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laleiaI had all sorts of awesome ideas when I first started writing fanfic. Or at least, I thought they were awesome at the time ...
Naru & Serenity
Naru stared out her window as the sound of thunder filled the sky. Usagi’s probably scared to death right now, she mused, unless she’s with Mamoru. There was a time when she would spend thunderstorms with me. Naru turned away abruptly. “Just because she has other friends now doesn’t mean you are no longer her friend,” she reminded herself once more. She knew that Usagi and her new friends shared secrets that she could never hope to fathom. She also knew that it didn’t matter, because she knew Usagi’s deepest, darkest secrets, and she would take those secrets with her to her grave.
A frantic knock on the door quickly caught her attention and she moved to open it. She encountered a drenched Usagi.
“They’ve come,” Usagi gasped. “The Tsukinos have reached the safehouse. I just need to change.”
Having been prepared for such a possibility, Naru jerked her head to the cellar. “I’ll hold them,” Naru said grimly.
“Naru,” Usagi said. “You must tell my friends what has befallen me. Tell them that I promise to return in three years.”
“When you have reached your majority,” Naru nodded. “I will do my best. Now hurry. They come.”
Usagi disappeared into the cellar, and Naru picked up the stave that always lay by the doorway. Moments later, the door burst open. Three burly men stood in the doorway.
“Where is she?” a cold, precise voice asked from behind them.
Naru did not bother to answer. Instead, she raised her staff, and moments later, she was among them, laying about with her stave determinedly. She dodged blows and was remarkably unscathed as she knocked out the three goons. Then, she turned to face the dark-haired, sunglass-clad figure who held a gun at her.
“Where is she?” he asked again.
Naru obligingly dropped her stave. She blinked at him. “Gone, by now,” she said simply.
Letting out a cry of rage, the man pushed past her, and glanced about the room, his eyes immediately locating the trapdoor that led to the cellar. He flung it open, and rushed down, but he was too late. All he saw was an open window (yes, an underground window … one of those that are like three inches off of the ground?), and he growled with fury. He rushed back upstairs and faced his remaining goons and an unrepentant Naru.
“Deal with her,” he growled, before pushing out of the room. And that, of course, was his mistake.
He didn’t see whether his goons were able to “deal” with Naru. Which, of course, they were unable to do. Within minutes, she had them unconscious on the floor, and she, too, knew that she was out of time. Her “mother” had most likely contacted the Agency by now, and even now she could hear the sirens indicating their presence. She could leave immediately, but she still had Usagi’s last request to fulfill. Instead, she left the house, and beckoned for the Agency to cars to wait a while. She still had some business to do.
She arrived in front of the Hikawa Jinja a few moments later. She was soaked through and through by the rain, but she only had a few minutes. She snuck in through a window rather than wake up the entire house at this time of night.
“Who is it?” she heard Rei’s voice bark out, and felt something sharp at her throat.
“Naru,” she said simply, waiting for the astonishment that was sure to follow.
“Naru?” Rei asked incredulously, as she lit the lamp at her bedside with hardly a thought. (Sometimes, Rei used her fire without realizing that she did so.) “What are you doing here?”
“I bear a message from Usagi.”
“Usagi? What does she want at this time of night? How did you get here? What is going on?” Rei looked very bewildered.
“I do not have much time before they track me here. I have several things to tell you. Despite what you will hear, Usagi is far from dead. She has escaped, but will, I am afraid, not be able to return for three years. Not until she reaches her majority.” A crackle in the courtyard alerted her. “I cannot stay much longer. Remember, Rei. She shall return in three years.” Without further ado, Naru leapt out of the window just as three dark ninjas burst in through the door.
Rei sensed that Naru needed to escape, and her hand went to the katana (which, although ceremonial, was still quite sharp) that lay beside her bed always. “You’re not getting through me, whoever you are,” she said grimly. “And when I’m done with you, I want some answers.”
Naru had only a brief moment to feel pity for those who were about to face Rei’s wrath before she had to flee.
--
Ami stepped out of the airport rather casually, her blue hair pinned back primly by several bobby pins. “Ami!” she heard a familiar voice, and turned to see Makoto, Minako, and Rei waving wildly at her. Smiling, she ran towards them, and swept them up into an enormous embrace.
“It’s been too long,” she sighed.
“You’re the last one back but for Mamoru,” Minako told her. “Haruka and Michiru had a press conference, otherwise they would be here.”
“A press conference?” Ami lifted an eyebrow.
