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Diamohns are Forever	By : SailorSol Category: Sailor Moon > General Views: 22490 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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TitanC26: My fan! I hope this makes you happier. I�m working on original fiction in between fanfics, and I have two others going at the same time as this one. Drop me a line if you have any notions, or if you want to know anything ahead of time. I may not tell the whole plot, but I�ll give you hints!

Homecoming, Part I

Sailor Mars regained consciousness to smothering heat and a hard, angular weight pressing her into the ground. She squirmed, trying to get out from under whatever it was. The weight on her moved, shifted, and then groaned.

She recognized the groan.

�Mercury?� she whispered. �Kishi Mercury? Hayasa, get off of me!�

She got her hands under the Kishi laying on her, and then she pushed the next time that he shifted. He slipped to one side of her, and she sat up and looked around.

The two of them were sprawled on a hillside under a bright sun. Some buildings nearby were roofed with red tile and looked as though they were plastered. Beyond the buildings was a city that was a mix of modern and older architecture. Farther away, the saw the silvery form of a jet climbing into the sky.

�Where are we?� Mars asked, looking around in confusion.

�Somewhere hot,� Mercury replied. He levered himself up off of the ground, and then held out his hand to help Mars to her feet.

�How are we going to get home?� Mars asked.

�First, we change back,� Mercury said. He drew his sword, concentrated for a moment, and then laid it on the ground before him.

Kojiro picked up his letter opener and put it in his pocket. He reached further into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He made a face when he saw that there were scorch marks on the battery cover, and the screen was cracked.

�I�m starting to see Sol�s point,� Mars said as she reached for her tiara. �You guys have it easy. You don�t have to pull something off of a body part.�

�We don�t have your power,� Kojiro pointed out. He gestured to the distant buildings.

�I spent some time around the Mediterranean with a friend of mine,� he said. �I think we�re somewhere around there. I speak enough Esperanto to get us by. If that cluster of buildings includes a gas station, or market, then we can call a taxi to take us to the consulate and tell them we lost our passports. The consulate will arrange emergency passports and have someone drive us to the airport. Once we�re at the airport, we buy tickets home. We don�t need passports, since we�re Japanese citizens. We tell them we lost our luggage.�

�How did we lose our luggage and our passports?� Rei asked.

�Let�s get a little rumpled,� Kojiro said. He took off his shirt and rumpled it, and then sat down on the ground the rubbed around so that he dirtied his pants.

�What�s the story?� Rei asked, fishing around in her waist pack. She pulled out her cell phone, and then showed him a cracked screen.

�That�s trash,� she said. �I�ll have to replace it when we get home.�

�We were on a hiking vacation,� Kojiro said. �We fell into a river, and lost our packs. Our passports were in our packs. My wallet was in my pocket, and I know you have one in that your waist pack. We have our identification on us, and our credit cards. Let�s go.�

�Okay,� Rei said. She mussed her hair, trying to make it look as though it had been wetted and air dried. She followed him down the hill towards the closest building to them.

~*~*~*~

It turned out that the buildings were a market, a bar, and a few houses. The language on the signs was Spanish, and a signpost said �Madrid, 8km�. Kojiro�s halting Esperanto got them access to a phone. He got information, and got the Japanese consulate.

He hung up the phone, smiling, and turned to Rei.

�The consulate is distressed to hear of our misfortune,� he said in Japanese. �They are sending a car to pick us up, and they will issue new passports when we get to the consulate. I assured them that there was nothing of intrinsic value in the backpacks, and at this time, we just want to get home.�

�So we wait,� Rei said.

�No more than half an hour,� Kojiro assured her. �In the meantime, the wife of the market owner wishes to fix a light meal for us, and she offered to give you some place to clean up. I would suggest you take her up on it. She�ll think it�s odd that a young lady doesn�t want to wash her face and brush her hair.�

�I do feel like a street urchin,� Rei said. She turned and smiled at the older woman who was waiting nearby.

