Oct 2000
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm just borrowing them. The story,
however, is mine.
It Matters To Me.
Chapter 1
Golden hair glittered in the sunlight as it whipped past an ugly black
face. Drool and spittle sprayed the strands as a beam of energy shot from a
twisted mouth, shearing off a lock of hair that fell to the ground.
"Sailor Moon! Watch out!" yelled a blue haired girl, her eyes covered
in a blue screen as she analyzed the monster.
"Thanks, Merc," came back the sarcastic reply, "I didn't notice." The
blonde grabbed the pony tail and looked at it, noting that almost half of it
had been cut off, and her blue eyes narrowed beneath the golden band of her
tiara, "That witch cut me hair!" she looked at the lock laying forlornly on
the ground and felt a sudden, stinging pain in her body that had her falling
to the ground without a cry. Her hesitation has cost her.
"Sailor Moon!" screamed Sailor Venus, diving for her friend and tackling
her off the beam as it threw her towards the side of a concrete building.
They hit the ground hard, Venus twisting so that Sailor Moon was on top of
her. The air was knocked from her lungs as they landed. A shadow fell over
them and she rolled, protecting her friend with her body, closing her eyes in
anticipation for the pain.
A shriek had her eyes flying open, looking back over her shoulder. The
other scouts, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars, were ringed protectively around her
and their leader, guarding them against the monster. Her eyes went to it and
she shuddered.
The monster was ugly; a bulging half naked form that was barely covered
up top and what was showing was a ghastly blue green mix. Pus oozed from
underneath the fur that covered it's top half, its twisted female face
grotesquely deformed. The lower half of the creature look to be a mix of
spider and cockroach, the body bulbous and covered in a tough shell they had
yet to crack. Nothing seemed to be working against the monster and the
scouts were all bleeding from minor and major hits they had intercepted to
give Venus time to wake up the princess.
Mercury looked about ready to collapse, her body quaking and oozing
blood from cuts that Venus couldn't see, but a pool of crimson was spreading
out from beneath her boots. Jupiter's hair had fallen down around her
shoulders from a snapped band, the tresses matted with blood, her left arm
hanging limply at her side and looked almost to be completely severed. Mars
was sporting a newly trimmed hairline that fell halfway down her back and the
uniform she wore was split in the middle, revealing long, deep lacerations
running the width of the middle of her back. And still they fought on,
tossing attack after attack at the monster.
Venus cradled the princess in her arms, looking around the battlefield.
Tuxedo Mask should have been here, where was he?! With no choice, she shook
her leader hard, "Dammit, Sailor Moon, wake up, we can't beat this thing
without you!"
Sailor Moon groaned, her eyelids fluttering, "No point," she said
softly, her voice rough. "He won't save me. You should let me die."
Venus dropped her friend in shock, "No! You know that's not true, come
on Sere! Please!"
Blue met blue as Sailor Moon opened her eyes, wincing from the contact
her head had had with the pavement, "Why?"
"Why what? We need you, Sailor Moon, the whole world needs you! You
can't just give up because he'd not talking to you! Come on, Serena, please,
just once more, you can lie down and die afterwards if you want, just help
us, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury can't hold that thing off forever!"
Her plea must have worked because the torn heart in Sailor Moon's eyes
vanished and she turned her gaze to her valiant friends in time to see
Jupiter fall. "Jupiter!" she whispered, seeing her friend lying on the
ground as still as a statue, blood pooling around her head and soaking her
white uniform crimson. She pushed away from Venus and stood, her hand going
to her tiara before her eyes narrowed and she strode forward without a
weapon. She ran at lightning speed towards the monster and grabbed her
tiara.
It glowed white hot in her hand, burning her palm and searing the skin
beneath but she didn't notice as she slammed the disc into the monster's
forehead, taking a staggering amount of energy in the chest as the monster
screamed and wavered, crumbling to dust beneath her. She fell to the
pavement, her landing less than gentle but she was up quickly and running to
her friend's side, kneeling beside the fallen scout. Mars and Mercury joined
her, collapsing next to Jupiter, their eyes closing.
"Oh you guys, you don't have to protect me," she moaned, her eyes
filling with tears. She opened her locket and pulled out the crystal in her
keeping. She didn't use it every day now, the enemy they were fighting was
more tenacious than Beryl, but more susceptible to her tiara so the rest of
her weapons weren't being used.
She felt the life flowing through her veins and placed her hands on
Jupiter, a soft glow encompassing her and her friend. Venus' hand landed on
her shoulders, lending strength, as she healed her friend and closed her
wounds. The skin stretched and closed before their eyes, the blood flow
stopping and Jupiter inhaled a sharp, painful breath as she sat up, cradling
her arm in front of her. She smiled faintly at Sailor Moon.
