Hi everyone! If you hadn't guessed, I'm trying to give everyone a heart attack by actually submitting two weeks in a row! Amazing, huh? Natasha: *faints in shock* Oops, I guess that was a little too much of a surprise...sorry, Natty... ^_^; I'm going to get the author's notes out of the way first, because I don't want to ruin the suspenseful (well, hopefully at the very least a little suspensful) ending. >:) Oh, and incidently I've given up attempting to guess how many parts this series will have. I *think* chapter 8 will be the last full part, but I said that about chapter six too... *rolls eyes* Also, *please*, *please* try not to threaten me too much about when the next part will be out. ^_^; I'll be finishing it ASAIC, but as I am working two part-time jobs at the moment (total hours equaling a full-time job) it gets a little tricky trying to balance everything. Thanks in advance for your patience. I know this will leave you hanging and I'm going to try to correct that ASAP. (For the acronym-challanged: ASAIC = as soon as I can, ASAP = as soon as possible. ^_~) Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me as I've written this. I really appreciate it. Also many thanks to Natasha for helping me with some net research I wasn't able to do myself. ^_~ With that said, I'll shut up now and let you get one with the story. Have a great day, everyone! ^_^ Hugs, Setsuna M kimmie-chan@juno.com P.s. Just out of random curiosity, anyone else a Harry Potter fan out there? Just checking...okay okay, here's the story... ^^ --------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter Seven "Usako...I love you." Mamoru stared down at his princess in adoration. "Oh, Mamo-chan..." Usagi said, drinking in his eyes. "And I have something very important to ask you." He knelt down on one knee, and produced a red rose in his hand. On the stem, a ring with a small diamond twinkled. "Oh, Mamo-chan!" Usagi gasped. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for her entire life....she watched his lips move in almost surrealistic slow motion as he asked her the question. "Have you finished your homework yet?" "What?" Usagi startled awake, surprised to note that her comfy pillow was actually her Japanese literature textbook. Her mom towered over her chair, looking down at her in annoyance. "Geez mom, impeccable timing as always," Usagi said sarcastically, shaking her head in a futile attempt to wake up, and trying to get dismiss the feeling of loneliness her dream had brought on. She had done everything she could to dismiss the pain of losing Mamoru from her thoughts, but was powerless to stop her dreams. They taunted her with reminders of a love she didn't have. "Usagi, you still have more than three weeks' of work to catch up on! And a month to do it in, in addition to all your other homework! Quit sleeping on the job!" Ikuko said angrily. "But..." Usagi started to protest. "No buts! Get off your own and start working!" Ikuko yelled. Over on the windowseat a black cat looked up from her nap mildly and rolled her eyes at the all-too-familiar scene. ‘Now where have I seen this before?' Luna thought sarcastically. ‘Life is back to normal.' Usagi stared at her mother. "Yes ma'am," she said quietly. A silence filled the room. Both mother and cat stared at her in shock at the statement. Ikuko blinked. "Excuse me?" "You're right. I'm sorry," Usagi said simply. Ikuko's anger diffused almost immediately, and she looked at Usagi affectionately. "Good girl. Supper will be ready in an hour, OK?" she said, crossing the room and kissing her only daughter on the forehead before she walked out and gently shut, not slammed, the door. "Unless you're trying to impersonate a fly trap, close your mouth, Luna," Usagi said as she turned back to look at her book. ‘Boy, if I had known it was that easy to get mom off my back, I would have tried that years ago.' Luna obediently closed her gaping mouth. "What was that?" she asked in confusion. ‘Forget the normal comment.' "You heard me," Usagi said. "Mom was right. Even with all the extensions my teachers gave me, I need to catch up on my schoolwork. It won't do any good for my body to heal if my mind goes to waste." Luna was still in shock. "All right, who are you and what have you done with Usagi?" she asked. Usagi giggled. "Dr. Madison told me that," she said. "What, is it too much to believe that I might realize the importance of a good education?" "Yes," Luna said bluntly. Usagi giggled again. "Well, get used to it," she told Luna. "I plan to be the model student from now on," she said primly. She paused thoughtfully. "Or a model...that might work..." she mused to herself. Luna rolled her eyes. "Now *that's* the Usagi I'm used to hearing," she said wryly, then yawned. "I'm going back to sleep." She laid her head down on her paws and closed her eyes. Usagi smiled to herself, absentmindedly doing her ankle exercises like Sakura had told her to do whenever she had a moment. She hadn't been lying to Luna. Her injury had made her sit back and think, and take more responsibility for herself. This included schoolwork. She looked back over at