So Far Gone Chapter Four Lois Fogg SireneCall@hotmail.com Ahem...well, yeah I know it's been a while. In my defense I have had a US history term paper that has required my permanent residency at the Library of Congress. Well, anyway, I'm writing the last chapter right now so there is no need to fear that I won't finish this story. To you loyal readers who actually read it, I send my thanks, and to the other illiterates out there, READ IT! Oh...I'm sorry, I ought to be more polite huh? Well, it would also be an added boon if someone out there on the lonely prairie would email me about this story. Which reminds me...all my thanks goes out to the TONS of people who emailed me about Bread and Chocolate. The response was overwhelming. I especially thank Alicia Blade and Lilac Summers who emailed me because they are two of my *favorite* fanfic writers and I was ecstatic that they wrote me. If you haven't read any of their stuff, you ought to, it's fantastic. Ok, for all I know chapter five may well be out with this one, so stay tuned. If not, it will certainly be out next week, as I said, I'm in the middle of it. All right, I'm done. Sailor Moon belongs to a superbly talented woman who lives on the other side of the globe, needless to say, I'm not her. *************** As the five friends stared in shock at the reunion of father and daughter, Artemis padded quickly over to Luna, urgent questions in his eyes. "What the hell happened?" he asked bluntly as they ducked behind the porch. "I don't know. One minute Usagi was sitting on the beach, crying, and the next he was standing next to her and they were...well, you know." Artemis smiled faintly. "I'm sure I do. They do it rather often, you know." "Except this *isn't* Mamorou, Artemis!" "Well...yes he is, sort of..." Artemis trailed off, unsure of himself. "No he is not. Not even sort of. This is Endymion, wife of Serenity. Wherever the hell Mamorou, love of Usagi is I don't have a clue, but he sure isn't it!" "So what can we do about it. If we don't even know where Mamorou is, how can we help?" Luna gave him a withering stare. "We'll ask Endymion." "Oh...and what about Usagi?" "I don't know...all of this has probably given her emotional overload. We'll see, I guess." Artemis looked at her with a clear gaze that shocked Luna. "You're worried about her." "Well... of course I am!" She said defensively. "Too much has happened in the past twenty-four hours and it's affected her most directly. And Mamorou...he had already hurt her so much..." Luna's voice caught betrayingly on the last word and Artemis looked at her sharply. "I don't think she's the only one who's been affected by this, Luna." He said finally. Luna looked surprised. "What do you mean?" Artemis walked closer to her and a shocked Luna remained where she was. "You know what I mean." Artemis whispered into her ear. To her surprise, Luna did. *********** Usagi stared at Chibi-usa and Mamo-no, Endymion-with a disbelieving smile on her face. I can't believe this is happening, she thought to herself for the thousandth time that hour. After Artemis and Luna had disappeared to God knows where, she and the others had sat down on the porch. Motoki broke the uncomfortable silence with typical candor. "What the hell is going on here?" She demanded of Mamorou/Endymion. Looking slightly embarrassed, Endymion stared down at the floor while he answered. "Well...Mamorou-*your* Mamorou-was dying, and in order to save him, I had to switch places with him." Usagi's mouth fell open in utter surprise and she stared at Endymion, unable to speak. Ami asked what she had been thinking. "So...Mamorou is alive?" Endymion hesitated and then nodded an affirmative. Everyone looked up in surprise when Usagi finally managed to get a sentence out. "So...will we see him again?" Endymion's gaze was clear and sorrowful as he stared in Usagi's hopeful eyes. His heart lurched as he realized how long it had been since he'd seen that look. He had to tell her the truth. "I don't know. Sailor Pluto sent me here...but she doesn't know if we'll be able to switch back." The others cringed in expectation of a wail from Usagi, but surprisingly, none came. She only nodded, calmly. "I...think I need to be alone now. I'll be back later." She said quietly. There seemed nothing more to say after her figure rounded the corner. Nothing, at least, that would change anything. ************* Usagi walked through the park, remembering the numerous incidents that had taken place between her and Mamorou. She smiled a little bitterly as she remembered how he used to tease her about her odangos. All the times she had tripped or fell into him. All the times she had stared at him, at first without knowing exactly why, and later realizing that he had been staring at her. All this she remembered, and when she finished remembering, she sat down underneath a tree. It was, in fact, one of the trees Mamo-chan and she had favored when he read to her or when they simply sat with each other. She felt mildly surprised when she saw the tears plop on the ground in front of her, and then smiled slightly. After all, he wasn't dead. He wasn't even gone...precisely. He would come back-he had to come back. He will come back if he loves me, Usagi decided. And, of course, she knew that he loved her. She simply had to be strong and patient, and he would come back to her. She knew that. She knew that he wouldn't leave her here. Except...she missed him now. Usagi