Author's Note: Sailormoon does not belong to me, Chihiro Kannuki belongs to me, the villians belong to me, and so does Princess. Actually, Princess is really Usagi in disguise, but her alter ego belongs to me. Did that make sense? Oh well.
"Would the lady like a glass of wine with her meal?" the waiter asked Princess later on at the restaurant, after their orders had arrived.
"No thank you." Princess replied politely.
"Sir?"
"That's okay." Mamoru responded in kind. "We're just fine, thank you."
"Certainly." the waiter excused himself, leaving Princess and Mamoru to their meals.
Princess and Mamoru ate their meals in awkward silence, while Princess tried desperately to find something to talk about. The room was deathly quiet, except for the occasional clearing of the throat.
I haven't been with Mamoru for more than thirty minutes here, and I'm already looking for an excuse to get out! Usagi thought in distress.
The lunch had started out pretty well, but then Mamoru started asking Usagi various questions about her background, her family, and anything else he could come up with. It soon became obvious to Usagi that Mamoru was trying to dig up some past dirt on her.
You could try being more subtle, Mamoru, Usagi thought grimly. You're starting to sound like one of those annoying detectives in the movies.
Mamoru then cleared his throat longer than necessary, and took a long gulp from his water glass.
Oh great, Usagi thought boredly, here we go again.
"So Princess," Mamoru began casually, "do you have a boyfriend?"
Usagi's fork frozed halfway in its path to her mouth. This was a question she was not expecting.
"Uh. . .well. . ."
"Because you and Kannuki seemed pretty close, that's all, and I wondered if I should worry for Kannuki." Mamoru hurried on uncomfortably.
Mamoru's jealous! Usagi thought giddily. But in a flash that feeling disappeared, and anger replaced it.
Mamoru's only jealous because he likes Princess! Usagi though angrily. He could care less if someone else liked me! Prince Demando had wanted to be with me, but had Mamoru cared then? No!
"Actually Mamoru-san," Usagi began, "I really admire Kannuki. I mean, he has worked hard to gain the position he has today, and being drop dead handsome doesn't hurt either. I don't have a boyfriend right now, but I hope to change that soon. Why do you ask?" Usagi smiled smugly when she saw Mamoru's reaction to her words.
Mamoru's face had lost all color, and he struggled hard to control the jealousy that had threatened to burst forth when he heard Princess say that she really liked Kannuki.
"No reason at all," Mamoru said lightly. After that, Princess and Mamoru barely exchanged a word to each other.
An hour later, Princess looked at her watch and decided it was time to end the lunch date.
"I believe I should go now, Mamoru," Princess said, as she got out of her chair. "Thank you for treating me to lunch."
"You're welcome," Mamoru said, "it was a pleasure to be able to eat with you. I could give you a ride back to the office, if you like."
"NO!" Usagi said strongly. Then realizing how loud she had been, she quickly fixed her mistake.
"I mean, I really shouldn't take anymore of your time. I know you're a really busy man, and I would feel absolutely terrible if I kept bothering you. Besides, I wanted to do some errands before I went back to the office."
"Okay," Mamoru said. He too, was also a little shaken by Princess' tone. "I'll see you later?"
"Of course," Princess nodded. She quickly walked out of the restaurant, not looking back once.
Usagi walked by herself in a secluded street, not really caring where she went.
"Five years ago, I would have done anything to be with Mamoru. Now it seems that I can't get away from him fast enough. I've changed. Everything is different now. I'm not the same Tsukino Usagi I was five years ago, and he's not the same Chiba Mamoru." Usagi sighed.
Usagi saw a woman standing near a streetlight. It looked like she was waiting for someone. Usagi smiled and nodded at the woman and kept walking, but the woman stopped her.
"Excuse me," the woman said kindly, "but I can't help but ask you something."
"Yes?"
"Have you ever heard of the princess of the moon?"
"Why do you ask?" Usagi asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.
"It's just that I've always studied astronomy ever since I was little, and the legend of the Moon Princess has always fascinated me." She smiled at Usagi. "I've heard that the Moon Princess is the most well-known legend of Tokyo, and I just had to ask you about it. Could you please tell me about the legend?"
"Well-"
"I promise you that I won't take too much of your time." the woman hurried. "I just want to hear about her. Even though I've never seen her face before, she sounds so beautiful. Is she?"