her cat and guardian, pleased to note that she had fallen back asleep. That made it easier to do what she was going to do next. "Schoolwork is important," Usagi whispered again, then carefully reached underneath her book and pulled out a thin manga. Laying it on top of her book, she said, "And culture is too. Pop culture, that is." She grinned to herself, and started reading, for about the ninth time, the latest adventures of Sailor V. A shrill beeping noise had the dual effect of causing Luna to wake up and Usagi to nearly jump out of her chair, hastily slamming her literature book shut to hide the manga inside. She reached over to grab the device making the offensive noise off her desk. Her communicator. It had been a long time since she'd had to use it. Luna was immediately alert as she jumped down and ran over to the desk. "Who is it?" she asked. "I have to turn it on first," Usagi grumbled. She snapped it open, and Sailor Mercury's worried face appeared. "Usagi?" she gasped. "Quick, I need to talk to Luna," she said urgently. Luna climbed up onto Usagi's shoulder and put her head in the view. "What is it Mercury?" she said. "There's another daimon," Mercury gasped. "It's trying to extract a heart crystal from another victim." She shot an uneasy look at Usagi. "Who?" Luna asked. "Never mind that now," Mercury said hastily, neatly sidestepping the question. "We need your help. Can you come?" she asked. "What about me?" Usagi protested. "We don't want to put you in danger, Usagi," Mercury tried to say as gently as possible. "We can handle it, we just need Luna here for...strategy," she improvised. "I'm on my way," Luna said, and jumped down to run towards the window. "Great," Mercury said, a little relief apparent on her worried face. "It's at the park." "They always are," Usagi said, rolling her eyes. Mercury had to smile at that. "Trust me Usagi," Mercury added, "everything's fine. Mercury out." The tiny screen faded to black. "She's right Usagi," Luna told her, waiting on the windowseat for Usagi to open the window. Since Usagi was still living in her parent's first floor room, it was the easiest way for Luna to leave. "The other senshi are very capable. Don't worry about anything." "But Luna," Usagi said as she wheeled over help Luna, "I feel like I'm letting everyone down." "Your job right now is to get better, not fight daimons," Luna said, giving her a smile of encouragement. "The others understand. Please don't feel bad." Usagi strained at the window, only to discover that it was locked. She tried to reach up to unlock it but discovered that she couldn't thanks to the windowseat, which jutted out just far enough to prevent her from being able to reach the top of the window. Luna sensed her dilemma and nimbly jumped up at the it. With a swipe of her paw, it was unlocked. Usagi then pushed the window open for her. She tried one last ploy as Luna leapt up to the windowsill. "What if the daimon is too strong for the others?" Usagi wanted to know. "It was the last time." "Tuxedo Kamen will be there to help them, I'm sure," Luna reassured her. "We'll be fine. I'll be back soon. Don't worry!" she yelled one last time as she ran out of sight. Usagi let her head drop to the cushioned pillow on her windowseat. "Don't worry, Tuxedo Kamen-sama will be there," she muttered sarcastically to herself. "Yeah, right, Luna." She sighed to herself. ‘Tuxedo Kamen-sama...Mamo-chan,' she thought wistfully. So much for trying not to think about him. Now she was going to be worried for the next hour if he, not to mention the others, were alright. Unless... She thought again about Sakura's words. "Are you sure there's absolutely no way to see him?" Ironically enough, a senshi battle *was* her best opportunity to talk to him again. She never thought she'd see the day when she would actually *want* to have another monster attack. But that was one place she knew he would be, and he wouldn't leave until he was sure the senshi had everything under control. But there was still the problem of getting to the site of the battle. There was no way she could get there alone in her wheelchair. She couldn't even get out of the house without someone's help, no thanks to the front steps. So she was stuck. Unless...an idea slipped into her mind. "That just might work..." she said aloud. True, Luna would probably kill her. But afterwards she would forgive her, as always. Impulsively she wheeled out the door and decided to put her plan in motion. "Shingo..." she called. "Shingo, I need your help..." "Thanks for taking me to the park before dinner, Shingo," Usagi said, trying to push away the guilt for bringing her brother so close to the site of a battle. ‘I'll figure out away to keep him away from it,' she vowed. Whether or not Tuxedo Kamen made an appearance, her brother's safety came first. "No problem," he said agreeably. "A nice walk will work up a good appetite." "I wouldn't think you'd need a walk to do that," she said slyly. "You're one to talk," he threw back good-naturedly. Usagi laughed, enjoying the friendly camaraderie she and her brother had achieved in the past few months. Her