answered her phone with a polite hello, and then gave it to her. It was her boss, he mouthed.
Another sigh escaped her, and she took the phone from him delicately. "Hai?" she asked hoarsely.
"Sounds like you need some water," her boss, Seta Gamaru, said humorously. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"
Usagi touched her forehead tenderly, where a headache was beginning to come on. "Actually, you did. It's New Year's Day, Gamaru-san. Isn't this a little ridiculous?"
His throaty laugh sounded in her ear. "You've been drinking, then. You and Mamoru-san by yourselves, then? Or was it a party? If it was a party, who was there?"
She repressed another sigh. Her boss was obsessively in demand for every detail about everything she did. He seemed to think that she would go and do something stupid. She was a genius, Usagi thought with a grin. "Stupid" wasn't in her vocabulary unless it was being used on someone else.
"It was a party. I had over a bunch of my friends. Minako Anio, Ami Mizuno, Rei Hino, Makoto Kino, Haruka Ten'ou, Michiru Kaioh, Hotaru Tomoe, Setsuna Meioh, Seiya Kou, Yaten Kou, and Taiki Kou. And my cousin, Chibiusa Tsukino. Oh yes, and my brother, Shingo Tsukino. And Motoki and Unazaki (sp? This is his sister, Lizzy) Seimatari*, and Naru and Umino Takakun. I think that's all. Mamo-chan, is that all?"
Mamoru made a strange noise as he was jerked back awake, and then grinned sheepishly. "Hai, I think that's all. Yeah, that was all. Except for that Rita woman- Motoki's girlfriend."
"You hear that, Gamaru-san?" Usagi questioned, wanting very much to go back to sleep.
"Hai, I heard. Jesus, Usagi. A supermodel, a cancer-curing doctor, a pop star, a famous chef, a Formula One racer, a composer, a designer, a hugely famous pop group, and your family. That was one classy party, wasn't it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
Usagi laughed lightly. "It was absolutely not a classy party. We had pizza, drank, and played a few games."
"Russian Roulette?"
"Except that instead of committing suicide, we had to drink a shot. Whoever passed out first lost."
Seta laughed. "That's great Usagi. And now that you're more awake, I need you to come down to the office and look over this business agreement. It only needs your signature."
"Can't you forge it or something?" Usagi pleaded. The last thing she wanted was to get out of bed!
He laughed. "No can do, koneko-chan. Just come on down and I'll give you Monday off."
"I have Monday off already."
"Ja, Usagi-chan! I'll see you in a few minutes!"
Usagi gazed at the cell phone in deep depression, sighed again, and then swung her long legs out of the bed. Mamoru made a soft sound of appreciation, and she laughed. Mamoru had this very odd infatuation with her legs, as short as they were. It was one of the things that made her laugh these days.
Ignoring his protests, Usagi stood and strode over to the shower. She cleaned herself quickly, wasting no time on letting the water wash away whatever lingering negative emotions were left on her from the rude awakening. Toweling herself dry, she dressed herself in very short shorts and a red spaghetti strap. Slipping her feet into her beige flip-flops, she tied her hair up into her customary hairstyle and ran out the door.
She always loved going outside, because there were all sorts of interesting people in her apartment building. Directly across the hall from her was a man who was convinced that he could plant geraniums in the hallway. He was out there every morning, gardening the non-existent flowers. Despite his mental state, he was a very nice man and had given Usagi some very good advice regarding her sanity. Every piece of advice, however, was related to his garden. Usagi had on many occasions spent several hours puzzling through his advice and then hitting upon a very profound truth of life. She had convinced herself that she was going to write a book on philosophy, containing his advice and the meanings she had derived from it.
Further on down the hall was a woman who reminded her a lot of Makoto. Her name was Sheila, and had moved from Montana, America a while back. Sheila was a runaway, and had made it very well in Japan, where it was not unusual for a teenager to live alone. Usagi herself was much of an example, although she was older than Sheila by two years.
Usagi continued past these homes with a hello to the invisible-garden-man and a wave and a hallo to Sheila. Jogging lightly down the long stairs she crossed the main hall to the door and out into the sunlight. Her headache instantly turned ten times worse, and she groaned softly. What had happened to her pledge of drinking absolutely no alcohol? It was undoubtedly Minako's fault, somehow.
