Promises, Flowers & Farewells 4
From Pity to Love
DisclaimerI don't own SM. Just the characters I made up for this story.
While the scouts believed all was lost, Tuxedo Mask was struggling to get out of the crystal. He was still weak but he used whatever strength he had to break free. His effort paid off when it cracked and he grimaced again, pushing against the crystal in the same spot. It broke fully and he tumbled out.
"You are not my friend," he said and wandered out of his prison.
"Fiore, no, don't do this!" Sailor Rainbow pleaded.
"You're next, Sailor Rainbow," he muttered, raising a hand. A telekinetic pulse threw Sailor Moon back into a boulder. Before she can recover, he appeared behind her and restrained her from moving. He raised her in the air.
"No, Fiore!" Rainbow called out. She tried to stop him but fell onto the ground. "Damn. What can I do?"
"Raise your hands if you want to try her energy!" Fiore called to the flowers and then many hands sprung out of the ground. Each drew her energy and Sailor Moon screamed.
“You can wail all you want, but my followers won't give up until I tell them, so give up your claim on Darien's heart, and I'll tell them to stop! You don't know what it's like to be lonely without true friends, Sailor Moon! Or you wouldn't try to take Darien away!”
But there was someone who had an idea. Sailor Mercury struggled and raised her head up. She remembered her first day at school. She was studying, as usual and pair of girls was backbiting about her.
“All she ever does is study," said one, "she's such a bookworm.”
“Yeah, Straight-A Amy," agreed the other, "the world's smartest loner.” Sailor Mercury understood.
“Heeelp!” Sailor Moon called.
“You don't know what it's like to have everyone shun you because you're different, Sailor Moon!” Fiore ranted.
Jupiter now raised her head. Her violent reputation kept her from having friends. She remembered while sitting in the shade of a tree with a blade of wheat in her mouth, people were afraid of her and thought twice about ever becoming her friend.
“I heard she karate-chopped a teacher at her old school.” Said a girl.
“I give her two weeks.” Challenged the boy she was talking to
“Why bother trying to make friends?" She asked. "She'll just get kicked out anyway.”
“Maybe you'll understand what Darien means to me…if you get a glimpse of true loneliness!” Fiore shouted.
Venus groaned. She had been lonely herself too and wished to be someone else so she could be popular, like Sailor V. But that did not help. She remembered walking down the hall in school one day and…
“That girl is so shy." Said a girl." She never says a word.”
"Shy?" her friend asked, "you mean stuck up."
"Well, whatever she is," said a boy, "she looks like a total snore."
"Oh, look at her trying to look like Sailor V," said the first girl and the two girls laugh as Mina looked over her shoulder.
“Do you know how it feels never to have anyone to talk to: to share things with?!” Fiore demanded.
Sailor Mars did. She recalled one day while feeding her blackbirds….
“I heard that girl can predict stuff.” Said a girl to her friend as they were passing by.
"Sounds spooky to me," said her friend.
“Yeah, and she spends all her time with those weird blackbirds." Agreed the other. "She doesn't seem to like people.”
"Probably thinks she's too good for us. Hmph."
Fiore was spouting about how awful it was to be alone but he still was not finished yet. "Have you ever had people look down on you for no good reason? Well, have you?!"
"Fiore," Sailor Rainbow whispered, raising her head. Her eyes welled up with tears. She remembered something from long, long ago. Being a peasant girl kept her from getting any respect.
Lydia was drawing water from one of the wells, wearing simple rags. It was a very hot day and she was sweating and wet like a melting ice cube. Three rich girls were passing her.
"Ooh, I can smell her from here!" groaned one, taking out her handkerchief and holding it over her nose.
Lydia looked up. She wanted to smack them all one but she knew they were high class and if she had done something like that, she'd probably get hung or beheaded or thrown in jail, even if she were friends with Prince Darien. She just ignored them and continued to do her work and pulled on the rope to pull up the bucket of water. 'Maybe they'll go away,' she thought.
But the girls didn't. They walked over to her. "My, look at her hands! They're filthy!" Said the one in the middle as she grabbed Lydia's hands in her clean gloved ones, careful not to get them too soiled. "And so many scars! What else do you do besides draw water? She demanded Lydia. "Pull up weeds with your bare hands?"
