A short story on the real world: Ami Hey! this is the next part of 'real world'. Um, enjoy!! Oh, and Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi and other important people. Hee hee. DON"T SUE ME! Okay, I want to thank my friends: Princess Starina, Masked Maiden, Baka-Elyk, Toojthkat, JTWarcraft, the dog (hee hee, don't hit me~!) Chris Wolfe. I guess. He's a dork, J/K, but he likes anime. Hey, don't hit me!! I'm telling the truth! I'm hyper. Oh yeah, obey the spicy green mustard, vinager, talking chocolate, little purple elves, mallard ducks with shot guns, green smurfs with battle axes, Rapunzel in the asylum, and other assorted creatures.. If you want to hear that story, e-me and I'll send it to you. Okay, seeya, Chibi-Mercury I'm crying. Tears spilling down my face, my cheeks red, my face swollen, my throat clogged with pain. And tears keep trickling down. I feel as if I will never run dry of tears, and all I can taste is the bitter salty drops of water. I'm shaking with fright, and I have a terrible case of hiccups. My life is so miserable. My stomach is empty from fear and my head is pounding loudly in my brain. Pounding. Pounding. Pounding. It's making me mad. And my heart has moved from my chest to my throat, where is makes me breathe in strangled gasps. And I'm tired, too tired. I haven't slept in who knows how long, but I can't, won't. There are too many nightmares. My eye's are bloodshot, and dark bluish rings encircle them. But I can't sleep. I'm refusing, but my will power is slowly fading. Every time my head hits the pillow, my eyes start to droop, and all I can think of is how nice a short nap would be. But I won't sleep. The nightmares are what keep me awake in horror. Terrifying nightmares, so twisted and unreal. And each one reveals a new horror. They're about Usagi, ChibiUsa, and Rei. All of my friends that have vanished. They keep me awake at all hours of the night, leaving me crying in pain and fear, sweating as the moon casts its glow upon my body, with a strange feeling in my spine, as I curl up in a ball miserably, my stomach growling from a forgotten supper. ***** "Ami," I heard her shrill voice. "Hey Ames," I heard the other call. "What? You guys? Come here, I can't see you." My friends?! They were here? I looked all around, but thick, grey fog swirled around me, blinding my vision. "Where are you guys?" "Ames, you let us down." It was Rei. Her voice rung out clear and true, and I felt pain kick my stomach with the force of a small pony in fear. "Rei?" "Yeah, Ami. You could have saved us. It was your destiny, and you let us down? How could you? I thought you were the smart one." Shock emptied my stomach. This couldn't be Usagi speaking. This voice was so evil. So cruel. My heart jumped to my throat in fear, leaving me gasping short breaths, beads of sweat decorating my forehead. "Usagi? Usagi, come out. Let me see you. Please." I begged her, but she refused to answer my pleas. I was shaking in fear and ignorance. I was scared. Really scared. What was going on? A third voice shattered the darkness, "Yeah, Ami. You ruined our lives. You killed Crystal Tokyo. What are we to do now? You could have helped. It was your destiny." I know that voice, "ChibiUsa? Is that you? Oh, I did try to help you. I did. The monster was just too strong." "Don't give me that. It was just a monster. If you couldn't even dust that, you have no right to call yourself a senshi." My eyes widened, "No," I gasped as tears fell from my face, "You don't mean that. I tried to help. I really did. I'm sorry, you guys." "Ami, you made me leave my poor Mamo-chan. What will become of him now?" Sadness hugged her voice, and I felt tears squeeze from my eyes, "Usagi, please." "No, Ami. It was your duty. And you couldn't even do that. You let us down. You let everyone down. And it's all your fault." "I'm sorry, you guys. I tried. I really did. The beast was too strong." Silence. I couldn't even hear them breathing. But my pounding headache busted my ears, and I was sure they could hear it beating as I held my breath in fear, waiting. "LIAR!!" The fog burst and I looked up in time to see Moon, Chibi-Moon, and Mars hurling towards me, anger plastered upon their faces. "It's all your fault!" "No, I'm sorry, I tried!" I covered myself with my hands as they pushed into me, knocking my breath to the moon. "You guys.." ***** I've never been good with emotions, or making friends for that matter. But now, it seems the only friends I ever had are leaving. One at a time. It's like slow torture. First Usagi and ChibiUsa, they left. And that had been hard enough on us, especially since our known future has been altered. But that was two years ago, and the pain had died down. And then, last week, I had an even bigger shock as Rei died, too. It was so confusing at first. One minute Sailor Mars was there, confronting a creature as it lunged towards her. And the next.. poof, she was gone. It was almost as if she hadn't even been standing there. We didn't even find any heel marks in the dirt where she had been standing, but Pluto came and told us that Rei was gone, too. No