She turned to walk across the street and the sunlight suddenly lanced across her vision, making her head scream in agony. There was a loud honk, and a shriek from the other side of the street. Usagi threw herself blindly in the direction the scream had come from, and felt the air press against her legs where something passed above her. Then there was the crunch of metal colliding with something, and the sickening sound of glass shattering.
The sunlight was suddenly gone from her eyes, and she looked over, her heart beating wildly in her chest. A truck was nearly wrapped around a pole- she assumed it was the same truck that had almost run her over. A large crowd was gathering around the truck, tittering excitedly and whispering amongst themselves.
Usagi knew without question that the driver had been drunk. There was a sickening blotch of puke-green and brown hovering over her view of the truck. It was a shame really, that people got into cars and tried to drive while drunk. He could have killed someone!
"And almost did," someone said softly in her ear, but when she spun around, no one was there.
A heavy sense of foreboding grew in her chest like a piano sitting on a safety pin that was near the breaking point. A shudder went through her body, and she forced herself to continue on her way towards her company's building. She repressed another shudder, and pulled her headphones out of her pocket. They were the small type which fit into her ears. The headphones were connected to another one of her inventions, which was a mini-CD player, made to play ANOTHER one of her inventions, which was a mini-CD. A mini-CD was about the size of a quarter, and just about as strong, too. The CDs are made of a special substance, which Usagi invented and called Tsukiga. The CD that was in at the moment was The Rolling Stones, and "She's A Rainbow" was playing.
As soon as this thought crossed her mind, she was walking in the doors to the building. The receptionist smiled happily when she saw her, and laid her papers down on the huge desk.
"Konichiwa, Tsukino-san! How are you today?"
Usagi pulled her headphones out of her ears and stuffed them back in her pocket. Greeting the receptionist was one of her most favorite parts of the day. The woman (what was her name? Oh yeah, it was Shikujo Hida, she reminded herself).
"Ohayo Shikujo-chan! I'm doing alright for almost being hit by a car and having a massive headache, I suppose," Usagi said with a grin.
Shikujo's face became the picture of astonished horror. "You almost got hit by a car?"
Usagi nodded, loving her reaction. She was alive, wasn't she? Usagi never understood why people got so upset upon hearing news like that-she was alive and well, so what was the big deal? She guessed that it had something to do with people being very relieved at the near victim being alive. The reaction was almost as irritating as funerals. Why did everyone get so upset at someone passing on to a better place than Earth? Did they want it to go badly for the soul? Usagi wasn't sure how her idea would be accepted, but she was determined to either be cremated to "Light My Fire" by the Doors or to have a party, as opposed to a funeral. She wanted her death to be celebrated, not mourned.
Apparently Shikujo was imagining the opposite of Usagi's desired funeral, because her face had gone utterly white. "Oooohhhh," she moaned. "Usagi, don't scare me like that ever again! I nearly had a heart attack!"
The blonde shrugged and began the walk to Gamaru's office. Deciding suddenly that it would be fun to run in the halls, she sprinted down the halls, up the stairs (she violently refused to take the elevator), and burst into Gamaru's office with a bang. The man looked up in surprise at Usagi's sudden appearance, and then smiled.
"Usagi! How lovely to see you! I honestly didn't expect you to show!"
"You, kind sir, are a very lucky man," she announced, sitting down in her favorite chair. She crossed her arms and looked at him levelly. He blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"I almost died today," she explained.
"Well, you're alright, I see. That's good. Now why don't you sign this paper?" he said, pushing a pen and paper towards her.
Disappointed at Seta's apparent lack of reaction, she bent her head to sign the paper. When he was sure she wasn't looking, Seta had a complete (and silent) fit. His face went red, his mouth formed unsaid expletives, and his arms worked furiously. Usagi's head began to raise, and Seta brought himself abruptly under control. He smiled charmingly at her.
Usagi raised an eyebrow. "I'm engaged, you know," she commented.
Seta changed his smile into a "well done" smile. "I know. Forgive me Usagi dear, it's become somewhat of a habit."
"Right. Ja, Gamaru-san! I hope you have a better day than I have!!!"
The second she closed the door behind her, she heard a vase shatter against the wall. "SHE ALMOST GOT KILLED!" he bellowed from inside the room.
"What a weird guy," she commented to an employee, pleased with her success.
