Title: Original "Usagi is Dead" Part 1
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)
Email: [email protected]
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS
Fic Rating: R
--------------------------------------------------------------------
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope
nobody sues me for it. I really don't have anything close to enough
money to cover even a millionth of the court costs....
Part One (revised)
I Left My Heart in a Tokyo Schoolyard
--------------------------------------------------------------------
It must have been close to three hours after everything had
gone quiet.... at least 3am, that Usagi's spirit had sat on the
wall lining the school courtyard within which she died.
Parts of her still remained there. At least, the blood and a
few small lumps of flesh. The rest of her had long been carried
away to whatever morgue was her destiny to be taken to.
She stared long and hard at the spot where she had fallen.
The police hadn't even bothered to outline her body, so damaged was
it. Blood, bone and organs had been scattered across a fifteen foot
radius behind her. She shuddered at the memory.
After what had been a brutal day at the hands of her teachers,
Usagi met up with Makoto, Ami and Naru, and after a few minutes
chatting, they began their way home. For some reason, Naru seemed a
little nervous, but always seemed to fob it off somehow.
Then they arrived at the site of her death. She was chuckling
over something that Makoto had been saying, something to do with Rei
and Yuuichiro, when Naru let out a cry. She turned to Naru to ask
what was wrong, and then was hit. By something that hurt. Lots.
Fortunately, it didn't hurt for long. She felt herself flying
backwards, somehow missing Ami, who had been standing behind her.
Usagi landed on her feet and looked up to see what was happening.
Blood showered in her direction from somebody in front of her, and
she screwed her eyes shut, putting her hands over her head,
expecting to get splattered. The blood landed all around her, but
somehow failed to hit her. When it stopped, she looked up.
Makoto, who had been standing to her left, was now against the
wall Usagi would later be sitting on. Her face was a mark of shock
and horror, unable to move. Usagi turned to the other side to see
Naru, lying face-forward on the ground, moving slowly.
"Naru-chan...." Usagi cried out as Naru slowly lifted herself
up, aided by another student Usagi recognised as Koto-san.
"Naru-chan, are you okay?" Usagi turned further to her right
and saw Ami getting to her feet. Ami trotted across to where Naru
was sitting, apparently staring in shock. Usagi looked around her
as she stood up. Several other students had arrived on the scene.
There were cries of horror, whimpering, and one even brought his
lunch up. Usagi stepped over to where Naru was being consoled by an
equally upset Ami.
"Jeez, guys, what happened just now?" Usagi leaned down to
them. For some reason they seemed to be ignoring her. Naru
continued to whimper and stare off ahead. Usagi sighed and turned
back to where Makoto was leaning against the wall, being held by a
couple of girls. Between Usagi and Makoto lay a body. Usagi's
body.
Or what remained of it.
It was amazing the top had remained attached to the bottom of
the body, there was so little left of the trunk. Naturally, Usagi
went into a kind of denial. She shook her head for a few moments,
then turned to Ami and Naru.
"That can't be me, can it?" They didn't reply. "C'mon, say
something...." Still no reply. "You can hear me, can't you?"
Silence. "Well CAN'T YOU???" Usagi made to grab Ami's shoulder,
and fell straight through her. At that moment, she felt a huge pull
on her body, dragging her away from the scene. She turned as she
flew through the air, staring at the rapidly growing crowd.
It disappeared as she passed through a neighbouring building.
She wasn't travelling very fast. Before she reached her
destination, she could hear the sirens of police and ambulances.
She was in too much of a state to be able to take notice of what was
going on around her.
Dazedly, she turned, and spotted her destination. The Hikawa
shrine. This confused her even more. If she was dead... the fact
seemed to be seeping into her mind... why should her spirit be drawn
here? Because of its religious nature? Because of Rei-chan's
connection to her. Before she knew what was happening, she was in
the fire room. And there she stopped.
Rei was chanting in front of the flame. Usagi wondered how
she got home from school so quickly to be here now. She put it out
of her mind as a vision appeared within the flame. Rei stopped
chanting and stared, Usagi following her lead. It showed the death
scene.
Usagi was surprised when Rei quickly got to her feet and
turned, walking through her. For a moment, Rei seemed to shiver and
looked around, as if she had felt Usagi's presence.