The woman beckoned to her and led her to a small house that reminded Rei of homes in Japan, despite the differences in architecture and d�cor. The house was neat and clean.

The woman led Rei to a bathroom. The floor and walls were covered in decorated tiles. The woman patted Rei�s shoulder, and then left her alone.

~*~*~*~

When the car from the consulate arrived, they were seated at a small wrought iron table, eating tamales and drinking tea made in the sun. The driver graciously accepted an offer of tea while they finished eating and thanked their hosts.

The driver opened the car door for them, and closed it behind them. He said nothing while he drove them into the city.

They watched the landscape of Spain go past the windows of the car, and both of them were thinking about the situation they had left behind. Where was everyone else? What had happened after they had been sent away? What was happening in Tokyo?

~*~*~*~

When they disembarked at Narita airport, they immediately looked towards the center of Tokyo, where they could barely see the top of a black hemisphere, almost like a lurking bomb in the middle of their city.

�Let�s get home,� Kojiro said. �We need to find out what happened to the others. Apparently, we did not win the fight.�

�How are we going to get home?� Rei asked. �I don�t see too many cabs here.�

�True,� he said. �Do you want to take the normal way, or our way?�

Rei looked at him quizzically, and then she understood what he meant.

�Right,� she said, looking around. �There�s an out of the way spot over there.� She led the way to a place where a wall and a stand of bamboo in a planter gave them a small space to hide in.

Rei pulled out her henshin wand and watched while Kojiro pulled out his letter opener. He grasped it like the sword it appeared to be and closed his eyes.

Fascinated, Rei watched the blue armor gauntlet form around his hand, and then the armor form up his arm and across the rest of his body, with the helmet forming last of all.

Kishi Mercury sheathed his sword and looked at Rei.

�We don�t have all day,� he told her.

Rei nodded and looked down at her wand, clasped so tightly in her hand that the knuckles were white. She swallowed hard, and then raised the henshin wand in front of her face.

�Mars Star Power Makeup!� She closed her eyes as the fires of Mars wrapped around her and transformed her from a teenage girl to something more than human.

As soon as her transformation was complete, Kishi Mercury held out his arms. She came over to him and he scooped her up.

�Hold on,� he said. As soon as she had her arms around his neck, he started to run.

To say that the unexpected sonic boom at the International Arrivals terminal startled people would be an understatement, but it was only one more strange occurrence in a city full of them. When nothing horrible happened, and no monster appeared to attack, people went back to as much normalcy as they possessed.

~*~*~*~

Kishi Mercury set Sailor Mars down across the street from Chiba House, and the two of them spent a few moments looking at the house.

�It looks deserted,� Mars said.

�It does, indeed,� Mercury said. �Let�s go.� He drew his sword and put it down on the ground.

Kojiro picked up his letter opener and looked at Rei.

�Come on,� he said, putting an arm around the frightened-looking girl.

The two of them crossed the street and opened the gate. Normally, they would have been greeted by Luna, Artemis, and Diana. Now nothing moved except for some random leaves. The flowerbeds had not been raked, the walks and driveway had not been swept, and the grass was getting ragged.

�Nobody�s here,� Rei said, her voice catching. �It�s almost as if the others don�t exist, anymore.�

�You know that�s not true, Rei,� Kojiro said. �You know about Crystal Tokyo. Hold on to that when you can�t hold on to anything else.�

They entered the house and looked around. The entire building was silent and cold. In the middle of the room was the whiteboard that they used for math homework. On it was a strange drawing. It was of a house-shaped object with an arched doorway. In the doorway was a crude drawing of a dog with a curly tail.

Under the dog were three sets of symbols that gave them both some hope. The symbol for Earth, coupled with a male symbol. The symbol for Saturn, coupled with a female symbol. Between them was a crescent moon and a female symbol.

�She�s alive,� Rei whispered.

Kojiro smiled. He knew that Rei loved Usagi deeply, despite her constant picking on Usagi�s shortcomings.