one has recovered from these shocks yet, and we've kept to ourselves lately, not wanting to bawl in front of each other. And Mamoru-sama is taking this harder than the rest. Especially since Usagi and ChibiUsa were his family, and he and Rei were pretty close, closer than any of the rest of us, considering the fact that they used to date. Hai, they had a strong bond, even if it remained unseen, it was there, and it was special. Dating. Something I know so little about. Sure, you say, what about you and Ryo? I know what you mean, but Ryo and I aren't like that. We just consider ourselves good friends. I mean, it's not like I see him that much any ways. Oh, all the memories that that brings. I don't like memories. Because the ones that I remember most are of my cruel childhood. My mom and dad's divorce. How all the school children teased me because I was so smart. I grew up without any real friends, and that's why I don't like memories. Oh, but there are things I love to think about, don't get me wrong. Like the first time I played chess, and the nice old man who used to play with me. Do you know of the chess tower in town? He owns it, and I've even competed in there a few times. I'm pretty good, and I win most all of the matches I play. But I have my friends there to help. The remaining senshi and my pawns. They were my only friends when I was small. Little wooden pieces, each carved uniquely in its own way. They're like real people to me. Each one different, none quite the same. They were my friends growing up, and I'll always have good memories of them. My pawn friends. The only ones that were ever there for me. Until now. Or until then. My first time, I played Beruche from the Dark Moon. That's when we healed her with Sailor Moon's crystal and made her human. She seemed so happy afterwards. Especially when her other sisters joined her. We were such good friends, the senshi and sisters. And ChibiUsa was clearly the favorite, since she was so small, and the sisters loved her probably because ChibiUsa always brought news from the future with her. When she died, it was the sisters who helped us come up with a story to tell Usagi's parents. Of course, we couldn't tell them that Usagi was Sailor Moon, it'd rip up their broken hearts even more knowing that their daughter had died under such circumstances and that it had been kept a secret for over five long years. So we kept quiet, and pushed the past behind us, the sisters encouraging us all the way. They are so good, they've been so kind, I can hardly believe they used to work for the Dark Force. And it was all thanks to Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon. She has righted so many wrongs and triumphed over evil again and again. It amazes me to think that a creature killed her, and it wasn't even the queen or king of this negaverse. In her short life time, she was really a super hero. But she's like a distant figure now. You know, one of those famous people you read about in history books, like the first American president. You know about them, you learn about them, but you'll never see them. Sailor Moon's become like that. And so has Usagi, for that matter. I visited Haruna-sensei a few months ago, and Juuban High School. Usagi's really something around there. Haruna-sensei referred to her as "Extraordinary Usagi", I never thought I'd hear something that nice about Usagi come from the sensei's mouth. It's almost frightening and my stomach caved in with unfamiliar laughter as I left, a grin spread from ear to ear on my face. Haruna's words are still ringing in my ears, "Usagi was such a good girl. She never did homework, and she ate and slept in class, but Extraordinary Usagi is who she was. You just had to look past the rough exterior." Look past the rough exterior??!! Haruna never gave Usagi a second chance. She was dubbed the class nuisance the first day, and Haruna never really gave her a second thought. Those were her words, but I'm not surprised too much that she said that. Everyone has a good word to say about Usagi. Even people who hardly knew her. 0f course, Usagi had no real enemies, so no one could really say anything bad if they tried. It's times like these when you realize just how many people care, or pretend they did. Unlike my childhood. I remember many days returning home crying, attending to bruises and cuts from rocks and sticks. The physical wounds healed in time, but the emotional scars still haunt me. Little kids are so cruel. ***** "Hey, Ami," Makiko yelled at me from across the sandy playground. I ignored her and concentrated on the printed words upon the paper. She walked across the yard a few moments later, and snatched the book from my hand, anger pouring down her face. Her face resembled a tomato, and sweat rolled down her face. Her large purple eyes bulged from the sockets, and if I hadn't been so frightened, I would've laughed. "Hey," I protested, "that's --" "Oh, shut up. I called you. When some one speaks to you, you're s'posed to answer." She placed an ugly leer on her face. "My book," I mumbled in fear, afraid to say something to make her angrier than