Usagi tried to latch onto her arm, hoping that this momentary
recognition would work in her favour. But Rei shrugged it off and
quickly stepped out. It only occurred to Usagi later that Rei's
expression was not that of someone who had just witnessed the death
of a friend.
Usagi sat in the fire room for hours, hoping that Rei would
return, but she didn't. An intense desire to return to the scene
filled her, even though she didn't want to see her body again. The
sight was far too horrible, but some morbid fascination swept
through her, and once more she found herself flying through the air,
back towards the school.
When she got there, the crowd had been moved away from the
scene. The area was cordoned off, and her body had been taken away.
There was no sign of Ami, Makoto or Naru, not that she expected
there to be. It was more than likely that, if they weren't being
questioned by the police themselves, they'd all gone into shock and
needed hospitalisation. Usagi just hovered over the scene as
several investigators scowered everything around it. Eventually
they all returned to their commanding officer, a woman they referred
to as Captain Kikotsuka, and shrugged. Their amazing
professionalism in their efforts to find clues to her death
astounded Usagi.
Very little.
Eventually, it went dark and the crowd that surrounded the
scene began to disperse. Even the few media OB vans that had
arrived were leaving. Obviously, with very little to say other
than a young girl had exploded, their interest in the story
rapidly waned. Then even the main body of the investigating team
began to depart, leaving only a couple of officers to watch over the
scene, making a few last attempts at uncovering clues. Then even
they were gone. The scene was empty. It was midnight.
Three hours later, Usagi sat on top of the wall, staring at
where she died. "Death", she thought, "Its not quite as I expected
it to be." She wondered at all the things she would no longer be
able to do. Eat. That was the first thing that entered her
thoughts. What a horrible concept. No need for food. She mourned
the loss of that small but intense pleasure.
Nobody to talk to, either. None of her friends were dead,
yet. Not that she had expected any of them to die. After all,
wasn't she destined to be Neo Queen Serenity? Seems destiny had a
few cruel tricks up its sleeve today.
Her family.... What must they be going through, now. For a
few moments, she felt a desire to travel to her house, to see them
in their grief. But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to
witness that, just yet.
And Mamo-chan....
She wanted to break out into tears. The thought of never
being able to hold or kiss Mamoru again went through her like an icy
spark. But no tears would come. A spirit was, obviously, not
allowed to cry, either.
Slowly she lifted herself from the wall and floated
approximately twenty feet from the ground. She stared up into the
sky, holding out her fist.
"Well, Kami-sama, I'm here. I'm dead now. Do with me
whatever you will...." She shook her fist up at the sky, almost
defiantly. She was surprised when she heard a chuckle. Not from
the sky, but from the ground below. She turned. A familiar figure
stood there. Short blond hair.... Piercing, intelligent eyes. He,
however, was not dressed in the Youma General's uniform that Usagi
expected. Nor was his expression as hard and embittered as she
remembered it to be.
"Jadeite!" Usagi exclaimed. For some reason, the arrival of
the General seemed to make things fall into place.
"Hello, Sailormoon. Or should I say Tsukino Usagi. It
doesn't look like you're in the best of health right now."
"Jadeite! You! You're the one who did this to me!"
Jadeite raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Did what?" He
thought for a few seconds. "Oh... You mean KILLED you? No, sorry,
I'm afraid I'm innocent on that count. I was just passing by when I
saw you floating into the sky. I didn't think the reincarnation of
the Moon Princess could fly, so it was a tad unexpected."
Usagi's expression of rage began to subside. "I can't believe
that. You spent so much of your time and effort trying to kill me
in the past. Why not now. By the way, I thought Beryl disposed of
you?"
Jadeite shrugged. "I was sealed away in a crystal. As soon
as you destroyed her, I was set free. But without her and the Youma
horde, I was a man alone. So what's the point of fighting any
further? I work at a recording studio now." Jadeite grinned
smugly. "A nice, harmless job, making music and corrupting youth."
He chuckled for a few moments as Usagi descended to the ground.
"You mean.... you really didn't do this to me?"
"Course I didn't. As I told you, there's no point now." He
shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I was passing nearby and felt a
spiritual wave coming from this school. I knew this to be the
school you attended, so curiosity got the better of me."
They stared at each other for several moments, the former
enemies, still not willing to trust each other. Jadeite tried his
best to smile reassuringly. "Believe me, I'm not here to hurt you.