"Oh yes," Usagi said before she could stop herself. "She is known to be the goddess of the universe. Her mother, the queen of the moon, was also quite an enchantress, so naturally, her daughter inherited her beauty, and much more. She was well-loved by everyone in the kingdom, and was a kind princess who treated her people justly."
"Wow," the woman breathed. "Even though you haven't even described her appearance, I can already feel her presence. Whatever happened to her?"
"Well, as always, there was a handsome prince in the picture, who was known as Prince Endymion. He was earth's crown prince. He and Princess Serenity, the Moon Princess, were in love and were engaged to be married one day. But there was also an evil princess on earth who wanted Prince Endymion for herself, and she found the ability to become a powerful sorceress. She was Queen Beryl. She attacked the moon with all her soldiers, and destoryed the Moon Kingdom. Prince Endymion died protecting his love, and Princess Serenity took her own life, for she could not live without her prince anymore."
"That's so sweet," the woman said. "But wasn't there another princess in the picture?"
"Another princess?" Usagi was surprised. She didn't remember another princess fighting for Prince Endymion, nor did Luna or Artemis ever tell her about the posssibility.
"I'm not sure if there was," Usagi said. "I have never heard the story quite that way. Perhaps you can tell me?"
"I would be happy to," the woman said kindly. And then, a radical change came over the woman's face, as a dark evil took the place of the good. Usagi sensed it, and cautiously took a step away from the woman.
"You see," the woman said quietly, "there was another princess in the scene. This one came long before Queen Beryl, and even before Princess Serenity. This was the one princess that Prince Endymion truly belonged to. Her name was Princess Naoko."
"Princess Naoko?" Usagi whispered. Prince Endymion had knew another princess before her? Why hadn't he ever told her?
"Yes, Princess Naoko. You see, even though Princess Serenity was known to be the goddess of the universe, Princess Naoko was not far behind at all. She should have been the chosen goddess of the moon!" the woman said angrily. She then took a deep breath, calming herself down. "Anyway, she was betrothed to Prince Endymion, and they were very much in love. But then Princess Serenity came along and stole Prince Endymion away from Princess Naoko! You see, Princess Serenity deserves to die!"
"No!" Usagi shouted. "That's not true, she never knew that Prince Endymion was already betrothed to another princess! Princess Serenity would never do such a thing!"
"But she did!" the woman argued. "She did! And do you know what's even worse? The fact that Princess Naoko trusted Princess Serenity! They were best friends! And then Princess Serenity lets another man ruin their friendship! How dare you people worship such a woman?!? She deserves to suffer for all the pain she has caused!"
"That's a lie! Princess Serenity is good, she's good! Even if she did take Prince Endymion away, she didn't know that he was already betrothed to her best friend!"
"How could she not know that her best friend was to be married to earth's crown prince?!"
"Because best friends lie!!" Usagi was crying now. Not only was she crying from what the woman was telling her, but also because of what her own friends did to her.
"Best friends aren't saints, do you know that?" Usagi shouted. "They'll hurt you, they'll stab you in the back, but do you know what makes them different from other friends?! They're sorry for what they did! They try to make it better, they know that what they did was wrong!" Pause. "I'm a good person! I didn't mean to steal Mamo-chan! I thought he was in love with me too! I thought he really cared about me!"
"What are you talking about? Are you saying that you are the Moon Princess?"
"No! I'm not!" Usagi hurried. "How could I be the Moon Princess? She doesn't even exist."
"No, she doesn't." the woman said slowly, "but she lives on. In her guardians."
"What?"
"The Sailor Senshi. Surely you've heard of them, since they are the destined protectors of the Moon Princess and of Tokyo."
"I've heard of them," Usagi said cautiously.
"There can only be one reason that they are here in Tokyo."
"What is that?"
"They are here to find their princess again. Either that, or their princess is right here in Tokyo."
"But that's only a legend."
"Legend's can come true. Do you think that the Sailor Senshi are normal mortals?" the woman said harshly. "They're nothing but freaks."
"Watch what you're saying about the Sailor Senshi!" Usagi said angrily. "You know nothing about them!"
"And you do?" the woman said arrogantly.
"Of course I do!" Usagi said passionately. "Every Tokyo citizen knows how much the Sailor Senshi had to sacrifice in order to protect them!"