“Apparently,” Rei drawled, “the revelation that 1.) The famous racecar driver Ten’ou Haruka was female, 2.) She, not he, was still Kaioh Michiru’s lover, and 3.) They had an adopted daughter, was too much for the reporters to handle without confirmation. So they are holding a press conference. That’s where Hotaru is, too.”
“Oh dear,” Ami frowned. “There are so many close-minded-”
“They can take of themselves,” Makoto reassured her. “They are Sailor Senshi.”
Ami nodded. “That they are,” she said quietly. “Has anyone managed to contact Mamoru?” she lifted her head.
“No,” Minako shook her head sadly.
“Where is that man?” Makoto asked. “Usagi’s ‘three years’ ends tomorrow, and if he’s not here-”
“He’s probably with her,” Rei snorted. “After all, there has been absolutely no contact since he thought he might have a lead on her location two years ago. He probably did find her, and has accompanied her since then.”
“What about you?” Minako turned to Ami. “Did your last lead pan out?”
“I missed her,” Ami smiled, “by three days.”
“Are you serious?” Rei asked. “That’s closer than anyone else has ever gotten.”
“Not the people who are after her,” Ami frowned. “They had been and left already, by two days at least, and erased most signs of her presence so I could not detect her next destination.” She looked up and smiled. “Although I can guess.”
“Tomorrow,” Rei nodded firmly, “three years ends, and Usagi reaches her majority. Naru said she would arrive on the 4:30 afternoon plane, that is, if nothing goes wrong.”
“Where is Naru?” Ami asked.
Rei shrugged. “She dropped by to tell me this, admitted that she’s in the dark as to whether Mamoru is with Usagi, and left.”
“I have found out some information,” Ami said, “which I shall reveal tonight, when we are all congregated.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Makoto complained, “and just tell us now.”
Ami shook her head. “It’s too important for me to repeat.”
They all three gave her quizzical looks but accepted her explanation. When Ami said something was important, it was important. Instead of talking shop, they began gossiping instead about Makoto's latest boyfriend and Minako's latest flame. The underlying tension never dissipated, though.
Notes: The bulk of my old fanfic (and thus the bulk of the WiPs I will be unloading) is Sailor Moon fanfic. Sailor Moon is my oldest fandom, and what I still consider my main fandom even though I haven't written a fic for it in ages.
Naru & Serenity
Naru stared out her window as the sound of thunder filled the sky. Usagi’s probably scared to death right now, she mused, unless she’s with Mamoru. There was a time when she would spend thunderstorms with me. Naru turned away abruptly. “Just because she has other friends now doesn’t mean you are no longer her friend,” she reminded herself once more. She knew that Usagi and her new friends shared secrets that she could never hope to fathom. She also knew that it didn’t matter, because she knew Usagi’s deepest, darkest secrets, and she would take those secrets with her to her grave.
A frantic knock on the door quickly caught her attention and she moved to open it. She encountered a drenched Usagi.
“They’ve come,” Usagi gasped. “The Tsukinos have reached the safehouse. I just need to change.”
Having been prepared for such a possibility, Naru jerked her head to the cellar. “I’ll hold them,” Naru said grimly.
“Naru,” Usagi said. “You must tell my friends what has befallen me. Tell them that I promise to return in three years.”
“When you have reached your majority,” Naru nodded. “I will do my best. Now hurry. They come.”
Usagi disappeared into the cellar, and Naru picked up the stave that always lay by the doorway. Moments later, the door burst open. Three burly men stood in the doorway.
“Where is she?” a cold, precise voice asked from behind them.
Naru did not bother to answer. Instead, she raised her staff, and moments later, she was among them, laying about with her stave determinedly. She dodged blows and was remarkably unscathed as she knocked out the three goons. Then, she turned to face the dark-haired, sunglass-clad figure who held a gun at her.
“Where is she?” he asked again.
Naru obligingly dropped her stave. She blinked at him. “Gone, by now,” she said simply.
Letting out a cry of rage, the man pushed past her, and glanced about the room, his eyes immediately locating the trapdoor that led to the cellar. He flung it open, and rushed down, but he was too late. All he saw was an open window (yes, an underground window … one of those that are like three inches off of the ground?), and he growled with fury. He rushed back upstairs and faced his remaining goons and an unrepentant Naru.
“Deal with her,” he growled, before pushing out of the room. And that, of course, was his mistake.