felt the tears well up again and wiped them away angrily. She ought to be able to take it, after all. Even though she ached for the touch of his hands and his kiss, she ought to be able to take it. "Oh...Mamo-chan!" Usagi gasped, struggling to hide the tears that refused to stop. Gradually she grew aware of a presence behind her, and glanced up startled to find Endymion looking down at her with a sad expression in his eyes. Usagi's stomach clenched as he sat down next to her. Usagi didn't feel like sorting out her feelings for Endymion-and certainly not now. But...here he was, and she was feeling so lonely. Unable to stop herself, Usagi reached out blindly for him, and he caught her hand. For a moment of eternity they stared into each other's eyes, and then Usagi could not help herself. Almost as if they were hungry for the other, Usagi and Endymion kissed passionately, for the second time that day, ever. With a growing awareness of what she was doing, Usagi pulled away violently and sat for a moment, panting. After a while she met Endymion's reproachful gaze. "I'm...sorry." She gasped. "You're not Mamo-chan. It doesn't feel right." Endymion rubbed his lips ruefully. "I know. You're not Serenity either." Usagi looked up indignantly. "Are you insulting me?" After a moment of shock, Endymion laughed. "No-let's just say you mellow in your old age." He said obliquely. For once in her life, Usagi got the reference and had the grace to look embarrassed. "Yeah...well. I guess I *am* a little overenthusiastic, huh?" Endymion gave her a grin that lit up his entire face. "You could put it that way." "You know what?" Usagi said resolutely, standing up. "What?" Endymion asked, getting up as well. "I think it's high time we tell Sailor Pluto to get us out of this mess." Endymion could only agree. ************* Setsuna stared bleakly at the doors leading to Endymion's-no, Mamorou's rooms. She didn't want to confront him. In fact, she didn't even want to see him. What she really wanted to do, truth be told, was to go to her bed and hide her head under her pillow and wait for the whole situation to blow over. Unfortunately, as warden of the gates of time, she knew perfectly well that without her direct intervention, the situation would not leave her alone. Which explained her presence at the doors of her unwilling visitor's apartments. Ever since she had explained the cause of the dreams he had penned himself up in here, refusing to leave despite her persuasions to the contrary. For the past two days he had paced incessantly around his rooms, unwilling to do anything. She still didn't know if she would be able to switch them back. The energies she had stirred up from the last time had not settled enough for her to see clearly. Which was one of the reasons why she had to talk to Mamorou. He had to understand that if she couldn't switch them back, he would have to act as the King. And if this Mamorou was anything like Endymion, she knew that he would not agree to such a proposition easily. The last few months with Endymion pining away over Serenity had been as hard for her as it had been for him. Setsuna had watched him throw himself away and had understood his feelings only too well, for she had been doing the same thing since she had met him. Even as he mourned the loss of his beloved, her treacherous heart had wondered if he could come to love her in his absence. Well, at least he was gone now. His presence would no longer continue to distract her and be a source of endless grief. Unless Mamorou proved to do the same thing. Refusing to think any more, she knocked resolutely on the door. When the impatient shuffle of feet on the floor inside continued she knocked more forcefully. Getting fed up, she turned the handle and walked into the room, bumping into Mamorou, who had apparently been about to open the door. "Don't you wait for people?" He asked irritably, walking away from her. He resumed his pacing without another word. Setsuna simply stared at him, wondering. "How long before you know?" He said abruptly, pausing in mid-stride. Setsuna almost jumped, she was so startled. It took her a second to remember his question. He tapped his foot impatiently. "I don't know that either. When the time comes, you'll know as soon as I." Mamorou resumed his walk in the middle of that unsatisfactory answer. Setsuna sighed a small, frustrated sigh. "I have something important to discuss with you." "Do you?" He said belligerently, without pausing. "Yes!" She shouted, heatedly. "And you could do me the slight courtesy of stopping that stupid pacing and sitting down and looking at me." Mamorou stopped and gave her a measuring look. "All right. How about the sitting room?" He asked, gesturing toward one of the rooms of his suite. With some asperity, she walked into the room and sat down without waiting for an invitation. "All right." He said finally. "What did you want to say?" Ah, now here was the tricky part. "I'm sure you are aware that while you remain here you have certain responsibilities..." She began, but he cut her off. "Such as what?" He asked, a warning edge to his voice. "Those filled by King Endymion before you. Because you are here and he is gone you're simply going to have to do what he did until I can find a way for him to come back." "What makes you think that I'll do anything you ask me to? What do I owe you?" The tone was angry, but the pain and near anguish she sensed behind it stopped Setsuna