Eridanus2000@go.com Senshi Avatars Standard Questionably Useful Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all related characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi; and are copyright to Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Toei, DIC and whoever else. This story and all new characters are MINE!! This fanfic is intended solely for entertainment purposes and no violation of said copyrights is intended or implied. If you want to put my fanfic on your site, please e-mail me asking for permission first. Author's Notes: My series begins where Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars ends Dreams begin and end with ***, and are written from that person?s point of view (Usagi?s) I use the Japanese names, last name first Rated PG-13 for mild language Gomen - sorry sensei - added to name of teacher chan - used for babies, small children, close friends sama - used for formal occasions and to show a great deal of respect kun - used after a boy?s name (sometimes for a girl) ginzuishou - silver crystal youma - monsters I hope you all like this story. Send all comments, good or bad, to Eridanus2000@go.com They will be greatly appreciated. Enjoy! Senshi Avatars written by Eridanus (Eridanus2000@go.com) Episode 2 - An Uncertain Future ***"I don?t understand," I said as I approached her. "Why are you here, and why do I feel like we have met before?" I asked Fortune, who looked at me in surprise. "You remember me?" She inquired in shock. "I don?t know from where, but I am pretty sure," I replied honestly. "Yes, we met once before...during the Silver Millennium," Fortune said quietly. "The Silver Millennium!" I exclaimed. "You knew my mother?" "I never met the Queen, but I have heard much about her," Fortune replied and then glanced again at the battleground. "You are the only person I actually met in that time." "I...I don?t remember," I confessed. "I erased your memories of our encounter," Fortune admitted. "Why?" I demanded. "I met you when you were only eight years old," Fortune began. "You see, there are very few beings that are truly powerful and evil. The most dangerous of them were trapped in a dimensional limbo. During the Silver Millennium one of those beings, named Jurasai, managed to escape. She entered your universe and would have destroyed the Earth and Moon had I not interfered. I knew that you had a great power that was lying dormant within you, so I went to you and explained what had happened. "Somehow you understood what needed to be done, and that you were the only one capable of successfully accomplishing it. You went to a secluded place on the Moon and I lured Jurasai there. A great battle ensued that lasted for three days, but you were victorious in the end. You destroyed Jurasai without the help of the ginzuishou, your mother, or the Senshi. After the battle I had to erase your memories, because you were not to learn of your powers until you were reborn on Earth," Fortune concluded. "You knew about Beryl?s attack and didn?t warn us about it?" I shrieked and wildly struck out with my fist. Fortune easily avoided my attack and then held me in a painfully firm arm-lock. "Listen to me! I know the past, present, and future but I am not allowed to change events. The only reason I was able to warn you about Jurasai was because she was not supposed to attack, it would have altered the future," Fortune explained and released my arms. "The flow of time has once again been disrupted. This was not to happen, but something in your present altered the future," Fortune said as she pointed at the death scene before us. "Another being from the dimensional limbo managed to escape and this is what the future will become. As long as you fight as Sailor Moon, your friends are in danger. You must believe in yourself and your powers if you are to defeat Nagesya!" Fortune commanded as she began to back away from me. "It?s up to you Princess Serenity...or, I should say Tsukino Usagi. Those that you love are in danger, fight for them and the future of Earth!" "Wait, don?t go! What do you mean my friends are in danger if I fight as Sailor Moon? How can I fight if I?m not Sailor Moon?" I called out to her, but then there was another flash of light and Fortune was gone. I looked at the battleground for the last time and then closed my eyes. "I?m coming for you, Nagesya! I won?t let her win, Fortune. I promise," I swore and when I opened my eyes again I was surrounded by darkness.*** Usagi bolted out of bed as soon as she awoke. She groaned when her eyes adjusted to the dark and she had checked her alarm. Three o?clock! Usagi still had four hours before she had to get up, and now she was wide awake thanks to that dream. She glanced at Luna who was still sleeping peacefully and decided to go on a walk. Maybe the fresh air would help to calm my nerves, Usagi hoped. She quickly changed into a pair of blue jeans and a blue three-fourths sleeve shirt. Then she carefully slunk out of the house and began her walk at a brisk pace. She didn?t really care where she was going because she was still thinking about the dream. Usagi wondered how she could endanger her friends by fighting as Sailor Moon. If I don?t transform then I won?t be able to fight at all. What did Fortune mean when she said that? It just can?t be true, Usagi hoped as she quickened her pace. Usagi abruptly halted her walk when she realized she was in the park, somewhere near the lake. Without knowing why Usagi continued on, almost as though Fortune was guiding her. The outline of the moon glistened clear on the surface of the lake, the reflection of the landscape flawless. Radiant moonbeams shone down through