�Let�s get my motorcycle,� Kojiro said. �We can make better time, and have more maneuverability on it.�

�Do you have another jacket?� Rei asked.

�Yes,� Kojiro said. �There�s a locker full out in the garage. Come on, Rei. The sooner we get going, the sooner we�ll be there.�

�Where?� Rei asked.

�Akita, of course.�

***** *****

Sailor Neptune woke shivering. She was huddled against Kishi Uranus in a grassy hollow. The wind that blew around them was bitingly cold. Uranus moved to look at her, and then to look around.

�I wonder where we are,� he said.

�Somewhere cold,� she said unnecessarily. �Other than that, I don�t have a clue.�

�It�s a good thing you weren�t wearing gear for the town, luv,� he said, smirking. �If we run in to locals after we transform back, we won�t have to explain why you are dressed for a day of shopping instead of hiking.�

�Keep talking, blowhard,� Neptune said, reaching for her tiara. In moments, Michiru tucked her henshin wand into a pocket.

�How are we going to explain being out here in the middle of nowhere?� she asked him.

Nathan picked up his pen knife and tucked it into his pocket.

�We�ll know when we get t� that,� he said. He reached out and took her hand. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, and then looked around.

�Pick a direction, luv,� he said. �Which way?�

�I can smell the ocean,� Michiru said, pointing east. �That way.�

�As good as anythin�,� he said. �Let�s go.�

He led the way, towards seawater that they could only smell, but not see.

~*~*~*~

They reached the outskirts of a fishing village a day and a half later.

Children spotted them as they reached the last rise before the village, and by the time they reached the first buildings, there were several men armed with guns waiting for them. They lowered the guns when they saw that their visitors posed no threat.

One of the men studied them carefully and then cautiously stepped forward.

�You get lost?� he asked in broken Japanese.

�Yes,� Nathan replied. �We need to go home, to Japan.�

The man retreated and they talked among themselves for a few moments before he came forward again.

�Boat come,� he said. �Boat go to Hong Kong. Boat come in two days.�

�Two days,� Nathan repeated. �Is there some place that we can stay until the boat comes?�

�An inn,� the man said. �You stay at inn until boat come.�

�Excellent,� Nathan said. �Lead the way, please.�

~*~*~*~

When they got off of the cargo ship at Tokyo harbor, they automatically looked towards the town center, where they could see the sullen black dome that marked the presence of Chaos in their city.

�Let�s get a cab, luv,� Nathan said. �The sooner we get home, the better of we are.�

~*~*~*~

Their arrival at Chiba House was punctuated by blowing leaves and an oppressive silence.

They entered the house cautiously, to be greeted with stale air and a lack of illumination. They immediately walked over to the whiteboard, and Michiru smiled when she saw the picture.

�They�re in Akita,� she said softly.

�We�ll add to the list,� Nathan said. He pointed to the five symbols that lined up under the drawing.

�Endymion,� Michiru said. �Sailor Moon, Sailor Saturn, Sailor Mars, and Kishi Mercury.� She watched while Nathan added a symbol for Uranus with a male symbol, and a symbol for Neptune with a female symbol.

�Let�s go, luv,� he said. �I�ll go warm up the car and get a change of clothes.�

�I�ll get something to eat on the road,� Michiru said. �I remember that Haruka and Aster put clothes for everyone at the house.�

�Right,� Nathan said, and he walked out, leaving Michiru alone in the house.

***** *****

Sailor Sol opened woke to suffocating heat. She opened her eyes and saw dense green foliage over her. She sighed and turned her head to look around her.

She was cradled in the branches of a tree. Fifteen feet away, Kishi Moon was just starting to stir near a river. Beyond him, in the river, something rose out of the water.

A hippopotamus.

~*~*~*~

They decided to stay transformed until they were closer to civilization. Neither of them wanted to think about facing a leopard without their powers.

When night came, they climbed into a tree and spooned together, as much for comfort as for warmth.

