(no subject)
Title: Decision
Author: Raya
Medium: Fanfic
Theme: Usagi / Ordinary
Genre: General
Version: Manga? Crystal Tokyo
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,379
Disclaimer: Usagi, the senshi, Endymion, and Small Lady all belong to Takeuchi Naoko as does the universe in which this story takes place. All rights to them belong to her. Tomoya Okita, Riwa Gotou, their drama, and the kissing scene that Minako somehow missed, however, belong to Chitose Yagami and are making a cameo without anyone's permission.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So is constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
Decision
"Hey, did anyone else catch that drama special last night? Girl in Love?" Makoto swirled her bubble tea with her straw as she looked expectantly around the table at her friends.
"Ohhhhh yes," Usagi gushed as her head popped up from her cream soda. "Riwa-chan was so cute, and that new guy... Oh..."
"Mmm, mmm," Makoto nodded in agreement.
"If I didn't already have Mamo-chan..." Usagi sighed dreamily as she twirled her straw.
"Well you do," Minako replied with mock sternness, "so you just forget you ever saw Tomoya-kun."
"You might as well give it up, too," Ami said as Usagi tugged at a lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out playfully at her golden haired friend. "He already has a girlfriend, you know."
"Well, of course he does," Minako laughed as she tossed her long hair. "He's so gorgeous... He probably has hundreds of women drooling after him. But, one look at me and he'll forget a-a-all about them!"
"I take it you didn't see that kiss," Rei put in with an amused smile.
"Kiss? Which one; there were several. Doesn't matter," Minako replied blithely as she waved her hand. "That was just work. You could tell he didn't really mean it. Besides, Riwa-chan is dating that cute guitarist, Tachizawa-kun."
Rei laughed as the rest of their friends shook their heads. "No, not that kiss. The one he gave that girl outside the studio when they were filming the drama."
"Eh? What? What kiss? To who?"
Usagi looked towards Crown's door as Minako sputtered in surprise, and then looked up at the clock on the wall. "Oh! Is that the time? I need to go!" She slurped down the last of her drink quickly as Minako pestered Rei to tell her exactly what kiss she was referring to, and then picked up her book satchel and stood up. "See you later, guys!"
"Later!" they chorused in reply. She smiled to herself in amusement as she realized that Ami's response had been muffled by Makoto's hand. Waving, she left them to their argument and made her way to the door.
She stepped out of Crown, and then stopped and stared in surprise. Instead of stepping out onto the sidewalk as she had expected, she was standing in a dimly lit room. It was obviously some formal, ritzy restaurant full of tables covered in crisp white cloth. In fact, as she saw more of the decor she realized that it was the fanciest, most expensive restaurant in Crystal Tokyo.
There were several people sitting at the tables eating quietly. A few of them were talking in hushed tones, but she could barely hear them. She stared around in confusion, and then focused on a small group of young girls sitting at a table near the door.
Except for one, all of the girls had dark hair that had been set in a rigidly formal manner. Even the smallest girl, the one with pink hair, was dressed meticulously in full formal court attire. The girl gave Serenity a blank look with her dark pink eyes, and then turned her attention to the table once more.
"I understand that Kuugawa-kun is planning to go to Crystal Academy for studies this summer," the pink haired girl said softly to the girl sitting next to her as she carefully poured her a cup of tea from an English style teapot.
"Indeed," the girl replied. Her reply was so soft that if Serenity had not been standing right next to her, she would not have heard it. "And please, Princess, a little more softly. I am right here. There is no need to shout."
"Of course," Small Lady replied more quietly, a faint blush stinging her cheeks. "My apologies."
"That is better," one of the other girls breathed as the barest hint of a smile lifted the corners of her lips. "Yes, Kuugawa-san will be leaving shortly to go to Crystal Academy. I understand that he has been identified as a possible suitor for you when the time comes."
"I see," the princess sighed. She closed her eyes and bent her head just a bit. After a moment's pause, she lifted it again and then looked straight at Serenity. "A good choice if he should succeed at Crystal Academy. His bloodline is very noble." The girls around her murmured their agreement as they lifted their teacups to their lips.
Serenity stared at her young daughter in horror. This was not how she wanted her daughter to act when she was with friends. This was... this was not normal.
Her eyes grew wider as she saw Small Lady's hair twist and darken. "No," she whispered as she lifted a hand to stop the desecration. Moving of their own accord, the long strands twisted and twined themselves into an elaborate hairstyle. The soft pink was replaced by the darkest black. "No." The blackness was invading those beautiful pink eyes, also. The girl's gaze, already blank and neutral, became dull and lifeless.
"No!" Neo-Queen Serenity sat up straight in her bed, reaching out to rescue her little daughter. She sat panting as Endymion turned on the light and turned to help her.