"Of course, she can't afford gloves or a hoe!" teased the one next to her.
"Forget the water for the crops, you filthy girl," ordered the rich girl with the handkerchief held to her nose, "and use it for a bath!"
The three girls laughed and finally walked away muttering something about why the peasants have to be so dirty. Lydia looked on at them and then to her hands. They were dirty and they had scars and calluses and hangnails. They weren't silky like a princess' hands. Ashamed of her own hands, she closed her fingers and pulled them to her chest before returning to her work. She glanced at them several times as she lifted the water bucket up. When it finally came to the top, instead of taking it out and putting it on the rod to carry it to the crops, she dunked her hands into the water and rubbed them together furiously, tears flowing freely down her sweaty, dirty cheeks.
All the sailor scouts could feel for Fiore, Rainbow especially. Before they met Sailor Moon, they didn't have any friends. Sailor Moon or Serena was their friend even if Amy was a bookworm, Lita a bully, Mina a hero wannabe, Raye a hothead and Lydia a peasant girl. They pushed themselves up and slowly began to walk to him. Sailor Moon was drained from all her energy and Fiore let her fell the ground. She lay, gasping for breath. Thorns extract from Fiore's armor.
“You're history, Sailor Moon.” He stepped over to her. "Adios, thief of hearts." A thorn raised over his shoulder and sharpened.
“Don't! DON'T!" Sailor Venus hollered. "Sailor Moon's done more for me than anyone!”
“She's the best friend you could wish for." Jupiter added. "Just ask Darien. And she could be your friend, too.”
"Fiore, please listen to us!" Sailor Rainbow begged. "Sailor Moon is my friend even if I am a poor peasant girl and she'll gladly take you to be her friend, no matter what planet your from!" Her heart beat faster and she felt somehow, stronger. She continued to walk over to Fiore. Her heart felt so full but she wasn't exactly sure why. She almost wanted to embrace him until his armor broke and the Kisenian blossom wilted away. Was it just pity she felt for the alien boy? She stopped right in front of him. "It doesn't matter! And I promise yeh that I'll be yer friend too!"
"She's right," Venus agreed, "we'll be your friend!"
“You could join us, Fiore.” Sailor Mercury added. “Put your powers towards building more friendships.”
“You think I'm a dope?" He demanded. "You're just trying to trick me into letting her go so she can take Darien away!”
"That's not true, Fiore!" Sailor Rainbow shouted, putting her hands on his chest. She felt his energy. She didn't want to let go. "Please, Fiore, yeh must fight it!"
“You're the one who's been tricked!" Mars corrected. "Kisenian Blossom wants to rule alone. She'll destroy you, Fiore. Once she gets what she wants, you're history, and Darien will be, too.”
“NO! Kisenian is no traitor!” Fiore snarled.
“Yes, she is! You will be destroyed!” Sailor Rainbow exclaimed, “We want to help you!”
“I don’t need your help!” he shouted at her.
“Fiore, please,” she begged.
"Out of my way!" Fiore growled, pushing Sailor Rainbow away, making her fall down. "You're lying!”
“No, it’s true,” Sailor Rainbow said. “Do you really want to kill Sailor Moon? Think of what you’ll do to Darien if you do!”
“Shut up!” he hissed. “Kisenian will find a place for Darien in her plans…and Sailor Moon…is the big obstacle to making that happen. TIME TO DIE!” He sent out his thorns to impale Sailor Moon.
'Must stop him,' Rainbow thought, trying to get back up. "Fiore, no, please! Yeh'll never forgive yehself!"
"Sailor Moon!"
"Stop it!"
"Stop it!"
"Sailor Moon!"
The thorns arced up but something intervened. Every thorn missed Sailor Moon's body. Fiore noticed a rose in his armor, right between the thumb and forefinger of the arm around him, right over his heart. "The red rose…" he muttered.
Tuxedo Mask had managed to get out and save Sailor Moon's life once again.
"You choose them?" Fiore asked.