I think you're a little beyond that now."
"Wh... What am I going to do?" Usagi looked pleadingly at
him. He bit his lower lip.
"Damned if I know right now. I've never had to deal with a
dead person before."
Something occurred to Usagi. "You... You can see me..."
"Of course."
"But nobody else can."
"Hmm?"
"I've been all across town, even around other senshi, and not
one of them even vaguely registered my presence. And yet you can
see me, as clear as day."
Jadeite shrugged. "Don't ask me why. Maybe I'm simply
attuned to your spiritual wavelength." He sniffed. "So, what are
you going to do? Trust me or not?"
Usagi stared at him for several moments, then turned away. "I
can't trust you, Jadeite. Not after what happened before. I'm not
sure if you're responsible for what has happened to me now, or what.
All I know is, somebody or something killed me, and then you appear,
the only person capable of seeing and hearing me. I find that more
than suspicious."
"Think what you like. I have nothing to do with your demise."
Usagi floated into the air, looking back at Jadeite. "I'm
going to the shrine. If I do find you have had something to do with
my death, I will, somehow, warn the senshi about you. You will not
get away with this." She floated away, disappearing behind some
buildings. Jadeite shook his head.
"My dear, I think you're in for a nasty little surprise."
It took a matter of minutes to reach the shrine. Faster, this
time. Usagi seemed to have started to get the hang of this floating
business. She arrived at the gates to the shrine and stopped there.
There were voices coming from within. Slowly, she landed. It was
the sound of her friends, and they weren't sounding too much like
they were in mourning. Usagi tried the old method of walking, now.
There wasn't any sound to each step, even though she made an attempt
to creep. Slowly, she made her way to the door of Rei's room.
There was a light coming from the room, and the sound of (somewhat
subdued) partying.
"KANPAI!" The sound of glasses clinging together to the half-
hearted cheers. Usagi peered into the room.
They were all there. Rei, Ami, Makoto, Minako, Mamoru,
Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, Luna, Artemis.... even Chibiusa
and Naru. They were all taking a swig of beer. Usagi wondered if
half of them were legally old enough to do so. She also wondered
why they should be partying after her recent and premature demise.
Rei turned to Naru.
"So, Naru-chan, how does it feel to be the new candidate for
the position of Moon Princess?"
"Jeez. I feel a little... I dunno...."
"What, guilty?" Haruka laughed nervously. Michiru nudged her
in the ribs and Haruka grimaced. "Why would you feel guilty? Its
always been this way in the Moon Kingdom, so Setsuna has told us."
Naru sniffed. "I know. I just feel a little sorry for Usagi,
thats all." She shook her head. "I'd known her for so long, and
the expression on her face..."
"Aww, come on!" Makoto shouted, looking a little drunk. "She
was a loser and you know it. She had neither the personality nor
the will to take up the position." Makoto sculled her glass and
held it out for more. Most of the others looked at her. She seemed
to be trying a little too hard to enjoy herself.
Setsuna, who had been staring off into space, decided it
was time to lecture.... "It has always been the way that if one
candidate for the position of Moon Princess proves to be less than
satisfactory, then she is removed from the right of succession and
another is put in her place." She paused for a moment, taking a
momentary sip and wrinkling up her nose at the taste. "This is
destiny. You only have to look at Chibiusa to see that." She
sniffed and frowned. Hmm... Chibiusa, she thought. Strange that
she should retain the name.... Most of the name, anyway.
Usagi's head was reeling. Candidate? Right of Succession?
She turned her head towards Chibiusa and clutched onto the
doorframe. Chibiusa.... No longer looked quite like her. In fact,
she looked like.... Looked like.... Na... na... na....
Usagi stepped back, but brought the door off its sliding
hinges. It clattered to the ground, making everyone turn. They
were all looking at her! Usagi stood there, shivering with
disbelief and rage.
"You.... All of you.... How could you....?"
"Wh... What was that?" asked Minako.