He didn’t see whether his goons were able to “deal” with Naru. Which, of course, they were unable to do. Within minutes, she had them unconscious on the floor, and she, too, knew that she was out of time. Her “mother” had most likely contacted the Agency by now, and even now she could hear the sirens indicating their presence. She could leave immediately, but she still had Usagi’s last request to fulfill. Instead, she left the house, and beckoned for the Agency to cars to wait a while. She still had some business to do.
She arrived in front of the Hikawa Jinja a few moments later. She was soaked through and through by the rain, but she only had a few minutes. She snuck in through a window rather than wake up the entire house at this time of night.
“Who is it?” she heard Rei’s voice bark out, and felt something sharp at her throat.
“Naru,” she said simply, waiting for the astonishment that was sure to follow.
“Naru?” Rei asked incredulously, as she lit the lamp at her bedside with hardly a thought. (Sometimes, Rei used her fire without realizing that she did so.) “What are you doing here?”
“I bear a message from Usagi.”
“Usagi? What does she want at this time of night? How did you get here? What is going on?” Rei looked very bewildered.
“I do not have much time before they track me here. I have several things to tell you. Despite what you will hear, Usagi is far from dead. She has escaped, but will, I am afraid, not be able to return for three years. Not until she reaches her majority.” A crackle in the courtyard alerted her. “I cannot stay much longer. Remember, Rei. She shall return in three years.” Without further ado, Naru leapt out of the window just as three dark ninjas burst in through the door.
Rei sensed that Naru needed to escape, and her hand went to the katana (which, although ceremonial, was still quite sharp) that lay beside her bed always. “You’re not getting through me, whoever you are,” she said grimly. “And when I’m done with you, I want some answers.”
Naru had only a brief moment to feel pity for those who were about to face Rei’s wrath before she had to flee.
--
Ami stepped out of the airport rather casually, her blue hair pinned back primly by several bobby pins. “Ami!” she heard a familiar voice, and turned to see Makoto, Minako, and Rei waving wildly at her. Smiling, she ran towards them, and swept them up into an enormous embrace.
“It’s been too long,” she sighed.
“You’re the last one back but for Mamoru,” Minako told her. “Haruka and Michiru had a press conference, otherwise they would be here.”
“A press conference?” Ami lifted an eyebrow.
“Apparently,” Rei drawled, “the revelation that 1.) The famous racecar driver Ten’ou Haruka was female, 2.) She, not he, was still Kaioh Michiru’s lover, and 3.) They had an adopted daughter, was too much for the reporters to handle without confirmation. So they are holding a press conference. That’s where Hotaru is, too.”
“Oh dear,” Ami frowned. “There are so many close-minded-”
“They can take of themselves,” Makoto reassured her. “They are Sailor Senshi.”
Ami nodded. “That they are,” she said quietly. “Has anyone managed to contact Mamoru?” she lifted her head.
“No,” Minako shook her head sadly.
“Where is that man?” Makoto asked. “Usagi’s ‘three years’ ends tomorrow, and if he’s not here-”
“He’s probably with her,” Rei snorted. “After all, there has been absolutely no contact since he thought he might have a lead on her location two years ago. He probably did find her, and has accompanied her since then.”
“What about you?” Minako turned to Ami. “Did your last lead pan out?”
“I missed her,” Ami smiled, “by three days.”
“Are you serious?” Rei asked. “That’s closer than anyone else has ever gotten.”
“Not the people who are after her,” Ami frowned. “They had been and left already, by two days at least, and erased most signs of her presence so I could not detect her next destination.” She looked up and smiled. “Although I can guess.”
“Tomorrow,” Rei nodded firmly, “three years ends, and Usagi reaches her majority. Naru said she would arrive on the 4:30 afternoon plane, that is, if nothing goes wrong.”
“Where is Naru?” Ami asked.
Rei shrugged. “She dropped by to tell me this, admitted that she’s in the dark as to whether Mamoru is with Usagi, and left.”
“I have found out some information,” Ami said, “which I shall reveal tonight, when we are all congregated.”
“Don’t be so melodramatic,” Makoto complained, “and just tell us now.”
Ami shook her head. “It’s too important for me to repeat.”
They all three gave her quizzical looks but accepted her explanation. When Ami said something was important, it was important. Instead of talking shop, they began gossiping instead about Makoto's latest boyfriend and Minako's latest flame. The underlying tension never dissipated, though.
Notes: The bulk of my old fanfic (and thus the bulk of the WiPs I will be unloading) is Sailor Moon fanfic. Sailor Moon is my oldest fandom, and what I still consider my main fandom even though I haven't written a fic for it in ages.