"Yes." Darien said and fell to his knees.
"He got out!" Sailor Venus cried, surprised and relieved.
"Darien!" Fiore said.
Fiore's armor cracked. He screamed and Sailor Rainbow watched closely. Was he free now? Fiore's whole armor fell into pieces and he collapsed to the ground, in his native-alien attire.
“Why don't you go after him?" The Kisenian blossom asked. "He's weak.”
“We're like brothers!" He grimaced, "We've shared the same pain. All I've hoped for was to be friends once more.”
“I'm sorry, Fiore.” Tuxedo Mask said.
“Goodbye, Darien." Fiore said. "I hope you're happy with your choice.” Starting where Fiore lay, the flowers disappear, revealing bare rock.
"It's bare," Sailor Venus noted.
"The flower's vanished," Sailor Jupiter added.
Mercury sighed and fell to her knees, "earth is safe. We've foiled Kisenian's mission."
“Fiore?” Sailor Rainbow mumbled.
She realized why she let Fiore take Darien away, why she pitied him, why she challenged him to a duel and why she offered to take his place. Her pity had turned to love for him. Rainbow's tears fell freely down her cheeks and she laughed with a closed mouth. She had always wanted to fall for a guy who was lonely and down on his luck and she had finally found him. She didn't want him to go on without having that knowledge. Now, Rainbow had just fallen love with the alien boy.
'I've finally found my soul mate,' she thought, 'and I don't care if he's from another planet!'
"Fiore!" she cried. She rushed to his side and lifted him up in her arms. "Fiore! Please try to understand. We are not yer enemies. We're not here to take Darien away from yeh. We can all be your friends. I know you're hurt and confused."
“You’re, you’re not going to take Darien away?” he asked, “but, why did you come?”
“To save our planet,” she answered, “Please try to understand. We just want to live in peace. Come with us, Fiore.”
The others looked on in surprise.
"I don't believe it," Venus mumbled, shaking her head.
"She's in love with him!" Sailor Jupiter gasped.
"Then maybe she can save him," Mars said.
"Why are you crying?" he asked innocently.
"Because, Fiore, I--" she began to utter her love for him but the Kisenian Blossom stopped her from continuing.
"Don't listen to her, Fiore!" the Kisenian Blossom commanded. "She just pities you!"
"Pity?" he mumbled.
"No, Fiore," Sailor Rainbow said, "It may have started out that way--"
"See?" The Kisenian Blossom said. "She admits it! She doesn’t care about you! Get rid of her!"
"Stop feeding him those lies, yeh weed!" Rainbow hissed, "yeh have no right to sink yer roots into him!" Rainbow reached over to pull the Kisenian Blossom off of Fiore, but just as her fingers touch it, the Kisenian defended herself by burning Sailor Rainbow's hand. The fingers and palm of her right glove fell away, creating some nasty burns on her fingers and palm. She hissed in pain.
Fiore's eyes flashed and he raised his arm, "I don't need your pity and I don't need you!"
"Fiore, please listen to me!" Rainbow began, "I--"
But he had heard enough. He gathered his strength and sent a telekinetic pulse to her stomach. Rainbow slid across the bare rock on her back, scratching her uniform and causing her to bleed.
"Sailor Rainbow!" Sailor Mercury cried and the other sailors bent down to her. "Are you all right?"
"So much for taking the Kisenian blossom away with my bare hands," Rainbow groaned. "Her hold on him is too strong. She has her roots in him deeper than a cactus and she's ten times as prickly!" She began to sob, but more of emotional pain than physical. "Oh, Fiore!"
Something unpredictable happened. The core on which they stood on broke away with the rest of the planet and they were now headed at Earth at a high speed. They struggled to keep their footing.
“Ha ha ha! I forgot to give you your parting gifts!" Fiore laughed. "Wouldn't want you to think I was rude! We've programmed the core of the planet to self-destruct on Earth. In a few minutes, you'll be on a crash course home…without enough power to teleport off this rock! Ha ha ha!”
"Fiore, why?" Rainbow mumbled.
“And once we've landed," Kisenian said, "I'll suck the Earthlings dry in your memory, my faithful servant!”