"The door fell off its hinges." Haruka, who was the closest
to the door, stood and stepped over to the doorway. She picked up
the door and placed it back in its position. She scratched her head
for a moment and turned. "Well, what did you think it was? Usagi
come back to haunt us?" They all laughed at this, sweatdrops
forming on their foreheads, then started munching out on the cake
and snacks that were sitting in the middle of the table, chatting
away to each other quietly. Setsuna returned to her space-gazing,
whilst Hotaru placed the glass of beer she'd been given, virtually
untouched, and sat quietly, watching everyone else with a somewhat
strange expression. Michiru held on to Haruka's arm when the other
girl sat back down and began whispering to her. Haruka seemed
somewhat disturbed by what she had to say. They both looked over at
Hotaru for a few moments, then turned aside and began to talk more
privately.
Usagi was completely gone, now. She couldn't take any more of
this. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!!!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY
FRIENDS!!!!"
"Try the coffee cake. Its nice." Makoto handed a slice on a
plate to Mamoru, who took it with a strange smile.
"HOW CAN YOU ALL BE THIS WAY? WHAT WAS I TO YOU ALL?"
Rei turned on the television. "What do you wanna watch?"
"Are there any early-morning animes on?" Minako said,
stuffing chips in her face.
"Nah, we've missed Hyper Police and Haunted Junction. I think
Maze is over, too."
"Mi... Minna..." Usagi croaked.
"Aren't there reruns of Hana Yori Dango on now?" Makoto
wondered. Rei screwed up her face.
"Eeew, I'd rather watch reruns of Dragonball...."
"each to their own, Rei-chan, each to their own."
"C... Can't any of you hear me?" Usagi whispered.
Rei switched the stations. Finally one playing an anime came
on. There was a small cheer from some of the group. "Aha. Reruns
of Nadesico. Thought there was something." Rei said triumphantly.
"ANSWER ME! ONE OF YOU! ANY OF YOU!" Usagi screamed. There
was no answer from any of them, although Rei turned to the doorway,
blinking for a few moments. Mamoru looked at her unemotionally, his
questioning tone almost sing-song.
"What is it, Rei-chan?"
"Oh nothing, just thought I heard someone approaching."
"Its a good thing your Grandfather and Yuuichiro are away,
Rei-chan. This could've looked rather suspicious, otherwise."
Michiru commented, turning back to the group.
"Heh... Yeah well. It took three months to plan this. We
had plenty of leeway."
Usagi decided she didn't want to hear anymore. Letting out a
cry, she ran from the temple, eventually taking to flight. She
continued on and on and on, through the city, until she reached the
countryside. Then she went further, until there were mountains.
And then running away just seemed stupid, and she sat for several
moments on one of the mountain ledges, wondering what to do next.
Jadeite, she thought. I must see Jadeite. It was the only
person she could think of. Surely, now that her death was proven
not to have been of his doing, she could trust him.
She felt a little resistance to the idea. But eventually, she
found herself flying, latching onto Jadeite's spiritual signal.
END OF PART ONE
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
Here is the revised first chapter of "Usagi is Dead". I'd only
actually looked back on this chapter for the first time since I'd
written it when I'd completed chapter 5, and realised that there
was quite a lot about it that wasn't sitting with the rest of the
story. First and foremost, I'd revised the party scene to make
the senshi rather less than jubilant about what they'd done to
Usagi. Secondly, I've changed a couple of the characterisations
within the party scene so the ideas I'd come up with for later
chapters aren't so much a case of Deux ex Machina. (God From a
Machine. I love that phrase, think I'll use it as the title for
a future chapter.... Fits in well with the sudden new ideas I
keep coming up for this story and the fact that Usagi is reborn
from the... Ah, but if you're reading this for the first time,
I better not tell you).
Anyways, this story has already evolved quite a long way from the
simple "Usagi hatchets the Sailors" tale it began its life as. If
you are reading this for the first time, this thing is turning into
a roller coaster of bizarre proportions.... Hope you enjoy the
ride. ^_^
Any comments, criticism and outright abuse should go to
[email protected]
I may respond to the comments and criticisms, but the abuse....
Well, it may make good material for future projects.....
"Don't you talk to me you disgusting heap of Parrot droppings!
You're kind really make me puke! You vacuous, toffee-nosed,
maloderous pervert!"
"I only came here for an argument."
"Oh, I'm sorry, but this is abuse."