she already was. I held my breath in fear, waiting for her next move. "Oh, your book. Do you want it back??" She swung it in front of my face, daring me to snatch it back. I shot my hand out, but she pulled the non-fictional book back and laughed as I fell to the ground. I scraped my knee, and stared in horror, as she laughed harder and purposely, the terrible noise pounding in my ears, so loud that I felt that my ear drums might burst. I felt tears gush up in my eyes and I started to sniffle. "Aww, is Ami gonna start crying?" Makiko taunted as a group of students gathered around us. "Yeah," said a boy with a really squeaky mouth. He sounded like a mouse, "Is Ami gonna tell the teacher??" He laughed. I felt a rock hit my side and it knocked the wind from me, and I fell to the ground, shocked. That solitary rock was followed by sticks and stones, which broke my bones, and their words which also hurt me. All around me students were laughing and calling my name, taunting me, teasing me, as Makiko laughed loudest and swung the book in my face. "Ami's gonna cry-eye!!" "Hey, you go 'Kiko!!" Faces swirled by me, ugly and deformed, laughing, leering, taunting, teasing, throwing rocks and sticks, hurting me. And what was worse was that it was grand fun for them. I did the only sensible thing for a five year old to do. I yelled through my blinding tears as sticks bashed against my body and rocks took away my breath. The teachers arrived shortly. ***** More memories are flooding into my head, but I'm trying to shove them back. I don't want to remember somethings, some items are better if they remain unseen. I don't want to remember, I just want everything to be right again. Tears are trickling down my face. Why has my life gone berserk? WHY CAN'T EVERYTHING BE RIGHT???!! The wall is enclosing around me, and it seems that my life is squeezing the breath from me. My face is wet with tears, and I'm crying so hard that I'm having trouble breathing. But it's another thought that I lock away and smile and pretend that everything's alright. But it's not! My life is a living hell. I just want to go to sleep. Wake me up when this storm has passed over and everything's back to normal. So I can go back to living, having fun. So I can be free. Hai, I'm in college now. I know I had dreams of going to Germany, and I do still. They have offered me a scholarship, but there is so much going on now, and I can't keep track of it all. And there are all of these deaths. It's better if I wait any ways. Besides, it's my duty as a sailor senshi to protect my princess, and I failed. So if I manage to come up with a conclusion and solution to these deaths, maybe I can make everything better. Maybe I can make my life worth living. Not everything. I'll never make everything better. But I can try. If I can avenge Usagi's death, I can rest in peace. Sounds simple. And I wish it was. My tears dried, I have work to do. I went to sit down at my desk and pulled out my minicomputer. It's not natural for everyone to die like this, it wasn't in the future schedule. Somethings up, and I'm going to figure it out. It almost doesn't make sense. Wasn't the future so carefully planned out? There were no threats from the negaverse, we've defeated all the known evil in our universe so far. ________ "Ami," hours later the brittish accent breaks my thoughts. The soft accent that is like none other I've ever heard. Her voice is so beautiful, I love to hear the cat's speech, I wish I could talk like that. More sorrow fills my heart, a cat that sounds better than me. I push away that thought of jealousy, as mixed emotions that remain bottled up inside of me push around, trying to surface. I swallow deeply and take a deep breath. "Hai, Luna," I reply, rubbing my temples, as I lift my head. My eyes are drowsy, and I'm really tired. But I won't sleep. Memories of the nightmares return. "I won't sleep," I tell myself aloud. "Ami," she repeats, "Your mother is still at work, and Central Control has given me some important news. I think it could help us figure out the deaths of the senshi." I look the cat in the eye, not sure whether she is serious or not, as a mixture of unsureness and fear an excitement settle in my stomach, "Come on, Luna, spit it out." There's a wild spark of fire in my eyes, and I swear that cat's mouth is curled slightly. "Well, Ami, If you're sure you want to know..." "Oh, Luna," I laugh. It feels good to laugh. It's the first time I have let my voice ring out in such happiness and push my worries aside. It feels like the old times, some how. And there's a bit of pride bubbling in my stomach. And I've a foolish grin on my face as I cuddle the cat. Like a stuffed animal. Luna's so special. She can almost always cheer me up. I always wanted a cat, and since Usagi's death, I've more or less adopted the furry feline. I sigh a breath of relief, "I think I'm going crazy, Luna. There's too much stress. I don't think I can handle it all." I'm so happy, and for no reason. My sour emotions seem like a joke now, I think I might burst with pride. Now the cat is chuckling softly. "Don't worry, Ami. Everything