~*~*~*~

Three days after they woke up on the riverbank, they got to a paved road. They decided to detransform in case they encountered people. They helped one another creatively muss their clothing so that they would look like they could have been on a hiking vacation and lost their belongings.

They were only on the road a couple of hours before an official-looking vehicle drove by, and then turned and came back to where they were.

A man in a uniform with very black skin leaned out of the car and looked them up and down.

�Where did you come from?� he asked.

�We were on a hiking trip,� Aster told him. �We kind of fell into the river and got swept along. Where are we?�

�You are outside Nairobi,� he said. �The closest river is some distance away. Have you walked all that way?�

�Yes,� Aster said. �We really didn�t have a choice. How far is it to the closest city? We need to contact a Japanese consulate. After all of this, I just want to go home.�

�I can certainly understand that,� he said, smiling. The contrast of his teeth against his skin was dramatic, and oddly soothing. He reached around and opened the back door of the car.

�I am on my way to Nairobi,� he said. �I can take you to the city center, and I believe that there is someone there who can get you in contact with your government.�

�Thank you,� Aster said. She climbed into the car and moved over so that Thomas could follow her.

�Were you on your honeymoon?� he asked as he turned the car around again and started driving.

�No,� Aster said. �It�s nothing like that. He�s engaged to the daughter of some friends of mine, and I�m married. We both wanted an adventure, and we agreed to go to Africa.�

�Well,� the man said. �You got your adventure.�

�Enough for a lifetime,� Aster agreed. �More than enough.�

~*~*~*~

The main government building in Nairobi housed all of the foreign envoy offices. There was no consulate, but there was a representative of the Japanese government that could get them in touch with Hosyu, and issue them emergency passports. Hosyu arranged plane tickets for them from Nairobi to Tokyo, via New Delhi. He also wired cash to them so that they could take care of expenses on the way.

Aster took Thomas to a clothing shop in the airport, and then instructed him in the usage of coin-operated showers.

�It�s not much,� she told him, �But its better than nothing. We�ll be clean. We can get a soak when we get home.�

�I�m glad you bought scented soap,� Thomas said. �I don�t feel like I�ll ever get the stink of that river out of me.�

�We don�t have much time, Thomas,� Aster said. She headed for the women�s section of the showers.

~*~*~*~

When they arrived at Haneda airport, they stared at Tokyo, wondering if anything was ever going to be the same.

�Let�s go, Thomas,� Aster said. �I have a feeling that something terrible has happened.�

Thomas nodded next to her, and the two of them flagged down a taxi and gave it their address.

~*~*~*~

Chiba House was dark and cold. They stared at the whiteboard in noncomprehension for a while before Thomas turned to Aster with a look of triumph in his eyes.

�Akita!� he said. �They went to your safe house in Akita!�

�Something is wrong,� Aster said. �We can�t get there too soon.�

�I�ll drive for the first leg,� Thomas said. �I slept all the way from New Delhi to here.�

�Okay,� Aster said. �I�ll nap once we�re out of the city.�

The two of them packed a few things that Aster knew they didn�t have in Akita, mostly medications and comfort foods, and they walked out to Thomas� compact car.

They climbed in, and left the compound. They headed towards the visible chaos field, knowing that they would have to either cross it or drive very close to it to get out of the city.

Thomas drove carefully, even though there were no other cars on the street. Tokyo seemed to have become a ghost town. Fifty yards from the chaos field, the car engine started to run differently.

�We can�t get any closer,� Aster said. �The chaos field must interfere with the internal combustion engine. We have to skirt the chaos field.�

�Right,� Thomas said. He turned right at the next street, and they turned away from the field. They kept up a zig zag pattern until they were on the north side of the chaos field, and then they turned onto a street that would take them to the highway that led north, to Akita.

~*~*~*~

Aster drove the last length of the journey, since Thomas had no idea of how to get to the house. She drove up to the gate and reached out to punch a code into a keypad. The red light turned green, and the gate obediently opened to reveal a driveway and a two-story house beyond it.