the trees which gave the lake an eerie atmosphere. Usagi stood spellbound as a solitary moonbeam in the center of the lake began to grow brighter. There, a circular object began to form that sparkled like diamonds. An image of her mother appeared and brought the brooch to her. She held it out to her daughter with a gentle smile and Usagi tentatively accepted it. Queen Serenity nodded once and then began to slowly fade away. Usagi clutched the new brooch to her chest as tears sprang to her eyes, but Usagi refused to let her mother see them. "Thank you, Queen Serenity. Goodbye...Mother," Usagi said unsteadily as a lone tear slid down her cheek. When all signs of her presence had dissipated Usagi turned once again towards home. Her parents wouldn?t be awake for another hour, but she decided it would be better to be safe than sorry. Usagi sincerely hoped Luna was still asleep or else she would have a lot of explaining to do. She approached her house cautiously and stealthily sprinted to her room. Luna awoke just as Usagi had finished changing into her nightgown. "You are awake at six in the morning!" Luna exclaimed in disbelief and then looked at Usagi suspiciously. "Why are you awake at this time of the morning?" "I couldn?t sleep," Usagi replied honestly. "Another nightmare?" Luna inquired anxiously. "No...I just couldn?t sleep well. Since I?m up I might as well take a hot shower and get dressed for school. Let me know when Mom wakes up," Usagi ordered as she entered the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Luna stared at the closed door in bewilderment for a moment, then shook her head. "Usagi-chan is awake before her mom and I? I wonder if she has caught a sickness," Luna murmured as she padded down the stairs. Fifteen minutes later Ikuko awoke and descended the stairs to start breakfast like she did every morning. She stared at her daughter in utter astonishment as Usagi prepared breakfast. "Good morning Mom. I made blueberry pancakes but they didn?t turn out right," Usagi announced as she pointed to a steaming heap of them. Ikuko strode over to her daughter and put her wrist to Usagi?s forehead. "Hmm...no fever, are you feeling all right Usagi?" Ikuko asked worriedly. "I?m fine Mom, I just woke up early this morning and decided to make breakfast," Usagi explained and once again pointed to the badly burned pancakes. "I think I cooked them too long though..." "It?s all right, Usagi. I?ll open a jar of jelly that we can spread on top of them," Ikuko suggested. "Go wake your brother up, please." "Shingo!" Usagi yelled as she ran up the stairs. She knocked twice on his door and then opened it. "Time to get up, little brother!" Usagi ordered as she walked into his room. "Usagi! Get out of my room!" Shingo bellowed. "Now, be nice! Mom told me to wake you up because breakfast is ready," Usagi said with a proud smile and Shingo looked at her suspiciously. "You didn?t happen by any chance to help make breakfast this morning, did you?" he asked. "As a matter of fact I did make breakfast," Usagi replied. "No wonder I smell smoke!" Shingo retorted and ducked quickly to avoid Usagi?s fist. "See if I ever make you breakfast again!" Usagi yelled as she stormed out of his room, slamming the door shut behind her. She ran down the stairs, tripped midway, and landed in a heap on the floor. "Are you all right, Usagi?" Ikuko asked as she ran to Usagi?s side and helped her to stand up. "I?m fine," Usagi grumbled as she rubbed her newly bruised shoulder. As if I don?t suffer from enough injuries inflicted by youma, she thought sardonically. "Why don?t you come into the kitchen and eat breakfast now?" Ikuko suggested with a knowing smile. Usagi?s face instantly brightened at the prospect of food before she remembered that she had been the one who had cooked it. "Actually I?m not feeling that hungry today," Usagi lied. She firmly believed that it?s better to be a little hungry than to suffer from food poisoning. "I think I?ll go back upstairs and gather my school supplies," Usagi said happily and left the kitchen hastily. She raced upstairs and ran into her room, closing the door behind her. She had left the brooch Queen Serenity had given her that morning inside the left coat pocket, and then forgotten about it until just then. Usagi quickly glanced around her room for a safe place to stash it when she heard Luna clawing at the door. She stuffed the brooch in her pocket as she walked to the door and opened it for Luna to enter. "Why did you close the door before I returned?" Luna scowled. "Sorry Luna, I was in a hurry. I?m actually going to be on time for school. Haruna-sensei is going to have a heart attack," Usagi said gleefully. "Not if you don?t hurry up," Luna retorted. "What do you mean? I still have half an hour before school starts," Usagi said proudly. "Wrong, you have ten minutes before school starts," Luna corrected. "What!" Usagi shrieked and ran over to her alarm clock. "Why does this always happen to me?" she wailed as she grabbed her bag and scrambled down the stairs without falling. Usagi made a quick stop in the kitchen to seize her lunch and then rushed out of the house like a madman. By running at her top speed the whole way, she collapsed into her chair just as the bell rang. Haruna was completely amazed that Usagi had managed to arrive at school on time for once, that she decided not to give the class any homework that night. "Nice going Usagi," Naru crowed at lunch time. "You should come to school on time more often," she suggested but Usagi shook her head no. "If I do it too often Haruna-sensei won?t reward me for being on time," Usagi reasoned. Umino sat down next to Naru who