"Serenity?" he asked as he looked searchingly around the room.
"Endymion? Endymion. Oh, it was so horrible!" Finally realizing that it had only been a dream, she collapsed shivering against her husband.
"What was? Are you all right?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her. He frowned when she did not respond, and then sighed and held her closer. "A nightmare?" he asked more softly. He rubbed her arms gently when she nodded. "Everything is fine," he said reassuringly. "Our Small Lady is safely tucked into her own bed just down the hall. Nothing is going to happen to her here."
Serenity nodded and let his warmth and comfort soothe her. Finally, he released her and gently stroked her face. "All right?" he asked gently. She gave him a shaky smile and a nod in response. He smiled back at her, then turned to dim the lights once more. Quietly, they lay back down.
Serenity could not go back to sleep, though. She felt her husband's body relax as slumber found him once more, but her mind was racing too much for her to join him.
A nightmare, yes, but not just a nightmare. That dream had been a warning. Small Lady had always had trouble making friends with the other children in the palace. The fact that she did not mature at the same rate as them and the fact that she was the sole heir to Crystal Tokyo made her so different that she could rarely find common ground with them. Now that she had awakened as a senshi, the problem would only get worse.
There was only one solution that she could see, a solution that she did not want to take. In this time, Small Lady was slow to mature. In this time, Small Lady was the third highest ranking human alive. In this time, there were no other child senshi. But in the past...
In the past, she could be just one ordinary child among many. She could have friends without worrying that they were trying to use her to gain status and power for their families. In the past, away from the world's watchful eye, she could make mistakes and learn from them. And by those mistakes, she would mature. In the past, she could learn to use her powers and gifts. But in the past...
Serenity shuddered and bit her lower lip. In the past were the Deathbusters. And the Dead Moon Circus. And Galaxia. She definitely, absolutely positively definitely did not want to let her daughter go back to the past again for any reason.
But the girl's pink eyes... They had been so dull, so lifeless. Serenity had felt like she was watching the last of her daughter's true spirit being snuffed out in front of her. If she stayed in Crystal Tokyo, safe and protected, Small Lady would be like a butterfly who did not win freedom from her cocoon.
Torn between two possible futures full of pain and sorrow, Serenity stared sightlessly into the dark and struggled to decide which was the best.
Author: Raya
Medium: Fanfic
Theme: Usagi / Ordinary
Genre: General
Version: Manga? Crystal Tokyo
Rating: G
Word Count: 1,379
Disclaimer: Usagi, the senshi, Endymion, and Small Lady all belong to Takeuchi Naoko as does the universe in which this story takes place. All rights to them belong to her. Tomoya Okita, Riwa Gotou, their drama, and the kissing scene that Minako somehow missed, however, belong to Chitose Yagami and are making a cameo without anyone's permission.
Canon, spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections are appreciated. So is constructive criticism and general comments. Please let me know if you see something that you like or that should be corrected. Thanks! - Raya
Decision
"Hey, did anyone else catch that drama special last night? Girl in Love?" Makoto swirled her bubble tea with her straw as she looked expectantly around the table at her friends.
"Ohhhhh yes," Usagi gushed as her head popped up from her cream soda. "Riwa-chan was so cute, and that new guy... Oh..."
"Mmm, mmm," Makoto nodded in agreement.
"If I didn't already have Mamo-chan..." Usagi sighed dreamily as she twirled her straw.
"Well you do," Minako replied with mock sternness, "so you just forget you ever saw Tomoya-kun."
"You might as well give it up, too," Ami said as Usagi tugged at a lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out playfully at her golden haired friend. "He already has a girlfriend, you know."
"Well, of course he does," Minako laughed as she tossed her long hair. "He's so gorgeous... He probably has hundreds of women drooling after him. But, one look at me and he'll forget a-a-all about them!"
"I take it you didn't see that kiss," Rei put in with an amused smile.
"Kiss? Which one; there were several. Doesn't matter," Minako replied blithely as she waved her hand. "That was just work. You could tell he didn't really mean it. Besides, Riwa-chan is dating that cute guitarist, Tachizawa-kun."
Rei laughed as the rest of their friends shook their heads. "No, not that kiss. The one he gave that girl outside the studio when they were filming the drama."
"Eh? What? What kiss? To who?"
Usagi looked towards Crown's door as Minako sputtered in surprise, and then looked up at the clock on the wall. "Oh! Is that the time? I need to go!" She slurped down the last of her drink quickly as Minako pestered Rei to tell her exactly what kiss she was referring to, and then picked up her book satchel and stood up. "See you later, guys!"
"Later!" they chorused in reply. She smiled to herself in amusement as she realized that Ami's response had been muffled by Makoto's hand. Waving, she left them to their argument and made her way to the door.