Exiting the building the back way (so that she didn't have to talk to anyone else), she quick-stepped it down the fire escape and down into the alley. Smiling to herself at her cleverness at avoiding human interaction, she exited the alley and began the long walk back to her apartment building. She paused at the alley's opening, and then waited for a break in the stream of people. Usagi found it, and then thrust herself into the traffic. She was instantly swept up in the herd and let herself be carried along for a while.
That was when she saw the fortune teller. The old hag raised her head and made direct eye contact with Usagi, who felt like she had been surrounded by either a very large beacon or a sign saying "Fortune teller needs YOU". Deciding upon a whim to go over and have her fortune read, she wormed her way through the crowd and popped out in front of the hag.
"I'd like my fortune read, onegai," she said politely.
The old woman didn't break eye contact, and merely smiled. "Usagi Tsukino, eh? The supposedly content princess of this fairy tale, and the unknown savior of this dimension. My condolences to you, hime-sama. My services are usually 310 yen. For you I'll make an exception. Give me your hand."
Uneasy now, Usagi held out her hand. The palmist took it and brushed her dry, soft fingers across the surface. A jolt of something ran through Usagi's hand and into her arm, tickling her to the point of open laughter. Usagi beat a giggle back down her throat and tried not to fidget while the woman read her fortune. The woman sucked her teeth, let out a soft "aaahhhh...", and released Usagi's hand.
"Well?" Usagi asked anxiously. Most palmists gave people news just right off the bat, which meant that something weird had happened. Again. Maybe it was some kind of curse associated with being a reincarnated princess slash superhero, but something strange always happened to her under the most normal circumstances imaginable. It was highly irritating, and Usagi realized with a sinking feeling that she was going to be receiving some bad news.
The palmist regarded her solemnly. "Your past has been haunted by false promises, lies, betrayal, and many, many deaths. Your present is plagued by doubt, dissatisfaction, and a forced personality. Your future, however....." The woman trailed off, and then narrowed her eyes.
"I suggest that you trust no one- absolutely no one, unless it feels right in your heart- and change your name. Surround yourself with allies, and smile while you can. Your future path is a hard one, hime-sama. Best of luck to you."
"Hey now," Usagi began, but then realized that no one was there.
"Nani?" she exploded. This was impossible! First a fortune teller that knew she was a princess AND Sailor Moon, and then a booth that disappears, along with that woman! This was NOT happening to her!
"Roses!" someone called from the other side of the street. "Roses for sale!"
Usagi looked over instinctively and met eyes with a child no older than Chibiusa, who was about twelve. The child, who had disturbingly pink cheeks and a shock of red hair, tugged on her white tank top, and then, strangely enough, patted her shiny black shorts. The girl brought out a box, and then cranked a bar on the side of the box. Nothing happened for a second, and then Usagi watched from across the street as the box opened, revealing a rippling blackish purple aura of power.
Music reached her ears, and Usagi realized with a jolt what was going on. The music wormed inside her chest like a thick, squirming snake and struck at her heart. Her eyes went completely blank, and she was dimly aware of her feet beginning to move. Rage's hammer beat against the music's cage, but to no avail. Usagi stepped out into the street and walked dauntlessly (or so it seemed) in front of the path of traffic. Then suddenly the music stopped and the life came back to Usagi's eyes. She spun around to see the girl smiling hugely at her and waving.
In a terrible replay of the morning's events, she heard the horn, the scream, and then felt the iron grill slamming into her body. She lay there on the street, blood pouring out onto the concrete around her. For one terrible moment, reality sparkled like cold crystal around her. She looked into the people's faces and knew them and their hearts. She saw them and knew that they were not sad about her-they just wanted some action; something to gossip about. She managed to turn her head to the side and look over at the girl, who was smiling and waving. She reopened the music box, and Usagi squeezed her eyes shut as the piano part from "She's A Rainbow" danced through her head. Rage and hate towards the girl that killed her bubbled up inside her. She tried to sit up so she could maybe kill the girl with one look, failed, and then died.
*
*
Her eyes snapped open, and she jumped up. "Where is she?" she hissed, and then froze.
She was in an office. Usagi blinked once to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, but the office remained. It was very richly furnished, and had the air of casual professionalism. The dark paneled walls were decorated with paintings of landscapes that she had never seen in her life, and then suspected there was a reason. In one of the pictures there was a woman standing above a lake, holding a sword and looking passively down on something. It struck Usagi that the woman looked vaguely familiar, except for the fact that she never knew anyone with long, velvet rabbit ears. For that matter, she didn't know anyone with that look of passiveness self- assurance. Then something caught her eye. Was she just hallucinating, or was there a smear of gold on the woman's forehead? In the shape of a crescent? But that would mean-
"I see you like my painting," someone said quietly, interrupting her astonishment.