She sat back, gasping and then put one hand on Mercury and one on Mars,
allowing the energy from her and Venus to help close their deepest wounds.
Her eyes fluttered closed as she collapsed. She was bleeding from multiple
wounds but her first concern had been her friends and they were now all
healed of their most grievous injuries. They would live, but, as they turned
their gaze to Sailor Moon, they saw she was as grievously injured, the side
of her head sporting a gash that looked as if it would have torn her ear off
had it been half an inch lower. Other cuts and bruises stood out on her pale
skin and the side of her uniform was matted in blood, the stain spreading
slowly over her abdomen.
Mars stood, and motioned for Venus to help her, "We have to get her to a
hospital. She'll die if we don't."
Venus didn't need more prompting than that. She motioned Mercury and
Jupiter away, "You two go home and rest, we'll keep you posted on how she's
doing," she told them, assuming command.
They nodded, recognizing they'd only be in the way, and made their way
out of the street as Venus and Mars carried an unconscious Sailor Moon
towards the hospital.
********
White knuckles held the door frame tightly as a masked face stared out
into the night, deep ocean blue eyes brimming with tears. He felt her, felt
she needed him and still he couldn't go to her. 'What if she dies?' a voice
asked softly in the back of his mind, 'Could you live without her
forgiveness, live with knowing you weren't there for her when you were
needed? Can you live with yourself now, knowing that she might not be there
when you wake up in the morning?'
A harsh curse split the night and the hand broke the frame, splintering
it and driving the shards of wood deep into his palm though the white glove.
He didn't even wince as his hand continued to close, driving the slivers deep
into flesh and drawing a steady stream of blood that was soaked up by the
rapidly darkening fabric of his gloves and dripping down into the cuffs of
his tuxedo jacket. He wouldn't be able to live with himself, he knew that,
surely she could see it was killing him to let her be, not to touch her, to
see her. Tonight he'd sensed she needed him and he forced himself not to go.
She had to learn to take care of herself, but something was wrong, something
was terribly wrong and he felt it to his bones. He'd see her tomorrow,
that's what he'd do. Once more couldn't hurt... could it?
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm just borrowing them. The story,
however, is mine.
It Matters To Me.
Chapter 1
Golden hair glittered in the sunlight as it whipped past an ugly black
face. Drool and spittle sprayed the strands as a beam of energy shot from a
twisted mouth, shearing off a lock of hair that fell to the ground.
"Sailor Moon! Watch out!" yelled a blue haired girl, her eyes covered
in a blue screen as she analyzed the monster.
"Thanks, Merc," came back the sarcastic reply, "I didn't notice." The
blonde grabbed the pony tail and looked at it, noting that almost half of it
had been cut off, and her blue eyes narrowed beneath the golden band of her
tiara, "That witch cut me hair!" she looked at the lock laying forlornly on
the ground and felt a sudden, stinging pain in her body that had her falling
to the ground without a cry. Her hesitation has cost her.
"Sailor Moon!" screamed Sailor Venus, diving for her friend and tackling
her off the beam as it threw her towards the side of a concrete building.
They hit the ground hard, Venus twisting so that Sailor Moon was on top of
her. The air was knocked from her lungs as they landed. A shadow fell over
them and she rolled, protecting her friend with her body, closing her eyes in
anticipation for the pain.
A shriek had her eyes flying open, looking back over her shoulder. The
other scouts, Jupiter, Mercury and Mars, were ringed protectively around her
and their leader, guarding them against the monster. Her eyes went to it and
she shuddered.
The monster was ugly; a bulging half naked form that was barely covered
up top and what was showing was a ghastly blue green mix. Pus oozed from
underneath the fur that covered it's top half, its twisted female face
grotesquely deformed. The lower half of the creature look to be a mix of
spider and cockroach, the body bulbous and covered in a tough shell they had
yet to crack. Nothing seemed to be working against the monster and the
scouts were all bleeding from minor and major hits they had intercepted to
give Venus time to wake up the princess.
Mercury looked about ready to collapse, her body quaking and oozing
blood from cuts that Venus couldn't see, but a pool of crimson was spreading
out from beneath her boots. Jupiter's hair had fallen down around her
shoulders from a snapped band, the tresses matted with blood, her left arm
hanging limply at her side and looked almost to be completely severed. Mars
was sporting a newly trimmed hairline that fell halfway down her back and the
uniform she wore was split in the middle, revealing long, deep lacerations
running the width of the middle of her back. And still they fought on,
tossing attack after attack at the monster.