will be alright." I believe the cat, and I pray softly that she's right. __________ I ran in the rain, as it beat down upon me, pressuring me to slow. The sky had a dark overcast, and bolts of lightening threatened people in the darkness. But I'm still running. And I can't stop. There's a strange feeling of fear and anticipation clogging my throat, now I have a real reason to be happy. I've called an emergency meeting at Makoto's apartment, and I have to tell the other's the news. The rain is blinding me, but I don't stop running. I remember once when Usagi and I got stuck in a terrible rain storm...... ***** "Oooh," Usagi chattered threw blue lips, "It's freeeeeeezing, A-A-Ami, ACHOO!" She sneezed loudly, wiping her nose with her sleeve, and covered her head with her knapsack. Luna looked up at her, annoyed, "Usagi, it's just a little rain. It's not going to kill you." "Luuuunaaaaa," Usagi whined, "how can you say that?" She picked up the cat and wrapped it around her neck. "Usagi, put me down. I'm not some fur coat for you to ruin, I'm your guardian. Now hurry up, the bus should be here soon." The cat was grumpy probably because she had a headache from Usagi's belly aching. Usagi began to grumble as she *accidently* dropped the cat to the ground. "Usagi.." Luna warned. "Oh alright," Usagi sniffed, and pet the cat's black fur. I smiled slightly. Usagi was so funny, even if she wasn't trying. We stood in a few moments of ackward silence, as Usagi tried to cover herself from the storm. She was unsuccessful as she ducked under every possible item. Thunder crashed loudly, as lightening struck from the sky. The bolts lit up the sky, and the thunder shook the city like an earthquake. Usagi cried out in fear, and before I knew it, she was kneeling under my skirt. "Usagi," I gasped, horrified, "Get out of there, the bolt of lightening was not even near us." Usagi poked out her head sheepishly and stood. "Sorry, Ami," she laughed nervously, "it just scared me." Luna sighed with exasperation and I giggled, a foolish grin on my face. Usagi had a fear of storms, and just as another round of thunder sounded, the bus arrived. "Saved by the bus," she laughed in her high pitched shrill voice and jumped onto the automobile. Usagi had reached the safety of the bus seat before I had even stepped onto the vehicle. "Oh," Luna sighed, "that girl is going to be the end of me." ***** THUD! I picked myself up from the ground. Lost in memories, I had run into something, probably a stop sign. Now I'm getting like Usagi. Greeeeat. I wiped the mud from my hands, and examined my backside. It was now wetter and muddier than before. "Oh well," I sighed, "maybe Mako will let me borrow something." I wiped a bit of hair from my face, and got to my feet. A sneeze escaped from my nose and I wiped it quickly with my sleeve. As I looked up, I stared eye to eye at a monster. "AAAGGGH!" I picked up my wrist communicator and hurridly called the other's. Minako's face appeared, looking worrily at me, "Hai, Ami, what's wrong?" "Hurry, I need he--" I was cut short as the beast whammed me into a wall. The blow knocked the wind out of me, and I had a horrible pain in my side, feeling my pulse pound loudly in my stomach. I gasped in pain and struggled to my knees. There was a bitter taste of blood in my mouth, but I struggled to stay on my feet. I looked up just in time to see the beast's claw rip in front of my face. Excruciating pain entered my body, and I cried out as tears welled up in my eyes. My insides felt choppy, and I thought I might vomit. Partially digested food squished around in my stomach threatening to spew over the sidewalk, and my vision was going blurry. I cried out in pain, praying that the others would arrive as the beast beat me brutally, my blood stained my clothes, dying them a nasty reddish colour. The creature was laughing as I cried and heard the bones snap in my body. I lay back weakly, taking the full force of the blows. The beast swiped at me again, but I didn't feel it. My whole body seemed cold with numbness. "Jupiter Oak Evolution!" "Venus Love and Beauty Shock!!" The monster was shocked in the back, and fell to the ground, as it roared in rage. "Venus Love Me Chain, Encircle!" The monster lay unconscious on the ground, tied in heart chains, bruised, bleeding, as its fur was matted to its body in bloody clumps. Thank goodness they had arrived. I was too weak to even henshin. "You guys," I mumbled weakly. I had to tell them how to stop the deaths. They had to know. We could save the future, everything could go back to normal. Jupiter kneeled by my side, "Ami, are you okay?" Concern weighed her voice down, and Venus looked on with sorrow written all over her face. I tried to speak, but figures and sums overloaded my mind. More memories flooded my brain. I gave in the urge as they poured throughout my head. ***** Today was the day we were going to dust Beryl. We had all teleported to the north pole, where Beryl had set up, ready to attack the earth. It was bitterly cold, and already one of us was dead. Sailor Moon lay in the snow, crying over her lost