"We won't let yeh!" Rainbow hissed, struggling to her feet. "I'll fight yeh to the bitter end!"
“You'll do no such thing, Kisenian!” Sailor Moon shouted, rising up on her knees. She opened the silver crystal locket and everyone gasped in shock. Sailor Moon was too weak to use the Silver Crystal now. It could kill her! The others shout to stop her.
“NOT THAT!” Venus cried.
“DON'T DO IT, SAILOR MOON!” pleaded Mars
“THE MOON CRYSTAL'S TOO POWERFUL!” Jupiter reminded.
"AND YEH TOO WEAK NOW TO USE IT!" Sailor Rainbow shouted.
“IT'LL TAKE ALL YOUR STRENGTH!” Mercury cried.
"DON'T DO IT!" Tuxedo Mask said.
“It's cool. Why have the Moon Crystal if I'm not supposed to use it?" Sailor Moon asked bluntly. "Don't worry. Everything'll be all right. Now, let's get home safe and sound. ‘Kay?” She began to draw the crystal out from the locket but Fiore suddenly appeared in front of her and grabbed the locket.
"Hey!" Rainbow muttered. "Let go of the moon crystal!"
“If you think you're going to change this planet's trajectory," Fiore said, "you're wrong! Give me the Crystal!” His grip interrupted the flow of the crystal's power and Sailor Moon's uniform became the pink ribbons, flowing around her naked body as she is caught in a midway transformation state.
"Fiore, let go!" Rainbow ordered.
“Ha ha ha." Fiore exclaimed. "Like candy from a baby!”
Sailor Moon took Fiore's fist in her hand. “I can make you better. Your heart is still pure. We can be friends.”
"You're lying!" Fiore argued.
"Just listen to her, Fiore," Rainbow insisted.
“Maybe you'll believe me when I show you how Darien became my friend.” Sailor Moon said. The moon crystal flashed and Fiore screamed.
He was taken to Darien's hospital room. He stood back into a wall and surveyed the situation. Young Darien was sitting on a bed, crying. A little blond haired girl heard the soft sobbing and entered his room. She leaned her head on his lap. He looked down at her.
“Who are you?” he asked.
“My name is Serena." She replied. "Why are you crying?”
“Because my friend's leaving," Darien answered, rubbing his eyes, "and I'll never see him again…and…he's the only friend I've got.”
“No he isn't…'cause from now on, I'll be your friend, too." Serena insisted. "My mommy just had a baby boy today, and I got these roses for her.” She took a rose from the bunch in her hand and held in front of Darien. "Here. It's a present."
"Thanks, Serena," Darien said. As he reached for the rose, Fiore stood with a shocked expression on his face. He couldn't' believe it. The rose Darien gave him was from Serena. Instead of keeping the rose for himself, he gave it to Fiore.
“Darien's rose came from you!" Fiore exclaimed. "It was a token of YOUR friendship?” The moon crystal was changing. “The Crystal's changing!” He let go of the crystal and started to cry when he sees the new shape of the crystal. “A flower!”
Sailor Rainbow smiled through her own tears. "Oh, Fiore…"
“Fiore, take the Moon Crystal and get rid of her!” the Kisenian Blossom commanded.
Fiore could not do it. Tears fell from his face.
"Fiore!" the light of the crystal washed over the Kisenian Blossom, destroying her.
Fiore backed up and screamed as he disappeared too. Sailor Rainbow gasped. "Fiore, come back!" She ran to where he had been standing. "Where did he go? He's gone!" She turned around as the light of the moon crystal flashed past her face. Sailor Moon changed into the moon princess. "Why it's…"
“Moon Princess!” Venus cried.
“Serenity!” Jupiter gasped.
“She's come!” Sailor Mars said.
"We're with you!" Mercury promised.
"My love…" Tuxedo Mask mumbled.
Sailor Rainbow looked back where Fiore had disappeared and walked to Sailor Moon's side, holding her locket. She changed into the Rainbow Princess and held out her rainbow crystal in front of her. "Yeh didn't think I'd let yeh take all the credit for saving Earth, did yeh, Moon Princess? It's my home too."
