Silver Sailor Moon Series
Episode 20
An Extinguished Flame
Chibi-Usa woke to silence. The sight of her small, pale hand was comforting. Pulling herself up to her knees, she looked down at her clothes. Torn, dirty, burned.
Chibi-Usa pulled herself to her feet, looking around at her surrounding. The forest was dark and unfamiliar. Eerie noises of leaves rustling, owls hooting, and trees creaking were the only sounds in the dark silence. The whole place was unnerving.
Where am I?
"You're on the outskirts of 30th Century Crystal Tokyo," Kyou's voice echoed in the trees around her, "My home." Turning to face him, Chibi-Usa stared at him blankly. Kyou continued, placing a hand on a tall tree's trunk, looking it up and down fondly, "When your father banished me here, I lived here alone for months." He turned his attention to Chibi-Usa, "I was completely isolated from civilization, until you came along."
:Kyou's Flashback:
:You came here trying to escape from your problems at home:
A tall, young woman with long pink hair wandered in the forest in a white dress. Her hair was in pigtails with small dumplings. Her face was pale, with silver eyes make up, accenting her maroon eyes.
As the girl entered the clearing, she gasped at the sight of Kyou sitting by a small fire with his back to her. Clearing her through, she smiled when she met eyes with Kyou, who seemed shocked to see anyone there. "Hello!"
:I didn't know what to say. Your friendliness caught me by surprise.:
Standing beside him, the girl continued to smile at him, "What's your name?"
"Kyou."
"Kyou? That's a handsome name."
"It's disgusting."
"I don't think so."
Kyou met eyes with her, and couldn't help but form a warm smile on his face in return for hers, "T-Thank you."
:From then on, you came to visit me every day. Each time you left, I would not stop thinking of the next time I'd see you. Before I knew it, I came to expect you every day. I woke up each morning to see you. To share time with you. To build on the genuine bond forming between us.:
One day, Chibi-Usa asked something awkward, "Why are you out here exactly…?"
Kyou found his attention fixated on the dirt at the moment, "I'm different…"
"How so?"
Kyou shrugged, "I just didn't fit in."
:I didn't have the heart to tell you of the curse… I always made sure you'd leave before night came. I didn't want anything to happen to the one I had come to love.:
"Let's go back to the city… Maybe my dad will have a change in heart."
"I doubt it, not with my condition."
Chibi-Usa just smiled, taking Kyou's hand and pulling him toward the city, "Daddy will do anything for me…"
Not sure if it was her kindness, or the subconscious desire to be accepted once again, Kyou believed her, standing and following her out of the dark forest.
:End of Flasback:
Chibi-Usa stood, staring at Kyou as he recalled the past. "That all seemed so long ago…"
Chibi-Usa took a step toward him. She wasn't afraid anymore. Things were starting to make sense. The pieces were finally shedding light on every event. Reaching a hand up, Chibi-Usa placed it on Kyou's cheek, standing on her tip-toes as she kissed him softly on the lips.
Kyou didn't move, his eyes were closed, but they didn't hold back the tears dripping down his face. When Chibi-Usa pulled away, she smiled up at him with tears in exchange, "I forgive you…"
Kyou stared down at her, confusion clouded in his mind, swirling like dark clouds of memories and extinguishing anguish. In the darkness of the clearing where they once shared memories of times past together, the two stood staring at each other with warm smiles; their arms wrapped around each other.
"Are they really gone forever? My mom, my dad…?" Chibi-Usa asked timidly; afraid of the possible answer that could follow.
"The curse is broken."
A soft, almost little girl, voice echoed in his mind as he spoke: 'When the love is restored and the betrayal forgiven, the cursed will regain their life'.
"Serenity and Endymion will be home when you get there, the scouts will have forgotten past grudges…" Kyou's kindness was true this time. No tricks. Just warm, tender love.
Chibi-Usa looked down, "Will I ever see you again?"
Kyou smiled down at her, tilting her face gently back up to his, "In the future… We'll be together forever."
The sound of footsteps in dead leave made the two of them break away, turning to see who was coming. Chibi-Usa smiled, ducking for cover as her future self glided into the clearing, wearing a white gown. Tall, beautiful- exactly what Chibi-Usa wanted to grow up into. As her older self wrapped her arms around Kyou, and smiled as they exchanged a passionate kiss. As they turned to return to the city, Kyou looked one last time over his shoulder at the bush Chibi-Usa was hiding in. Through a wide smile, he mouthed, "Thank you."
After the two lovers left, the forest was silent once again. Chibi-Usa left her hiding place, standing in the center of the clearing, looking up at the night sky over head. It's time to go home. Kneeling down and scooping up the key and its broken chain, Chibi-Usa raised it over her head. "Home."
Author's Note:
I really enjoyed writing this story. I'll be making a few more changes to early chapters to help make the story slightly more clear.
If you enjoyed it, please read the fan fic "The Fall of Itsuka". This is the side fic of Kyou's family and homeland before the invasion of the Dark Moon. I'm starting on new chapters now, and I hope to have it complete in a few months. Keep an eye out for new chapters. I'll be updating often.