relationship with Shingo was the one bright spot her injury had brought her. ‘Another reason not to involve him in the battle,' she worried. She had to figure out a way to keep him out of the park, but each step he took brought them closer and closer to their destination. Shingo saw the figure standing by the gate of the park entrance before Usagi did. "Hey, who's that?" he asked. "She looks familiar." Usagi squinted, but the girl was too far away for her to recognize. "I don't know," she shrugged indifferently. Shingo was sure he had seen her before. "It looks like...it looks like..." he strained to get a better look, then suddenly blushed. "Never mind." Usagi's ears perked up at the sound of embarrassment in her brother's voice. She twisted in her chair to get a look at Shingo's face. "Who is it?" she asked eagerly, suddenly interested. "Just a classmate," Shingo tried to pass it off, but Usagi understood the hidden implications. "Shingo has a girlfriend!" she squealed, then began to chant. "Shingo has a girlfriend, Shingo has a girlfrie....mmmph!" She was cut short as a hand clamped over her mouth. "Shut up, baka Usagi," Shingo hissed. "You want her to hear you?" Usagi wiggled out from under his grasp. "Don't talk to your elders that way," she said, undeterred. "Shingo and his girlfriend, sitting in a tree, K-I-S...." She was rewarded with a thump on the head. "Usagi!" he said frantically. "Be quiet, she's looking this way!" "Good, aren't you going to introduce us?" she said, then did a double take as the girl turned around and Usagi got a good look at her face. "I do know her!" Usagi said excitedly, and Shingo tried to shrink behind his sister's wheelchair. He was done for. Usagi would never let him hear the end of this. "Mika!" Usagi called. "Mika! Hi!" Usagi saw Mika gasp as she realized who was calling. The younger girl's face held a look of shock and she actually took a step backwards in surprise as she brought her right hand up to cover her mouth. "Usagi?" Mika dared to ask. She looked like she was about to cry. "Is...is that you?" Mika's reaction was a forceful remainder to Usagi of her injury. There was a twinge of pain and regret in her heart and she sobered up as she answered the girl. She had forgotten that Mika wouldn't have known about her accident...it had been almost a year since Usagi had seen the young girl. She tried to make her answer as gentle as possible. "It's me, Mika," she said softly, her playful mood temporarily gone in her attempt to reassure the younger girl. "I had an accident. But I'm getting better. I'll be out of this thing soon," she patted the wheelchair as she spoke. "I'm sorry," Mika said, not sure what else she could say. She still looked upset. "It's all right. Don't worry, I'll be walking again before you know it," Usagi told her, hoping that she wasn't lying to her. Mika looked much more relieved to find out Usagi's injury wasn't permanent. "That's good," she said, then realized for the first time that someone was standing behind Usagi. She blushed. "Hi, Shingo," she said shyly. "Hi Mika," he said, fidgeting nervously behind his sister. Usagi grinned to herself, then inspiration struck her. Suddenly she knew exactly how to keep her brother out of the park. "So Mika, are you waiting on someone?" she asked. Mika nodded. "Yes, my brother is supposed to pick me up soon," she said. "But he said he might be late." "Well, you shouldn't have to stand here by yourself," Usagi persuaded. She wheeled out of Shingo's grasp and turned the chair to face her brother. "Tell you what," she said to him. "I'll go on into the park and meet with my friends, since they're expecting me. Why don't you stay here and chat with Mika?" She didn't wait for an answer. "Yes, I'll just meet you back here in, oh, say half an hour," she said, crossing her fingers that the battle wouldn't take that long. They never did, but knowing her luck, the one time she needed to talk to Tuxedo Kamen afterwards, the battle would probably be extraordinarily long. Shingo looked suspicious of the fact that Usagi wasn't trying to embarrass him in front of Mika. "Do you want me to walk you into the park first?" he asked. Mika smiled at his protectiveness towards his older sister. "I don't mind," Mika said. "I can wait here by myself." "NO!" Usagi said quickly, louder than she intended to. Shingo and Mika looked startled at her reaction. "Um, I mean no. Sakura wanted me to practice being independent, and I think a wheel through the park by myself will do the trick," she said, making up an excuse. She congratulated herself on her quick thinking. That had sounded *exactly* like something Sakura would say. Shingo still looked like he needed convincing. "Look," she told him, "You're at one end of the park, and my friends are at the other. What can happen?" she said practically. ‘Oh , nothing, just a daimon battle,' she sarcastically answered herself in her thoughts. "If you're sure..." he started. "I am," she nodded vigorously, and wheeled away at a fast pace down the sidewalk that ran through the middle of the park before Shingo could change his mind. "Bye you two!" she yelled