They drove up the driveway slowly, and parked Thomas� car next to Nathan�s car, Kojiro�s motorcycle, and Mamoru�s car.

�Well, we know who�s here,� Aster said. �Let�s go in.� She got out of the car, and jumped in surprise when Luna jumped up onto one of her shoulders.

She snatched the moon cat off of her shoulder, and then cuddled her close.

�Hello, Luna!� she said. �I never thought I�d miss you!�

�Where did you two end up?� Artemis asked from the top of the car. He hopped over to Thomas� shoulder and curled his tail around the man�s neck.

�In Africa,� Aster said sourly. �I ended up in a tree, and Thomas on a riverbank. We were somewhere in Kenya, outside Nairobi.�

�Well,� Luna said as Aster started towards the front door. �Sailor Saturn and Endymion ended up in the subway, and Sailor Moon was actually captured by the enemy. Endymion and Sailor Saturn rescued her. Sailor Mars and Kishi Mercury ended up in Spain, outside Madrid. Sailor Neptune and Kishi Uranus ended up somewhere north of here, in Mongolia. They had to come back on a cargo ship.�

�Wonderful,� Aster said. �No word from anyone else?�

�No,� Luna said. �There are no communications with Tokyo anywhere. We have to assume that the others are as far scattered as you were.�

�Has anyone tried the communicators?� Thomas asked. �It might let us know where everyone is.�

�I didn�t even think of that,� Luna admitted. �We�ve had our hands full with Usagi. She won�t let Mamoru or Kojiro anywhere near her. She doesn�t seem to have a problem with Nathan, though. I just can�t figure it out. You can find out if one of the others has, though.�

�I think I can,� Aster said, dropping Luna to the ground. �We�ll just see if I�m right.�

She opened the door and stepped into the main room of the house. Everyone in the room froze as she entered, and then one person recovered before anyone else to throw herself at Aster and envelop her in a hug.

Usagi.

Aster wrapped her arms around the younger girl, and buried her face in Usagi�s hair. She could feel a trembling in the smaller form, and she looked up to see that Mamoru looked as if he had not slept since the incident in Tokyo.

�Come on, Usa-chan,� Aster said. �I need a bath, and I think that we need to talk.�

�I hope there�s more than one tub,� Thomas said.

Usagi looked up from Aster, paused for only a moment, and then threw herself at Thomas, wrapping herself around him.

The tired look on Mamoru�s face lightened slightly, and his eyes shone with hope.

�There is,� Mamoru said. �Why don�t we separate by gender, for now? The girls can have the larger tub, since there�s more of them, and we four men will have the smaller tub.�

He got up and led the way to the back of the house, pulling off the sweatshirt he was wearing as he went.

Aster watched Usagi carefully, and while Usagi�s eyes roamed over Mamoru�s bare back much as they always had, Aster felt the shoulders under her arm tremble at the same time.

Aster kept her silence until they were all scrubbed and in the bath.

Then, she pulled Usagi close to her and laid her cheek on the top of Usagi�s head.

�Tell me,� she said softly.

Usagi stopped moving completely at the quiet command. She even held her breath for several moments. Then, she took a deep breath, and spoke.

�He captured me,� she said. �He sent all of you away, and then he just wrapped something around me, and I couldn�t move. He took me to the top of one of the office buildings. There were people looking around, trying to figure out what was happening. He laughed at them, and then he waved his hand and they were surrounded by black energy. When it faded, they�d all been � molded together. It was awful. He told the creature �see that we are not disturbed� and he carried me into another office.�

Usagi stopped talking, shivering even in the hot water. She pressed against Aster and did not seem to notice the others, even when Rei came closer and started rubbing her back to help calm her down.

Gradually, Usagi gained control of herself again, and then she started talking again.

�He changed a conference table into some kind of x-shaped platform. When he threw me onto it, I stuck. I couldn�t get away. He started tearing my fuku off. He got my boots off. He stopped when he�d � torn away everything from the waist down. Then, he made manacles to hold me down. I started trying to get loose. I think he liked it. He watched me for a few minutes, and � then he � came closer. He � he �� Usagi�s voice broke and she started sobbing, clutching at Aster.