Princess Serenity smiled. "Rainbow Princess, my sister."
"Let's do this, together!"
"Right," she said and nodded. “Silver Crystal, protect us! In the name of the Moon…” the crystal's power began to slow the planet down. Serenity struggled with the strong forces. “…I ask you to help me save them! They are family to me! They are my loyal friends, and my Kingdom depends on them!”
"The same goes to yeh, Rainbow Crystal!" the Rainbow Princess said, "we must save the world!"
Tuxedo Mask stood, closed his eyes and he became Prince Darien.
“Come on!" Sailor Venus urged, noticing Prince Darien, "She needs our power!”
“Sailor Scouts, this is what it all comes down to!” Jupiter said.
“Right!" Mars agreed. "Serenity needs us!”
“Together, we can win!” Mercury said.
The planet continued to slow down. The edges of the planet broke away. Both Princess grimace in concentration. A hand reached to the Moon Princess's and she looked over to her prince in surprise. The Rainbow Princess smiled, seeing this and turned her focus on her rainbow crystal. The four sailor scouts joined hands and knelt behind the two princesses and Prince Darien. They each recalled special moments they had with Serena.
Amy was at the beach with the other girls. She was under a beach umbrella reading a book.
“Hey bookworm!” Serena called.
"Hmm?" She mumbled.
Serena took the book away with her. “Today, you're gonna do nothing except play!”
"Wow." Amy said, excited. "I've never done that before."
"This has to work!" Sailor Mercury exclaimed, shutting her eyes tight.
Raye, after a long day of chores, slid down a wall. "Whew."
"You know," Serena said, "too many chores are bad for you."
"Oh," Raye joked, "that must mean you're in perfect health."
Serena giggled.
“We're here!” Mars said.
Lita took out her lunch, sitting on the grass. She took out a delicious bun and Serena popped out from behind her.
"Wow, that bun looks really yummy."
"Thank you," Lita said awkwardly, "but aren't you scared of me?"
"Should I be?" Serena asked.
Lita sighed and her eyes twinkled.
"Serenity!" Jupiter called.
Sailor Venus looked back when Sailor Moon finally met her. "I'm psyched. I've been waiting big time to meet you, Sailor V!"
"Well…thank you."
"We can do it!" Sailor Venus shouted.
She didn't know if it was the crystal, but Princess Lydia remembered something about her friendship with Serena too.
They were in the arcade playing video games. Serena was winning her game.
"Wow, lookit my score!" she exclaimed, "It must be you, Lydia! I'm so lucky to have you have you as my good luck charm, or should I say best friend?"
Lydia chuckled and slid her arm around Serena's neck, "yeh must be joking, Serena! I'm the lucky one!"
The two embraced like a pair of sisters.
"Let's make this our lucky day!" Princess Lydia announced.
'My friends. I knew I could count on them, as always…and my prince, too. I can feel their strength in the Crystal now.' Princess Serenity thought. "WE ARE PLANET POWER!"
"MERCURY STAR POWER!"
"MARS STAR POWER!"
"JUPITER STAR POWER!"
"VENUS STAR POWER!"
"RAINBOW CRYTAL POWER!"
"MOON CRYSTAL POWER!"
The two princesses use the combined power of their crystals and the sailor's power to stop the planet. Both of their crystals shattered and they collapsed.
Meanwhile, on Earth, Rini sat on Serena's roof with the guardian cats.
“I wonder how our Sailor Scouts are doing.” Artemis said.
"I couldn't bear it if anything happened to them."
"They'll be all right," Rini said.
"Huh?" Artemis meowed.
"They're protected by moon power, you guys." Rini said optimistically. "They'll find away to come safely."
"The lassies right," Lucky said.
"It's just taking so long though," Luna sighed.
"And they'll wallop the bad guy's ahrss too," Rini added.
The three cats gasped and looked at her in surprise. "Rini!" Luna exclaimed.
"Oh, I mean, er, they'll box their ears!" Rini corrected with a grin.
Luna and Artemis stared at Lucky, who chuckled nervously. "Kids."
Final Chapter: Rainbow's Beloved Flower