^_^
DDFA
Author: Dark Day For Anime (Mark A Page)
Email: [email protected]
IRC: Mappy on DALnet's #AJAS
Fic Rating: R
--------------------------------------------------------------------
UsAgI iS dEaD uSaGi Is DeAd HiP hIp HiP hOoRaY
by DARK DAY FOR ANIME
Diclaimer - Sailormoon is owned by Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai, so
these characters really belong to them. I'm just abusing them in a
manner most would describe as nothing short of scandalous. I hope
nobody sues me for it. I really don't have anything close to enough
money to cover even a millionth of the court costs....
Part One (revised)
I Left My Heart in a Tokyo Schoolyard
--------------------------------------------------------------------
It must have been close to three hours after everything had
gone quiet.... at least 3am, that Usagi's spirit had sat on the
wall lining the school courtyard within which she died.
Parts of her still remained there. At least, the blood and a
few small lumps of flesh. The rest of her had long been carried
away to whatever morgue was her destiny to be taken to.
She stared long and hard at the spot where she had fallen.
The police hadn't even bothered to outline her body, so damaged was
it. Blood, bone and organs had been scattered across a fifteen foot
radius behind her. She shuddered at the memory.
After what had been a brutal day at the hands of her teachers,
Usagi met up with Makoto, Ami and Naru, and after a few minutes
chatting, they began their way home. For some reason, Naru seemed a
little nervous, but always seemed to fob it off somehow.
Then they arrived at the site of her death. She was chuckling
over something that Makoto had been saying, something to do with Rei
and Yuuichiro, when Naru let out a cry. She turned to Naru to ask
what was wrong, and then was hit. By something that hurt. Lots.
Fortunately, it didn't hurt for long. She felt herself flying
backwards, somehow missing Ami, who had been standing behind her.
Usagi landed on her feet and looked up to see what was happening.
Blood showered in her direction from somebody in front of her, and
she screwed her eyes shut, putting her hands over her head,
expecting to get splattered. The blood landed all around her, but
somehow failed to hit her. When it stopped, she looked up.
Makoto, who had been standing to her left, was now against the
wall Usagi would later be sitting on. Her face was a mark of shock
and horror, unable to move. Usagi turned to the other side to see
Naru, lying face-forward on the ground, moving slowly.
"Naru-chan...." Usagi cried out as Naru slowly lifted herself
up, aided by another student Usagi recognised as Koto-san.
"Naru-chan, are you okay?" Usagi turned further to her right
and saw Ami getting to her feet. Ami trotted across to where Naru
was sitting, apparently staring in shock. Usagi looked around her
as she stood up. Several other students had arrived on the scene.
There were cries of horror, whimpering, and one even brought his
lunch up. Usagi stepped over to where Naru was being consoled by an
equally upset Ami.
"Jeez, guys, what happened just now?" Usagi leaned down to
them. For some reason they seemed to be ignoring her. Naru
continued to whimper and stare off ahead. Usagi sighed and turned
back to where Makoto was leaning against the wall, being held by a
couple of girls. Between Usagi and Makoto lay a body. Usagi's
body.
Or what remained of it.
It was amazing the top had remained attached to the bottom of
the body, there was so little left of the trunk. Naturally, Usagi
went into a kind of denial. She shook her head for a few moments,
then turned to Ami and Naru.
"That can't be me, can it?" They didn't reply. "C'mon, say
something...." Still no reply. "You can hear me, can't you?"
Silence. "Well CAN'T YOU???" Usagi made to grab Ami's shoulder,
and fell straight through her. At that moment, she felt a huge pull
on her body, dragging her away from the scene. She turned as she
flew through the air, staring at the rapidly growing crowd.
It disappeared as she passed through a neighbouring building.
She wasn't travelling very fast. Before she reached her
destination, she could hear the sirens of police and ambulances.
She was in too much of a state to be able to take notice of what was
going on around her.
Dazedly, she turned, and spotted her destination. The Hikawa
shrine. This confused her even more. If she was dead... the fact
seemed to be seeping into her mind... why should her spirit be drawn
here? Because of its religious nature? Because of Rei-chan's
connection to her. Before she knew what was happening, she was in
the fire room. And there she stopped.
Rei was chanting in front of the flame. Usagi wondered how
she got home from school so quickly to be here now. She put it out
of her mind as a vision appeared within the flame. Rei stopped
chanting and stared, Usagi following her lead. It showed the death
scene.