back at them, and couldn't resist throwing back, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" "Usagi..." Shingo muttered under his breath as she disappeared down the walk. Mika's face turned pink. Shingo turned to Mika sheepishly. "I suppose that counts out acting like a human being," he wisecracked, and Mika giggled. "I like your sister," she said in Usagi's defense. Shingo smiled. "Me too," he admitted. He rolled his eyes. "Most of the time." Usagi hurriedly wheeled herself down the park path. Juuban park was fairly large. The senshi could be anywhere. ‘I need a sign.' "HELP! MONSTER!" ‘That'll work.' A woman in a jogging suit came huffing and puffing towards Usagi, leading a pack of equally panicked people. "This is what I call dieting incentive..." Usagi heard one man mumble as he ran past. Usagi ignored the flow of traffic and wheeled herself in the direction they had come from, hoping she wasn't too late. Her eyes darted from left to right, searching for any glimpse of the senshi she could find. A shout from the side caused her to pause. That sounded suspiciously like... "*Venus Love-me Chain!*" Yes! It was Venus. Usagi turned towards the direction she had heard the yell. Her exhilaration at finding the senshi was cut short by a gasp when she heard a cry of pain immediately following the attack. She grimaced, recognizing the voice and realizing that it had been Venus, not the daimon, who had been hurt. She gritted her teeth and plunged off the sidewalk onto the grass, pushing forcefully on the wheels. It was harder to roll on the grass, but as long as she kept her momentum up she would be fine. There was a line of bushes just up ahead, blocking her view--but if her guess was right, just beyond them was the battleground. She noticed a small break in the shrubbery off to her left, where the bushes were sparse enough for her to wheel through but thick enough to hide her for a moment while she surveyed the scene. In the heat of the battle, no one would notice her. The grass had almost slowed her to a stop, but she gave a final push and rolled into the little niche. She lifted her hands up and parted the branches just enough so that she could see out, then closed her eyes in horror as soon as she saw the scene. It wasn't a battle; it was a war zone. And as in any wars, there were casualties. In one glance she had seen three figures lying limply off to the side: Venus, Mars, and Mercury. She shuddered again at the position Mercury's arm had been in. And that might not even be the worst injury; it was entirely possible that one of them had a head injury. There was no way for Usagi to tell from this angle. Usagi opened her eyes and watched the fight with growing dread. The only remaining senshi was Jupiter, and she herself was tired and hurt. Usagi's eyes grew large at the sight of the thing that had caused all this trouble. The daimon was almost twice as big as any of the others Usagi had seen, and more muscular. Its skin was a deep, musty blue grayish hue, and it wore an absolutely absurd costume that looked like it consisted of a toga and a diaper. It carried around something that looked like a golf bag on its back. Usagi would have burst out laughing, had she not known how serious a threat it posed. Three senshi had been wounded, and she knew Jupiter would not hold out much longer. Even as she watched, Jupiter gave a valiant effort and lobbed another energy attack it. Usagi wanted to cheer when it struck the daimon head on, but her cry caught in her throat as she realized the attack had only served to annoy it. The daimon turned to Jupiter and with one quick thrust of his arm, he punched her hard enough that the senshi was out of commission as well. A tear slid down Usagi's cheek and she choked back a sob. Those were her friends the daimon was hurting. She had to do something. She closed her eyes and softly whispered the transformation words. In an instant she was Sailor Moon. But what could she do? She took a deep breath, and then with a grunt pushed at the wheels and her chair lurched into motion. She rolled out towards the daimon, who at the moment had turned back to its victim and was unaware of her approach. Her heart pounded; she hadn't planned on having to fight a monster alone. Where was Tuxedo Kamen? For the first time she realized he should have been here by now. He should have been able to prevent this. As she turned to face the daimon, she felt like David facing a seemingly undefeatable Goliath. Nothing short of a miracle would let her defeat it. She opened her mouth, and started to announce her arrival to the creature, when her gaze fell upon the victim whose heart crystal the daimon was trying to extract. He was lying on the ground, obviously exhausted from unsuccessful attempts to fend the daimon off. As she watched he moved his head feebly, and his face came into view. She froze as she recognized him, her blood running cold. Her vision was swimming, and she was suddenly faint with fear. ‘This isn't happening,' she thought desperately to herself. ‘No. Not him.' Her words changed to an anguished cry as yelled out his name. "MAMO-CHAN!"