friend, mumbling her name, "Jupiter, Makoto. I could have saved you. You didn't have to sacrifice yourself for me. You shouldn't have. Oh Jupiter, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." She cried cold tears, which froze to her face, decorating her head with flowers of ice. Her lips were pale blue, and her skin was beginning to look the same. Mars looked up and saw another figure strapped to a pole. "You guys," she started and pointed. "No, you guys," I protested, "It's probably another one of their tricks. You go ahead and I'll check it out, I'll hurry back. I'll be careful." "No, Mercury," Sailor Moon jumped up and sobbed into my skirt, "It's too dangerous. I don't want you to go, too." "Nobody ever said that this was going to be safe," I said bravely. But inside I was shaking in fear, and once again, my stomach was empty as I thought of what might happen. I didn't want them to leave me. I wanted to go with them, where it was safe. I didn't want to die. They walked off towards the volcano, as I started towards the figure. No time like the *present to face your fears. But this was no *gift, I promise you that. And I stopped short, "Ryo," I whispered his name, "No, it can't be." But it looked just like him. So much like him that I had to shake an eerie feeling from my spine. "Better scan it first," I coached myself. I tugged on my earring, and a visor materialized over my eyes. "Just as I thought, another one of their tricks," I said aloud with relief as suddenly the computer went staticy. "Huh?" I shut off my visor and was shocked to see molten lava spreading over the ground towards me. Hot lava, so hot I could feal the heat radiating from it from a hundred yards away. I turned to run, but I was held firmly in place by thick, strong, green vines. The youmas appeared before me as I screamed in pain. I was scared and shooken up, and I answered their questions weakly as the vine dug into my skin, squeezing the life out of me. I didn't even really understand what they were saying. But they took my minicomputer and left me to die. The cowards. The lava covered me. "I think my senshi days are over," I mumbled. "Got that right, Techno Dweeb," One of the beasts laughed and shot nega energy towards me. And I was dead. ***** "I have to tell you.." "Tell us what? Come on, Ami, it'll be okay." "I figured out how to--" I gasped in terror and pain, my side hurt so bad, I was breathing heavily. I couldn't grasp my breath. I was going to die. I knew it. "Ami, speak to me. What? What?? Tell us. You'll be okay, Ames, I promise. We'll get you to a hospital." Venus choked on her words, as tears smeared her make up. Jupiter picked me up, "There's a hospital a few blocks from here. Ami, I won't let them take you too, it'll be okay." Tears streamed down her face, and she choked on her words, "You're gonna make it, Ames." "You guys," I mumbled, "I'll be with the others. Take care.." I shut my eyes and took a long, deep breath. _____ "Ami," the voice shattered my thoughts like spun glass and I shook my head. I had a really bad headache, it pounded in my ears, Pound. Pound. Pound. Pound. Maddening enough to make some one crazy. I groaned and looked up from the bed in which I lay on, the bright light making vision nearly impossible. But I recongized the figure. "Setsuna?" "Hai." Silence. The mysterious senshi never had much to say, so this seemed okay. I didn't want to speak anyways. "Pluto," I cried out suddenly, as I remembered the readings my computer gave out, "my minicomputer--" "I tampered with your computer, Ami. Those readings were all wrong. You were not meant to find out." I sat a moment as her words registered in my mind. "You what?" I was shocked. Utterly speechless. She messed with my computer? I felt light-headed and dizzy. "Sore-ja, Ami," she whispered, as I blacked out and fell back into the bed. ***** "Lady Mercury, you've finally arrived," her cheerfull, yet majestic voice rung out across the area. "Neo-Queen Serenity?" I couldn't believe it. My queen was here, and she wasn't threatening to kill me. "Lady Mars is out with ChibiUsa. We're so happy you've finally arrived. I opened my mouth to speak, but a gust of wind flew from my lips, leaving my stomach empty, but not with regret or fear. A strange, foreign feeling that I hadn't experienced in a long time. "Serenity?" What was going on. I felt so.... happy now. It was as if that gust of wind had carried away my pain, fear, my regrets. I felt light-headed and dizzy. I felt relieved, alive........ Free. "Ami," ChibiUsa yelled in her little voice, "You're here, too!" "Ami," I turned to see Rei, smiling slightly, holding Chiisa's hand, "You're here." I nodded. This place, it felt right, somehow. Like home. Like I belonged here. But that didn't mean I knew where 'here' was. "Where are we?" I asked carefully. "We're home," Rei replied, and I laughed in happiness, carefree as a bird, I didn't need a reason to be happy. I could be whatever I wanted. Whenever I wanted. I was home. A whole new meaning to the word that I never would have understood in my old life. A word I'm not sure I understand now. End.