She stepped out of Crown, and then stopped and stared in surprise. Instead of stepping out onto the sidewalk as she had expected, she was standing in a dimly lit room. It was obviously some formal, ritzy restaurant full of tables covered in crisp white cloth. In fact, as she saw more of the decor she realized that it was the fanciest, most expensive restaurant in Crystal Tokyo.
There were several people sitting at the tables eating quietly. A few of them were talking in hushed tones, but she could barely hear them. She stared around in confusion, and then focused on a small group of young girls sitting at a table near the door.
Except for one, all of the girls had dark hair that had been set in a rigidly formal manner. Even the smallest girl, the one with pink hair, was dressed meticulously in full formal court attire. The girl gave Serenity a blank look with her dark pink eyes, and then turned her attention to the table once more.
"I understand that Kuugawa-kun is planning to go to Crystal Academy for studies this summer," the pink haired girl said softly to the girl sitting next to her as she carefully poured her a cup of tea from an English style teapot.
"Indeed," the girl replied. Her reply was so soft that if Serenity had not been standing right next to her, she would not have heard it. "And please, Princess, a little more softly. I am right here. There is no need to shout."
"Of course," Small Lady replied more quietly, a faint blush stinging her cheeks. "My apologies."
"That is better," one of the other girls breathed as the barest hint of a smile lifted the corners of her lips. "Yes, Kuugawa-san will be leaving shortly to go to Crystal Academy. I understand that he has been identified as a possible suitor for you when the time comes."
"I see," the princess sighed. She closed her eyes and bent her head just a bit. After a moment's pause, she lifted it again and then looked straight at Serenity. "A good choice if he should succeed at Crystal Academy. His bloodline is very noble." The girls around her murmured their agreement as they lifted their teacups to their lips.
Serenity stared at her young daughter in horror. This was not how she wanted her daughter to act when she was with friends. This was... this was not normal.
Her eyes grew wider as she saw Small Lady's hair twist and darken. "No," she whispered as she lifted a hand to stop the desecration. Moving of their own accord, the long strands twisted and twined themselves into an elaborate hairstyle. The soft pink was replaced by the darkest black. "No." The blackness was invading those beautiful pink eyes, also. The girl's gaze, already blank and neutral, became dull and lifeless.
"No!" Neo-Queen Serenity sat up straight in her bed, reaching out to rescue her little daughter. She sat panting as Endymion turned on the light and turned to help her.
"Serenity?" he asked as he looked searchingly around the room.
"Endymion? Endymion. Oh, it was so horrible!" Finally realizing that it had only been a dream, she collapsed shivering against her husband.
"What was? Are you all right?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around her. He frowned when she did not respond, and then sighed and held her closer. "A nightmare?" he asked more softly. He rubbed her arms gently when she nodded. "Everything is fine," he said reassuringly. "Our Small Lady is safely tucked into her own bed just down the hall. Nothing is going to happen to her here."
Serenity nodded and let his warmth and comfort soothe her. Finally, he released her and gently stroked her face. "All right?" he asked gently. She gave him a shaky smile and a nod in response. He smiled back at her, then turned to dim the lights once more. Quietly, they lay back down.
Serenity could not go back to sleep, though. She felt her husband's body relax as slumber found him once more, but her mind was racing too much for her to join him.
A nightmare, yes, but not just a nightmare. That dream had been a warning. Small Lady had always had trouble making friends with the other children in the palace. The fact that she did not mature at the same rate as them and the fact that she was the sole heir to Crystal Tokyo made her so different that she could rarely find common ground with them. Now that she had awakened as a senshi, the problem would only get worse.
There was only one solution that she could see, a solution that she did not want to take. In this time, Small Lady was slow to mature. In this time, Small Lady was the third highest ranking human alive. In this time, there were no other child senshi. But in the past...
In the past, she could be just one ordinary child among many. She could have friends without worrying that they were trying to use her to gain status and power for their families. In the past, away from the world's watchful eye, she could make mistakes and learn from them. And by those mistakes, she would mature. In the past, she could learn to use her powers and gifts. But in the past...
Serenity shuddered and bit her lower lip. In the past were the Deathbusters. And the Dead Moon Circus. And Galaxia. She definitely, absolutely positively definitely did not want to let her daughter go back to the past again for any reason.
But the girl's pink eyes... They had been so dull, so lifeless. Serenity had felt like she was watching the last of her daughter's true spirit being snuffed out in front of her. If she stayed in Crystal Tokyo, safe and protected, Small Lady would be like a butterfly who did not win freedom from her cocoon.
Torn between two possible futures full of pain and sorrow, Serenity stared sightlessly into the dark and struggled to decide which was the best.