"Who is- who are you? Where am I?" she demanded before she was able to get a grip on her mouth.
Then she stopped and took in the man before her. He was very tall and well muscled. Not skinny, but not overly buff either. He had shaggy black hair and twinkling black eyes that peered out at her from beneath beautifully dusky eyelashes that should have belonged to a girl. His face was fine boned, and he carried an air of superiority and some malice that made Usagi shrink back.
"Full of questions, aren't we, hime-sama? Or is it Usagi Tsukino, now?" He snapped, and a folder (very thick, she noted) appeared in his hand. He riffled through it, the same look of disinterest she had observed on other higher ranking deities. "Yes. You are Usagi Tsukino. Now why couldn't you answer me in the first place? Astonishment, of course. Humans are so immature," he said archly, and then peered down at her to observe her reaction.
Usagi scowled at him. "I'm not immature! I'm reacting as well as I can to this situation! As far as I know, I just almost got hit by another car! What's going on? Is this some kind of hospital?"
He frowned at her and replaced the file wherever it came from- and then it occurred to her. No hospital in Tokyo could do that file trick. Fear and misery began to grow inside of her. His frown worsened.
"Pathetic," he commented. "I expected more out of you. To be so afraid of someone: insanity, and utterly degrading. Your first lesson is to never be afraid. If you are afraid, never show it. Be arrogant. You are a youkai, and deserve respect."
"Excuse me?" Usagi finally exploded.
The man arched an eyebrow at her. "Why are you so surprised? You didn't know you were a youkai? I suppose that's possible. However, you must be educated on your situation as quickly as possible. Usagi Tsukino, born on June 30th, 1985. Died January 5, 2003. Tragic, I'm sure. Now Usagi, for the rest of your history. Your father, Kenji Tsukino, is a rather respected youkai. Your mother, Ikuko, is from another, more respected youkai clan. You and your brother Shingo are somewhat remarkable in the fact that you inherited the more powerful wing transformation from your mother, and the famous speed of your father's clan. You also gained one other thing from your father's side. Black velvet rabbit ears. You've got to be careful about those. They fetch a outstanding price on the black market."
"N-nani?" she stammered. Black velvet rabbit ears?
The man breezed right over her barely audible question. "Now, I'm sure you're incredibly put off by being dead. It always comes as such a shock to those who enjoy life much too much. I assure you despite our reputation, for youkai such as yourself, Hell is a very nice place to spend your afterlife."
"Hell?" Usagi gasped. "Why am I in Hell? I didn't do anything!"
He looked at her in irritation. "I know you didn't do anything, and although I'm sure this is rather a classic movie line, it's what you didn't do that brought you here. Yes, you were a senior member of the Department of Supernatural Justice. Yes, you're a pure, innocent princess. Yes, you did everything that everyone ever expected of you and more. That, my dear Hishima, is exactly the problem. You never did a goddamn thing for yourself, and are now suffering the consequences. Also, it's generally a rule that youkai are not allowed into heaven. Their souls generally burn up when they die, or, if they're lucky and have dabbled in some human interaction and are somewhat civilized (meaning we do not allow those youkai that are thoughtless beasts in here), they come to Hell. You, my dear, are one of the lucky ones."
"I want to call my mother! There must be some way out of this! I don't want to be dead!" Usagi shrieked, flinging her disgusting gold harp at the floor. "And furthermore, if I'm in Hell, why am I dressed in this repulsive white robe? And what the deal with the halo and the harp? I demand that I see my mother!"
The man nodded and sat down in his chair behind the big desk. "This is much better, although you still need to get the emotionless bit down. And I'm afraid, Usagi, that you've used up your last reincarnation. You're stuck here."
Usagi stared at him in shock and began to feel that feeling commonly described as "your world falling apart". Just a few hours ago she was a normal eighteen year old genius, living happily in a costly apartment with her loved one! Well, not exactly loved one. Which was another one of her regrets about dying. She never even got to find her one true love, dammit!
A sob rose in her throat, and she sank back down into the chair. "Who are you?" she asked finally.
