Chapter Text
Chapter Twelve
She was crazy. Completely out of her mind.
Usagi clutched the side of the chairlift with one hand as she tried to stuff her poles under one thigh and keep her skis level at the same time. If she made it to the top of this mountain alive, it would be nothing short of a miracle. Five minutes after strapping them on, Usagi had decided skis were as bad as figure skates. Maybe worse, even. What possessed people to strap blades and sticks to their feet and fly around on ice and snow? Usagi would much rather sit at home on the couch under a warm blanket playing a video game than spend her one free Saturday a month ascending a mountain on a metal deathtrap.
Winter sports were overrated. Sports in general, really.
When the lift finally reached the summit, Usagi scrambled off with unabashed relief. A smiling resort worker ushered her in the direction of the race’s start line, and she made her way over to the large crowd with awkward, wobbly strides. Stuck at the back, she craned her neck, scanning the sea of contestants for a familiar purple ski jacket, and spotted Rei near the front of the herd—where else? Sighing, Usagi began to worm her way through the crush of people, mumbling soft apologies all the way, until she was positioned behind Rei, several bodies back. Usagi’s plan was simple: stay out of sight until the race began. Once they started down the mountain, there would be nothing Rei could do.
Giving the others the slip had been less simple. Usagi had been hoping to ditch them during a quick bathroom break, but they’d thwarted her at every turn. Why did girls always insist on peeing in pairs? In the end, it had taken six attempts—and as many cups of hot cocoa to avoid suspicion—for her to finally get her chance. After stealing another girl’s hat and parka to disguise herself, Usagi had slipped away undetected and made a beeline for the chairlift before anyone could notice she was gone. She felt a little guilty about the deception—and the temporary theft—but she couldn’t let Rei do this alone. If anything happened, and they couldn’t reach her in time…
They were a team, and they needed to stick together.
Wishing that she’d stolen a softer hat to conceal her hair, Usagi adjusted the itchy yellow knit cap and set her mouth in a determined line. She could do this, there was no reason to be nervous. All she had to do was make it down the mountain. Piece of cake. Gravity was bound to do most of the work for her. When the starting shot fired, the throng launched forward in a flurry of motion. Panicked by the sudden exodus, Usagi threw her arms up over her head and made herself as small as possible. Moments later, she stood alone behind the starting line, knock kneed and frozen in place. Gulping, she peered down the perilous track and pictured her maimed corpse tumbling across the finish line.
Maybe she hadn’t thought this all the way through…
“Having second thoughts?”
Usagi started and turned to find the resort worker from the chairlift standing next to her. His lips were pursed in a kind smile, but his furrowed brow and sympathetic gaze made Usagi frown. “It’s all right to turn back. A lot of people get up here and realize they’re not ready. No shame in knowing your own limits.”
Usagi looked from him to the mountainside. Most of the contestants were already out of sight. Rei was out of sight. Usagi gripped her ski poles. “Thanks, but I’m ready.”
“You sure?”
No. “Yes.” Despite her affirmative answer, Usagi made no move to go.
“Need a push?”
“…Yes, please.”
Usagi tensed when she felt his hands at her back then eased a little when he said, “You’ve got this,” before giving her a gentle push forward. As her skis angled down the slope, Usagi prayed that he was right.
Though her descent started out slow, she picked up speed in no time, and when her left ski hit a patch of ice beneath the powder, Usagi yelped and nearly bailed. Pitching wildly, she fought to get control and snagged the ground with one of her ski poles, causing her to veer sharply to the right. Panicked, she threw her arms up and held the poles aloft in an effort to not repeat her mistake. Soon after, she spotted her first contestant, and as she whizzed past them, her legs began to drift apart, straining the quivering muscles of her inner thighs. Tucking her poles under her arms, she slammed her knees together to stop herself from doing the splits while flying down a mountainside.
When this new positioning seemed to only increase her speed, Usagi wracked her brain for a way to slow down. Though she tried to recall the method their ski instructor had taught them, all she could remember was Makoto’s dreamy eyed comparisons to her ex-boyfriend. The cold wind buffeted Usagi’s face and tore the scratchy hat from her head, freeing her pigtails to stream out behind her. Screaming in abject terror as she flew past one contestant after another, Usagi cursed her own stupidity. Why had she ever thought she could ski down a mountain? She could barely walk down a hill without tripping!
Spotting a glimpse of purple on the horizon, her heart swelled with hope. “Rei!” she yelled. “Help me!”