Usagi was surprised when Rei quickly got to her feet and
turned, walking through her. For a moment, Rei seemed to shiver and
looked around, as if she had felt Usagi's presence.
Usagi tried to latch onto her arm, hoping that this momentary
recognition would work in her favour. But Rei shrugged it off and
quickly stepped out. It only occurred to Usagi later that Rei's
expression was not that of someone who had just witnessed the death
of a friend.
Usagi sat in the fire room for hours, hoping that Rei would
return, but she didn't. An intense desire to return to the scene
filled her, even though she didn't want to see her body again. The
sight was far too horrible, but some morbid fascination swept
through her, and once more she found herself flying through the air,
back towards the school.
When she got there, the crowd had been moved away from the
scene. The area was cordoned off, and her body had been taken away.
There was no sign of Ami, Makoto or Naru, not that she expected
there to be. It was more than likely that, if they weren't being
questioned by the police themselves, they'd all gone into shock and
needed hospitalisation. Usagi just hovered over the scene as
several investigators scowered everything around it. Eventually
they all returned to their commanding officer, a woman they referred
to as Captain Kikotsuka, and shrugged. Their amazing
professionalism in their efforts to find clues to her death
astounded Usagi.
Very little.
Eventually, it went dark and the crowd that surrounded the
scene began to disperse. Even the few media OB vans that had
arrived were leaving. Obviously, with very little to say other
than a young girl had exploded, their interest in the story
rapidly waned. Then even the main body of the investigating team
began to depart, leaving only a couple of officers to watch over the
scene, making a few last attempts at uncovering clues. Then even
they were gone. The scene was empty. It was midnight.
Three hours later, Usagi sat on top of the wall, staring at
where she died. "Death", she thought, "Its not quite as I expected
it to be." She wondered at all the things she would no longer be
able to do. Eat. That was the first thing that entered her
thoughts. What a horrible concept. No need for food. She mourned
the loss of that small but intense pleasure.
Nobody to talk to, either. None of her friends were dead,
yet. Not that she had expected any of them to die. After all,
wasn't she destined to be Neo Queen Serenity? Seems destiny had a
few cruel tricks up its sleeve today.
Her family.... What must they be going through, now. For a
few moments, she felt a desire to travel to her house, to see them
in their grief. But she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to
witness that, just yet.
And Mamo-chan....
She wanted to break out into tears. The thought of never
being able to hold or kiss Mamoru again went through her like an icy
spark. But no tears would come. A spirit was, obviously, not
allowed to cry, either.
Slowly she lifted herself from the wall and floated
approximately twenty feet from the ground. She stared up into the
sky, holding out her fist.
"Well, Kami-sama, I'm here. I'm dead now. Do with me
whatever you will...." She shook her fist up at the sky, almost
defiantly. She was surprised when she heard a chuckle. Not from
the sky, but from the ground below. She turned. A familiar figure
stood there. Short blond hair.... Piercing, intelligent eyes. He,
however, was not dressed in the Youma General's uniform that Usagi
expected. Nor was his expression as hard and embittered as she
remembered it to be.
"Jadeite!" Usagi exclaimed. For some reason, the arrival of
the General seemed to make things fall into place.
"Hello, Sailormoon. Or should I say Tsukino Usagi. It
doesn't look like you're in the best of health right now."
"Jadeite! You! You're the one who did this to me!"
Jadeite raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Did what?" He
thought for a few seconds. "Oh... You mean KILLED you? No, sorry,
I'm afraid I'm innocent on that count. I was just passing by when I
saw you floating into the sky. I didn't think the reincarnation of
the Moon Princess could fly, so it was a tad unexpected."
Usagi's expression of rage began to subside. "I can't believe
that. You spent so much of your time and effort trying to kill me
in the past. Why not now. By the way, I thought Beryl disposed of
you?"
Jadeite shrugged. "I was sealed away in a crystal. As soon
as you destroyed her, I was set free. But without her and the Youma
horde, I was a man alone. So what's the point of fighting any
further? I work at a recording studio now." Jadeite grinned
smugly. "A nice, harmless job, making music and corrupting youth."
He chuckled for a few moments as Usagi descended to the ground.
"You mean.... you really didn't do this to me?"
"Course I didn't. As I told you, there's no point now." He
shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I was passing nearby and felt a
spiritual wave coming from this school. I knew this to be the
school you attended, so curiosity got the better of me."