The man stood and bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. In the famous words of The Rolling Stones, I'm a man of wealth and taste. Let's say that I was around when Jesus had his moment of doubt and pain. I was also at the palace when that man killed the Tsar and when Anastasia cried out in vain. I was the one who cried "Who shot the Kennedys?", when in fact, it was me." He sighed, and then smiled reminiscently. "The halcyon old days, eh? Hitler was my main man, that crazy sonnova bitch," he said fondly.
"You- you- you're--!" Usagi sputtered, pressing herself into the back of the chair. Why was it always her that ran into the kawaii evil men?
"Lucifer," he said cordially. "the fallen angel. Thief of many man's soul and faith. Oh, and there was one other man that I forgot to mention in my little recitation. Naraku," he said, and then seemed to pause in wait for something.
"Who's Naraku?" she asked listlessly, not really even caring anymore. It always paid to be polite, she reminded herself through the fog of shock.
"The man who sent the youkai that killed you," he said smoothly.
It was like a shock of electricity rammed into Usagi's head, raising her from her stupor. Her shining fingernails sunk into the plush armrests, and she leaned forward, eyes flashing. "What did you just say?" she said, barely containing the rage that howled furiously inside her head.
Lucifer grinned. His bait had been placed and then gobbled with no hesitation at all. Why was he doing this again--? He glanced to the side, and was reminded instantly. His smile became less, and was suddenly very polite.
"Naraku is a incredibly powerful half-youkai residing in an alternate dimension. This is his story thus far. He began as a badly burned thief named Onigumo, who was tended by a powerful priestess named Kikyo. Kikyo was in love with a half-youkai named Inu Yasha, who was initially after the Shikon no Tama, which was a jewel in Kikyo's possession. The Shikon no Tama is the most sought after jewel, because it grants unimaginable power to anyone who can claim it. Well, Onigumo fell in love with Kikyo, and allowed a horde of youkai to consume his body in order to gain Kikyo."
Lucifer laughed suddenly, and leaned over the desk. "And then guess what happened? He became a shapeshifter, and immediately transformed into Inu Yasha, who had made a deal with Kikyo that if she would bring the jewel to him he would become a human. Naraku (as Inu Yasha) attacked Kikyo and stole the jewel, and then through a chain of events that doesn't really matter blah blah blah he somehow lost the jewel, Kikyo killed Inu Yasha for the supposed treachery, and then died. Fun stuff, huh? Well, now it gets interesting. About 500 later, this girl named Kagome Higurashi (or something to that effect, I pay absolutely no attention to last names) falls back 500 years with the Shikon no Tama in her body. To make a very long story short, Inu Yasha is revived, the Shikon no Tama is split into hundreds of pieces, and now Kagome, Inu Yasha, a youkai named Shippo, a priest Miroku, and the exterminator Sango are on a mission to kill Naraku."
He rubbed his forehead, and conjured a glass of water, which he downed in a gulp. "Also trying to kill Naraku is a wolf youkai called Kouga, the miraculously revived priestess Kikyo, and Inu Yasha's full-blooded youkai brother Sesshomaru, who is traveling with the human girl Rin and the creature Jaken."
Usagi frankly didn't see why this was supposed to be effecting her. So bunches of people are going to kill Naraku because of a tragic love story. Hadn't she seen something like this on TV once? Possibly. Well, she was a little mad about losing her revenge, but she wasn't going to let it eat her up. Now, if it had something in it that directly effected her, she was going to blow a cork and have a nervous breakdown.
"I don't see why I should care a bout a measly half-youkai's tragic love affair. So he and a bunch of others are going to kill Naraku. Fabulous. Can we return to the subject of bringing me back to life?" she asked plaintively.
"We are on the requested subject," Lucifer said, and then waited for it to sink in.
Usagi felt like she was swimming through molasses, and crawling slowly upon the island of a revelation. "You mean," she began slowly, "that if I kill Naraku, I'll be brought back to life? Back home? In year 2003? Tokyo? My dimension?"
He nodded. Usagi brought this idea into focus, examined it, nodded faintly at him, and then fainted.
*
*
"What is it?" someone asked.
"I don't know, but her ears sure are pretty!"
"All black and soft! Think we can cut them off and sell them?"
"I don't see why not? Kya! What's it doing? Karin, it's smiling! Look at those teeth!"