Venus cradled the princess in her arms, looking around the battlefield.
Tuxedo Mask should have been here, where was he?! With no choice, she shook
her leader hard, "Dammit, Sailor Moon, wake up, we can't beat this thing
without you!"
Sailor Moon groaned, her eyelids fluttering, "No point," she said
softly, her voice rough. "He won't save me. You should let me die."
Venus dropped her friend in shock, "No! You know that's not true, come
on Sere! Please!"
Blue met blue as Sailor Moon opened her eyes, wincing from the contact
her head had had with the pavement, "Why?"
"Why what? We need you, Sailor Moon, the whole world needs you! You
can't just give up because he'd not talking to you! Come on, Serena, please,
just once more, you can lie down and die afterwards if you want, just help
us, Jupiter, Mars and Mercury can't hold that thing off forever!"
Her plea must have worked because the torn heart in Sailor Moon's eyes
vanished and she turned her gaze to her valiant friends in time to see
Jupiter fall. "Jupiter!" she whispered, seeing her friend lying on the
ground as still as a statue, blood pooling around her head and soaking her
white uniform crimson. She pushed away from Venus and stood, her hand going
to her tiara before her eyes narrowed and she strode forward without a
weapon. She ran at lightning speed towards the monster and grabbed her
tiara.
It glowed white hot in her hand, burning her palm and searing the skin
beneath but she didn't notice as she slammed the disc into the monster's
forehead, taking a staggering amount of energy in the chest as the monster
screamed and wavered, crumbling to dust beneath her. She fell to the
pavement, her landing less than gentle but she was up quickly and running to
her friend's side, kneeling beside the fallen scout. Mars and Mercury joined
her, collapsing next to Jupiter, their eyes closing.
"Oh you guys, you don't have to protect me," she moaned, her eyes
filling with tears. She opened her locket and pulled out the crystal in her
keeping. She didn't use it every day now, the enemy they were fighting was
more tenacious than Beryl, but more susceptible to her tiara so the rest of
her weapons weren't being used.
She felt the life flowing through her veins and placed her hands on
Jupiter, a soft glow encompassing her and her friend. Venus' hand landed on
her shoulders, lending strength, as she healed her friend and closed her
wounds. The skin stretched and closed before their eyes, the blood flow
stopping and Jupiter inhaled a sharp, painful breath as she sat up, cradling
her arm in front of her. She smiled faintly at Sailor Moon.
She sat back, gasping and then put one hand on Mercury and one on Mars,
allowing the energy from her and Venus to help close their deepest wounds.
Her eyes fluttered closed as she collapsed. She was bleeding from multiple
wounds but her first concern had been her friends and they were now all
healed of their most grievous injuries. They would live, but, as they turned
their gaze to Sailor Moon, they saw she was as grievously injured, the side
of her head sporting a gash that looked as if it would have torn her ear off
had it been half an inch lower. Other cuts and bruises stood out on her pale
skin and the side of her uniform was matted in blood, the stain spreading
slowly over her abdomen.
Mars stood, and motioned for Venus to help her, "We have to get her to a
hospital. She'll die if we don't."
Venus didn't need more prompting than that. She motioned Mercury and
Jupiter away, "You two go home and rest, we'll keep you posted on how she's
doing," she told them, assuming command.
They nodded, recognizing they'd only be in the way, and made their way
out of the street as Venus and Mars carried an unconscious Sailor Moon
towards the hospital.
********
White knuckles held the door frame tightly as a masked face stared out
into the night, deep ocean blue eyes brimming with tears. He felt her, felt
she needed him and still he couldn't go to her. 'What if she dies?' a voice
asked softly in the back of his mind, 'Could you live without her
forgiveness, live with knowing you weren't there for her when you were
needed? Can you live with yourself now, knowing that she might not be there
when you wake up in the morning?'
A harsh curse split the night and the hand broke the frame, splintering
it and driving the shards of wood deep into his palm though the white glove.
He didn't even wince as his hand continued to close, driving the slivers deep
into flesh and drawing a steady stream of blood that was soaked up by the
rapidly darkening fabric of his gloves and dripping down into the cuffs of
his tuxedo jacket. He wouldn't be able to live with himself, he knew that,
surely she could see it was killing him to let her be, not to touch her, to
see her. Tonight he'd sensed she needed him and he forced himself not to go.
She had to learn to take care of herself, but something was wrong, something
was terribly wrong and he felt it to his bones. He'd see her tomorrow,
that's what he'd do. Once more couldn't hurt... could it?