They stared at each other for several moments, the former
enemies, still not willing to trust each other. Jadeite tried his
best to smile reassuringly. "Believe me, I'm not here to hurt you.
I think you're a little beyond that now."
"Wh... What am I going to do?" Usagi looked pleadingly at
him. He bit his lower lip.
"Damned if I know right now. I've never had to deal with a
dead person before."
Something occurred to Usagi. "You... You can see me..."
"Of course."
"But nobody else can."
"Hmm?"
"I've been all across town, even around other senshi, and not
one of them even vaguely registered my presence. And yet you can
see me, as clear as day."
Jadeite shrugged. "Don't ask me why. Maybe I'm simply
attuned to your spiritual wavelength." He sniffed. "So, what are
you going to do? Trust me or not?"
Usagi stared at him for several moments, then turned away. "I
can't trust you, Jadeite. Not after what happened before. I'm not
sure if you're responsible for what has happened to me now, or what.
All I know is, somebody or something killed me, and then you appear,
the only person capable of seeing and hearing me. I find that more
than suspicious."
"Think what you like. I have nothing to do with your demise."
Usagi floated into the air, looking back at Jadeite. "I'm
going to the shrine. If I do find you have had something to do with
my death, I will, somehow, warn the senshi about you. You will not
get away with this." She floated away, disappearing behind some
buildings. Jadeite shook his head.
"My dear, I think you're in for a nasty little surprise."
It took a matter of minutes to reach the shrine. Faster, this
time. Usagi seemed to have started to get the hang of this floating
business. She arrived at the gates to the shrine and stopped there.
There were voices coming from within. Slowly, she landed. It was
the sound of her friends, and they weren't sounding too much like
they were in mourning. Usagi tried the old method of walking, now.
There wasn't any sound to each step, even though she made an attempt
to creep. Slowly, she made her way to the door of Rei's room.
There was a light coming from the room, and the sound of (somewhat
subdued) partying.
"KANPAI!" The sound of glasses clinging together to the half-
hearted cheers. Usagi peered into the room.
They were all there. Rei, Ami, Makoto, Minako, Mamoru,
Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru, Luna, Artemis.... even Chibiusa
and Naru. They were all taking a swig of beer. Usagi wondered if
half of them were legally old enough to do so. She also wondered
why they should be partying after her recent and premature demise.
Rei turned to Naru.
"So, Naru-chan, how does it feel to be the new candidate for
the position of Moon Princess?"
"Jeez. I feel a little... I dunno...."
"What, guilty?" Haruka laughed nervously. Michiru nudged her
in the ribs and Haruka grimaced. "Why would you feel guilty? Its
always been this way in the Moon Kingdom, so Setsuna has told us."
Naru sniffed. "I know. I just feel a little sorry for Usagi,
thats all." She shook her head. "I'd known her for so long, and
the expression on her face..."
"Aww, come on!" Makoto shouted, looking a little drunk. "She
was a loser and you know it. She had neither the personality nor
the will to take up the position." Makoto sculled her glass and
held it out for more. Most of the others looked at her. She seemed
to be trying a little too hard to enjoy herself.
Setsuna, who had been staring off into space, decided it
was time to lecture.... "It has always been the way that if one
candidate for the position of Moon Princess proves to be less than
satisfactory, then she is removed from the right of succession and
another is put in her place." She paused for a moment, taking a
momentary sip and wrinkling up her nose at the taste. "This is
destiny. You only have to look at Chibiusa to see that." She
sniffed and frowned. Hmm... Chibiusa, she thought. Strange that
she should retain the name.... Most of the name, anyway.
Usagi's head was reeling. Candidate? Right of Succession?
She turned her head towards Chibiusa and clutched onto the
doorframe. Chibiusa.... No longer looked quite like her. In fact,
she looked like.... Looked like.... Na... na... na....
Usagi stepped back, but brought the door off its sliding
hinges. It clattered to the ground, making everyone turn. They
were all looking at her! Usagi stood there, shivering with
disbelief and rage.
"You.... All of you.... How could you....?"
"Wh... What was that?" asked Minako.