"Get back Yuki, it's moving! It has fangs and claws and is moving, so RUN!"
Usagi opened her eyes to see two strangely dressed kids hightailing it into the forest. Slowly, ever so slowly, her senses returned. Prickly green grass pressed against her bare arms. Sunlight glanced off of the river that she was half submerged in, making her shield her eyes. The metallic taste of some kind of drug was still in her mouth, reminding her bitterly of Lucy, as she had called him a few infuriating times. Then it occurred to her that she could hear things. Lots of things. She could hear the kids' heartbeats. She could hear their feet pounding against the ground. And it was making her mad.
She dragged herself out of the river, using a pole that was handily nearby as a support. Then she took stock of what she knew for sure. According to Lucy, she would be calling herself Hishima Usagi now, and would be required to summon a cat called Akkineko, who was a gift from Prince Diamond, of all people.
Usagi was wearing baggy red pants that actually kind of looked like a skirt sometimes, she thought disappointedly. There was no real shirt on her, but there was a tight binding across her chest that wrapped her breasts, ribcage, waist, and then went down below the waistband of her skirt-pant- thing. It was really a lot like a bathing suit. There were white bandages wrapped around her hands (fingers left free and mobile) and lower arm. The wrapping stopped just short of both elbows. Usagi assumed that the bandages on her hands were protection from the rough staff that was apparently to be used as some kind of fighting tool. Her feet were clad in just a pair of normal beige sandals.
But now it was time for the true test. She reached up and felt at her head. Her hair had been removed from its usual style and was now tied in a thick braid that hung down her back to her knees. Brushing her fingers across her forehead, she could feel the warmth emitted by the golden insignia. With a suddenly dry throat, she reached back and touched her long black rabbit ears that hung down to a little above her shoulders. They were indescribably soft, she decided after a few attempts at appropriate description. They were just... amazing. And she could hear every goddamn thing in the entire freaking world, she thought with irritation.
She didn't feel much more powerful, for all that she was in a stage of semi- transformation. She twirled her staff experimentally, and grinned. It seemed Princess Serenity didn't leave herself as helpless as anyone had originally expected. Apparently Queen Serenity had blocked that bit of her memory, or had just deemed it unimportant, but Serenity had been a master with the staff. She was also a fair hand at sword-play, and had a knack for picking up hand-to-hand combat techniques.
It was really too bad then, she decided, that the old Queen had put some kind of mental block up that prevented Usagi from regaining her past experience. How depressing. It looked like she'd actually have to work to get anything done in the world. But at least she knew how to get to the Shikon shards!
The question was whether she should go after Naraku right off. Usagi quickly came to the conclusion that with her lack of physical strength and what Lucy called "youkai arrogance", she would be pummeled. It would be best if she followed after either Kagome or Kouga's group and practice her staff on the way. Maybe she could even pick a few techniques from them during the impending violence.
Now that she had some semblance of a plan, it was now time to execute it. Cocking her ears, she tuned into the lesser shards. Kouga and Kagome were both further north, so she wouldn't have to decide who to follow until quite a bit later. So. Off she went, she thought with sudden good humor.
Feeling much cheerier than she had since she died, she struck the ground with her staff once, and then smiled wickedly. So Kouga of the wolves thought he was a hotshot with his two leg-based Shikon shards? Hah! She'd show him, she thought with a grin before she set off at a rocket-speed towards the forest. She could hear a high pitched ringing, and correctly assumed that it was the Shikon no Tama. Hmph, she thought with a smirk and really getting into the whole overconfident deal. So it made people more powerful? Maybe she'd take it off their hands, she thought with a smirk, not noticing the black lines appear at the corners of her eyes.
Usagi hit the cover of the trees and leaped into the branches, leaping to one tree from the other at record breaking speed, intent on her final destination.
_______
*I DON'T KNOW ANY OF THEIR LAST NAMES!!!!!!!!
Um. I hope you liked this, although I'm not entirely sure. It was fun writing, and now I have a favor for you all! Will you go and review watergoddess' fics for me, please? She'd really appreciate that.. And so would I! THANKS, YOU GUYS! Have fun reviewing! If you don't know how, all you've gotta do it click on the "Go" button in the bottom corner! FAST, EASY, AND COMPLETELY FREE! IT'S THE DEAL OF A LIFETIME, AND IN RETURN YOU GET ANOTHER CHAPTER!