�Hush, Usa-chan,� Aster whispered into her hair. �We�ll help you. We�ll make you stronger than you were before. Just ask Michiru. It took her a while, but she got better. You�ll get better, too. You�ve got Thomas, and Mamoru, and we all love you.�

�I can�t,� Usagi sobbed. �I�ve tried, with Mamo-chan. I can�t let him touch me. He touches me, and � I see � that man!�

�We�ll fix it, Usa-chan,� Aster said. �Thomas and Mamo-chan and I will help you get through this. You�ll be able to face that creature again, with all of us behind you.�

�Do you really think so?� Usagi asked, sniffling.

�Of course,� Aster said. �Come on, now. We need to get you drunk.�

�Like when my family � � Usagi�s voice died away and she sat up to look up at Aster.

�When my family died!� she said suddenly. �That voice! That was his voice! It was the same man!�

�Usagi, are you sure?� Rei asked.

Usagi nodded firmly.

�Absolutely,� she said. �I�ll never forget that voice, especially now.�

�I almost wish I could tell on him,� Aster said. �Can you imagine the look on the Black Queen�s face when she finds out that one of her underlings made a deal with the creature that got them cut off for a while?�

�I don�t think it was Chaos cutting them off,� Michiru said. �I think it was the Dark Millennium. I think only one kind of gateways can be opened at a time. When the Dark Millennium was opening gateways, the Dark Kingdom couldn�t.�

�That�s a possibility,� Aster said. �I can�t imagine Queen Metalia being complacent about turning Chaos loose.�

�Good point,� Michiru said. �Have we soaked enough, ladies?�

�I think we have,� Aster said. �We need to raid the liquor cabinet. I don�t know about the rest of you, but I think that I need a drink.�

�Okay,� Rei said. She climbed out of the bath, wrapped a towel around herself, and left the room.

In the living room, while she shied away from both Mamoru and Kojiro, Usagi went out of her way to sit next to Thomas, pressing up against him as if she was trying to meld herself into him.

She stayed next to him, ignoring even Mamoru, while they had a few drinks, and then Michiru and Aster fixed dinner. She stayed next to Thomas while they ate, and then cuddled next to him while they talked after dinner.

When they were ready to retire for the night, Usagi clung to Thomas like a limpet while everyone went up the stairs. She disappeared into the same bedroom as Thomas, pulling at his clothes as the door closed.

Mamoru turned to Aster, his expression both hurt and puzzled.

�I don�t understand,� he said. �She won�t let me touch her, but it looks like she�s getting ready to jump him.�

�I think it�s a Planetary thing,� Aster said. �You�re still her primary, but I think she needs the stability of her partner first. You might think about climbing into bed with them in the middle of the night. It would get Usagi accustomed to your presence, again, without the pressure of having sex with you. Have sex with Thomas. I understand that he�s more than willing, these days.�

�Are you sure about this?� Mamoru asked.

�No,� Aster said. �This is new territory. I�m basing this on past behavior, and on my knowledge of the way we pair off.�

�I�ll give it a try,� Mamoru said. �Anything is better than Usagi cringing from me.�

�Perhaps seeing you with Thomas will reinforce that you won�t hurt her,� Michiru said. �Let us know if it works.�

�I have an idea,� Hotaru said softly. All of them turned to look at her.

�Perhaps Mamoru and I should both join them,� she said. �I�ve missed Thomas, and I�m sure that Usagi will welcome the company.�

�Besides which,� Michiru said, laughing. �You finally found an excuse to get in bed with our future King.�

Hotaru paused, looking at all of them and then at Mamoru last.

�I never thought of that,� she said. �I guess that would be a benefit, wouldn�t it?�

�Just be careful,� Michiru said. �Good night, sweetpea.�

TBC
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Diamohns are Forever