"The door fell off its hinges." Haruka, who was the closest
to the door, stood and stepped over to the doorway. She picked up
the door and placed it back in its position. She scratched her head
for a moment and turned. "Well, what did you think it was? Usagi
come back to haunt us?" They all laughed at this, sweatdrops
forming on their foreheads, then started munching out on the cake
and snacks that were sitting in the middle of the table, chatting
away to each other quietly. Setsuna returned to her space-gazing,
whilst Hotaru placed the glass of beer she'd been given, virtually
untouched, and sat quietly, watching everyone else with a somewhat
strange expression. Michiru held on to Haruka's arm when the other
girl sat back down and began whispering to her. Haruka seemed
somewhat disturbed by what she had to say. They both looked over at
Hotaru for a few moments, then turned aside and began to talk more
privately.
Usagi was completely gone, now. She couldn't take any more of
this. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME!!!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY
FRIENDS!!!!"
"Try the coffee cake. Its nice." Makoto handed a slice on a
plate to Mamoru, who took it with a strange smile.
"HOW CAN YOU ALL BE THIS WAY? WHAT WAS I TO YOU ALL?"
Rei turned on the television. "What do you wanna watch?"
"Are there any early-morning animes on?" Minako said,
stuffing chips in her face.
"Nah, we've missed Hyper Police and Haunted Junction. I think
Maze is over, too."
"Mi... Minna..." Usagi croaked.
"Aren't there reruns of Hana Yori Dango on now?" Makoto
wondered. Rei screwed up her face.
"Eeew, I'd rather watch reruns of Dragonball...."
"each to their own, Rei-chan, each to their own."
"C... Can't any of you hear me?" Usagi whispered.
Rei switched the stations. Finally one playing an anime came
on. There was a small cheer from some of the group. "Aha. Reruns
of Nadesico. Thought there was something." Rei said triumphantly.
"ANSWER ME! ONE OF YOU! ANY OF YOU!" Usagi screamed. There
was no answer from any of them, although Rei turned to the doorway,
blinking for a few moments. Mamoru looked at her unemotionally, his
questioning tone almost sing-song.
"What is it, Rei-chan?"
"Oh nothing, just thought I heard someone approaching."
"Its a good thing your Grandfather and Yuuichiro are away,
Rei-chan. This could've looked rather suspicious, otherwise."
Michiru commented, turning back to the group.
"Heh... Yeah well. It took three months to plan this. We
had plenty of leeway."
Usagi decided she didn't want to hear anymore. Letting out a
cry, she ran from the temple, eventually taking to flight. She
continued on and on and on, through the city, until she reached the
countryside. Then she went further, until there were mountains.
And then running away just seemed stupid, and she sat for several
moments on one of the mountain ledges, wondering what to do next.
Jadeite, she thought. I must see Jadeite. It was the only
person she could think of. Surely, now that her death was proven
not to have been of his doing, she could trust him.
She felt a little resistance to the idea. But eventually, she
found herself flying, latching onto Jadeite's spiritual signal.
END OF PART ONE
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes
Here is the revised first chapter of "Usagi is Dead". I'd only
actually looked back on this chapter for the first time since I'd
written it when I'd completed chapter 5, and realised that there
was quite a lot about it that wasn't sitting with the rest of the
story. First and foremost, I'd revised the party scene to make
the senshi rather less than jubilant about what they'd done to
Usagi. Secondly, I've changed a couple of the characterisations
within the party scene so the ideas I'd come up with for later
chapters aren't so much a case of Deux ex Machina. (God From a
Machine. I love that phrase, think I'll use it as the title for
a future chapter.... Fits in well with the sudden new ideas I
keep coming up for this story and the fact that Usagi is reborn
from the... Ah, but if you're reading this for the first time,
I better not tell you).
Anyways, this story has already evolved quite a long way from the
simple "Usagi hatchets the Sailors" tale it began its life as. If
you are reading this for the first time, this thing is turning into
a roller coaster of bizarre proportions.... Hope you enjoy the
ride. ^_^
Any comments, criticism and outright abuse should go to
[email protected]
I may respond to the comments and criticisms, but the abuse....
Well, it may make good material for future projects.....
"Don't you talk to me you disgusting heap of Parrot droppings!
You're kind really make me puke! You vacuous, toffee-nosed,
maloderous pervert!"
"I only came here for an argument."
"Oh, I'm sorry, but this is abuse."
^_^
DDFA