"I don't think so," the woman responded. "Not one person I have asked seems to know anything about the Sailor Senshi. How would they know what they had to give up in order to be little girls prancing around in tight skirts?"
"How dare you! As if you could do anything better than that!"
"Of course not, I'm not immortal."
"Neither are the Sailor Senshi! You just don't understand the pain that they have gone through! You are as ignorant as everyone else is! You all believe that the Sailor Senshi have it easy, but they don't!" Pause. "They would do anything for their princess! Even if it means losing their lives for her!" The woman smiled smugly.
"So you finally admit that the Sailor Senshi exist only for the Moon Princess, then." Usagi blanched.
"I mean-- uh--I meant that--that--"
"The Moon Princess really does exist in Tokyo, and she is the Sailor Senshi's main weakness!"
"No!"
"I know who you are," the woman said sneered. "The act's over. Show yourself to me, Sailor Guardian!" The woman transformed into Inertia, the warrior of Dark Science.
"Who are you?"
"I am Inertia, soldier of Princess Iniquity's. I am here to find Princess Serenity," Inertia said calmly. "So that justice can finally be served."
"Princess Iniquity?"
"After Princess Serenity stole Prince Endymion away from Princess Naoko, Princess Naoko turned to dark magic in order to ease her pain. The magic was too powerful for her though, and she lost control of the magic. It completely destroyed her mind, and now the dark magic is controlling her soul." Inertia glared at Usagi with hatred. "It is Princess Serenity's fault that Princess Naoko turned into Princess Iniquity! Now the only way for Princess Naoko to find peace is to destory Princess Serenity! Princess Serenity must die!" Silence. "And you will bring me her life, Sailor Guardian!"
"Even if I could, I wouldn't!" Usagi said strongly.
Besides, Usagi thought, I can't exactly bring my head to you myself, can I?
"If you don't, I will kill you," Inertia warned. "Is your princess really worth your own life?"
"Is your princess really worth yours?" Usagi shot back.
"Of course."
"Then you already know my answer," Usagi said calmly. "You can kill me, but I will never turn my back on my people."
"Then I have no choice but to show you what I am capable of doing, Sailor Guardian." Inertia began her incantation. Usagi reached for her Moon Locket, but then froze.
It's not there! Usagi thought in despair.
"This is so not good," Usagi muttered to herself. "Where is my locket?! I know I had it earlier!" Silence. "Oh my gosh! I can't do anything without being Sailormoon! I have to get out of here!" Usagi saw that Inertia was momentarily distracted and turned to run, but then she heared Inertia call out.
"Leaving so soon, Senshi? Why, we haven't even started yet!" Inertia mocked. Her incantation done, Inertia began to summon her powers.
"Dark Whirling Wind. . . .Destroy!"
A gust of black wind came forth from Inertia's hands and formed a twister. It headed in Usagi's direction, and as she struggled to move, Inertia's laughter could be heard.
"I don't see why you're not transforming, Senshi!" Inertia laughed. "You will never beat me without the aid of your powers!"
"I don't -- feel -- like -- transforming --" Usagi said between clenched teeth, as the twister pulled her in its direction. She screamed and desperately tried to grab a hold of something. Inertia laughed callously.
"Well then, let me motivate you a bit!" Inertia raised her arms to the sky.
"Dark Ice. . .Thunder!"
Lightning came down from the sky and gathered in her hands. She aimed it at Usagi, who screamed in agony. The lightning chilled her bones and burned her soul.
"This isn't getting me anywhere," Usagi whispered. "I have to -- get out -- but I don't -- have any -- strength -- left. I'm going -- to -- die," Usagi smiled bitterly, "again."
Usagi then lost her will to live and passed out.
Inertia frowned.
"Dang it! I didn't even find out where Princess Serenity is! Oh well, I might as well just kill her off." Inertia formed a dagger made out of ice in her right hand that also burned with fire.
"Sorry for doing this," Inertia said, not really meaning a word of it, "but I have to get rid of you. Otherwise, you will warn the others of my presence. It was nice playing with you, Senshi. You're the strongest of all of them."
After Inertia finished, she slowly raised the dagger above Usagi's still body.
Sorry about making this chapter so short, but I thought that this would be a good place to stop. More in the next chapter!
Back to Chapter Five
Chapter Seven