from hitting him over the head with her glaive. After all, Endymion had done this many times as well. The knowledge, however, did not stop her from answering with justified anger. "What do you owe me? Your life, you fool. You're continued existence on this planet is due to my intervention and it is well you remember that, for all my solution has caused you pain. Don't you think I know how you feel? But at least it doesn't stop me from doing my duty. And right now, your duty is to fill the role of King Endymion until I can switch you two again. And even if I am never able to do so you still must serve as King Endymion. You forget, Mamorou, the responsibility that comes with power." Stunned silence ensued after the speech. "There is a board meeting in one hour." Setsuna said finally. "Ask one of the guards for directions." Her long hair swung purposefully behind her as she walked out of the room. ********** Had the Wise Man true hands, he would have clapped them in joy. As it was, he floated about his dark cave a little more quickly than usual and a smile contorted his death mask into a sickly shape. Finally, he had found a place for him to put the only two who could stop his plan for world domination. Finally he knew where he could banish the two that would relieve him of all responsibility for their deaths as well as taking them out of the final battle. He practically felt like singing. He had actually known of the place this entire time, but he had only realized that it was the perfect place for his plan recently. When he had joined with the Death Phantom and pledged his life to the cause, he had been given access to several secrets of the universe no others knew of. One of these aspects of secret knowledge lay in the existence of worlds on other dimensions. Although none were so extensive as the dimension the death phantom desired to dominate, the others were easy to traverse in and out of, if one had enough power and determination and time. The Wise Man had al three in abundance. One such world was Eido, a land of ice and death, known only to perhaps two beings in the entire universe. Soon, of course, four would know it, but those two were destined to die quickly. Eido had been a fluke of creation. Of all the worlds in all the dimensions, only Eido was completely inhospitable to life of any kind. Any creature of any kind, from amoebas on up, died within hours, at most a day or two. Even with super powers, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask would die within a matter of days. He of course, would not be directly responsible. All that was left now was for him to locate the two troublemakers and send them to his perfectly erected death trap. The best part about Eido, of course, was that although it was delightfully easy to get in, it was utterly impossible to leave. Even if Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask managed to gather enough travel to teleport themselves, the malevolent nature of the planet itself would not let them go. His plan was foolproof. With one last self-satisfied smile, the Wise Man brought out his crystal ball and quickly located the two. Within seconds it was done. ************** Setsuna looked around impatiently, wondering where Mamorou was. She had been nearly positive that he would come to the meeting, but he was already five minutes late and the others were getting impatient. She had promised them that King Endymion would show up. Muttering an annoyed apology, she left the meeting room and ran down the halls of the palace, her green hair flying behind her. Even as she ran she grew aware of a power, some malevolent force emanating from the direction of Mamorou's rooms. Doubling her speed, she changed quickly into Sailor Pluto, a ball of dread in her stomach. She prayed that she wouldn't be too late, but the sudden end of the power flow just as she opened the door told her that she had. Sailor Pluto stared at the empty room for a while before she realized that she was crying. ************ Usagi skipped along the path to the house, quickly outdistancing herself from Endymion in her haste to go and talk to the others. Endymion smiled at her indulgently, almost relishing this completely unexpected turn of events that had allowed him to see his Usako so young again. The others had resumed a quiet discussion on the porch, with Chibiusa sleeping on Minako's lap. They all looked up in surprise however when they saw Usagi's smiling form run up to them. "We're going to solve the problem." Usagi declared triumphantly. "And just how are you going to do that?" Rei said, somewhat sarcastically, but glad to see that her friend was happy. "Well-" Usagi's answer was cut off abruptly as she shrieked in confusion. Endymion realized what was going on first and sprinted to her, reaching out with his powers to try to keep whatever force was trying to take her away from doing it. Of the four friends, Minako was the first one to get herself together. She cast her Venus Love-Me Chain at her friend in an effort to stop her from disappearing so quickly, but whatever force it was simply ripped her chain to shreds. Venus stared at her hand in confusion, but by then it was too late. Before their eyes Usagi vanished like so much smoke. They might have had a hard time believing it if it hadn't happened to Mamorou the day before. ************* Well, that's all for chapter four. Wow...I'm almost done. I'm sure you never believed I'd get so close...