was just about to say something when the bell rang. "Time to go back to class," Umino announced happily and Usagi stared at him in disgust. "You are the only one who would look forward to going to class," Usagi replied dryly as she packed her things up. "You just don?t appreciate the opportunity we are being given to further our education," Umino argued. Usagi exchanged a quick glance with Naru and they both started laughing simultaneously. Usagi waved goodbye to them as she went into her classroom and prepared for another boring finish to school. Three hours later she walked home in the cool afternoon air, glad that the weather forecast had actually been right for once. She opened the front door and was surprised to enter an empty house. There was a note that had been left on the kitchen table from Ikuko: Usagi-- Sorry for the short notice, but your father and I are going to a business dinner and Shingo is spending the night at Kirasu-san?s. We?ll be home around eleven, so you?ll need to make your own dinner. Please do your homework and don?t stay up too late. Love, Mom Usagi reread the note and sighed. A perfectly lovely ending to a perfectly lovely day, she thought sarcastically. Usagi opened the refrigerator, but nothing appeared very appetizing. She finally settled on eating some leftover sashimi with two slices of chocolate cake for dessert. After she had satisfied her hunger cravings, her eyes began to ache from sleep deprivation. She made her way upstairs and sank into the softness of her comforter and quickly fell asleep. ***I knew I was dreaming again, but this time the field of soldiers was replaced by darkness. I couldn?t see anything that lay ahead or behind me. I walked forward for whatseemed like forever, though if I had been walking in circles I never would have known it. Finally I came to a wrought-iron gate that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It easily opened when I pushed against it, and suddenly I found myself in an empty plot of frozen land. I trudged through the foot-high snow for five minutes before I saw a change in the landscape. In the far distance I could barely see several objects, which were too far away for me to make out what they were. I forged on for now I had a goal: to reach those distant objects and discover what they were. It seemed to me that I traveled the distance faster than I had before, and I discovered that the objects were stone markings mostly buried in the snow. There were three rows of these markings, the first containing four, the second containing two, and the third also contained four. I went to the first marker in the first row and wiped the snow away carefully. I stared in horror at the headstone which bore the inscription of a brave and intelligent warrior, Sailor Mercury, who gave her life to save those that she loved. I felt sick to my stomach but continued on to the next marker, needing to know the truth and fearing it at the same time. This headstone bore the name of Sailor Mars, a fierce warrior who fought with a passion for good to always triumph. I moved on to the third marker, already knowing that it bore the name of Sailor Jupiter, but uncovered it just to be sure. The fourth marker was that of Sailor Venus, the last of the Inner Senshi. After I finished the first row, I could not bear to move on to the second, but instead went to the third. The first was that of Sailor Pluto, then Sailor Neptune, followed by Sailor Uranus, and lastly Sailor Saturn. My knees grew weak and threatened to give out on me, so I rested against a dead oak tree. All of my closest friends were buried here, but there were still two markings left. I didn?t want to know who they were, but I forced myself to find out. I had to know. With shaking hands I uncovered the last two markers that were the only ones in the second row. My cries of pain echoed in the field as I read the inscriptions that had been carefully chosen. ?Here lies my beloved husband, who I will treasure for eternity and beyond, Tuxedo Kamen. You will always be in my heart.? I feared that my heart would break as I read the inscription on the second marker. ?Here lies my precious daughter, who fought by my side to defeat all evil that threatened our world, Sailor Chibi Moon. You will always be in my heart.? "No!" I screamed in anguish. "Mamo-chan! Chibiusa! Minna! No!" The tears streamed down my face until I had none left to cry, but instead shook convulsively with horror. Hours passed and the moon, which had been hiding behind a screen of clouds, shone down upon my field of sorrow. I heard footsteps of someone approaching, and wondered insanely if it would be the Senshi. I turned towards the sound and gasped in shock. There before me was an older Sailor Moon, a toughened form who had already lived through Hell and was still fighting, a girl who had already lost everything she loved. She wore a cape that hid her hands, maybe to protect them from the piercing cold. She walked right past me, as though she did not see me, and paused momentarily before each of the graves in the first and third rows. Finally she moved on to the two graves in the second row and kneeled before them. From beneath the cloak she withdrew two brilliant red roses and placed one on each grave. "I?m so sorry, Mamo-chan, Chibiusa...I only hope that one day you can forgive me," the older Sailor Moon said in a strained voice as fresh tears slid down her cheeks.*** Special thanks: To Naoko Takeuchi for creating this wonderful series. To Sarah Anderson, editor and friend, who gave me great advice and helped me through hard times. All the fanfic authors I have ever read: couldn't have done this without all of you!