Rei looked over as Usagi pulled even with her. “Usagi?” Rei’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing here?”
Usagi flew over a slope and screeched as she went airborne. When her skis touched down a second later, she thrashed her limbs in a frantic effort to stay upright. “I wanted to protect you!”
Rei swooped down on her right flank. “You have to slow down. It’s too dangerous to keep going at this speed.”
Usagi twisted her neck around and glared. “Do you think I’d be going this fast if I had any control? I have no idea what I’m doing!”
“Point the tips of your skis together,” Rei told her, “it’ll slow you down.”
Usagi tried to do as Rei said, but any attempt she made to reposition her skis just threw her off balance. She was outpacing Rei now, unable to curb her rapid acceleration. “I’m going to break my neck!”
Just then, a loud crash sounded from behind, followed by a sharp curse from Rei. “Usagi! Go faster!”
Usagi tried to look back, but one of her pigtails swept across her face, blinding her. “Faster?” she cried, sucking in a mouthful of hair. “What do you mean, ‘go faster’?” If she went any faster, she was liable to break the sound barrier. The ground rumbled below her skis, and Usagi pulled her hair away just in time to see the snow begin to rise up on either side of her, forming massive walls of ice. “Rei, what’s happening?”
“Just ski, Usagi,” Rei ordered, and the slight tremor in her voice sent a shiver of cold terror running down Usagi’s spine. She did as Rei said because she trusted her, and because there was no other option. Tears streamed from her eyes and froze on her cheeks as she flew through the inescapable tunnel of ice. How high was this mountain? Would they ever reach the bottom?
As she whipped over the next peak, the ice walls began crashing together up ahead. A terrified scream ripped from Usagi’s lungs, and unable to face her impending doom, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for a miracle. Rei dove at her, clasping Usagi around the waist and tackling her to the ground in a wild tumble of limbs. They hit the snow with bone-jarring force, and Usagi’s shoulder made a horrible crunching noise when they bounced before coming to a rolling stop. A loud boom thundered against her eardrums, then all was quiet.
Usagi lay face down in the snow with Rei’s arm flung across her back. Lifting her snow-encrusted cheek, Usagi blinked at her white surroundings before pushing herself to her knees. A sharp twinge of pain in her shoulder confirmed that she was a bit banged up but alive. Ice walls loomed on either side of her, perhaps twenty feet apart, and a huge pile of snow wedged between them looked to be the only thing that had saved her and Rei from being crushed. Usagi said a silent prayer of thanks before turning to Rei, who looked dishevelled but uninjured. Smiling in relief, Usagi opened her mouth to speak, but Rei’s scowl stilled her tongue.
“What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” Rei enunciated each word with precision, her tone seething with hot anger.
Usagi edged back and raised her hands in a submissive gesture. “I, uh, I told you,” she stammered, “I wanted to protect you.” The words sounded even more absurd now than they had when she’d been flying down the mountain, and she shrank beneath Rei’s withering glare.
Rei pointed a menacing finger at Usagi’s chest. “If it wasn’t my sworn duty to keep you alive, I swear I’d murder you right now.” A faint beeping sounded, and Rei fumbled in her pocket before pulling out her communicator. She pressed a button, and Makoto’s voice rang out through the speaker.
“Rei, we can’t find Usagi! She went to the bathroom and didn’t come back. She’s not answering her communicator. We’ve searched everywhere, but all we found was her parka. We think she might have been taken!”
Rei looked up from the communicator, raised one eyebrow at Usagi, and glared. Without a word, she flipped the device around and pointed it at Usagi. Makoto’s astonished face stared out from the tiny screen. “Usagi? What are you doing with Rei?” Usagi blushed as Ami and Minako’s muffled exclamations of shock sounded in the background.
Rei turned the communicator back around and explained the situation. “The walls are too sheer to climb,” she said, testing the snow pile with her right boot. It sunk deep. “And the snow is a no go. We’re sitting ducks in here.” Rei craned her neck to scan the horizon atop the high walls. “Get up here as quick as you can.” After switching the communicator off and stuffing it back in her pocket, Rei paced the small, enclosed space that held them captive.
Seizing upon the moment of quiet, Usagi cleared her throat. “Rei, I was only trying to—”
“Not another word,” Rei snapped. “The only thing I want to hear you say is Moon Prism Power.” Rei pulled out her transformation pen and turned her eyes to the sky. “I don’t know what’s coming, but whatever it is, we need to be ready for it.” With an efficient flourish of her pen, Rei launched into her fiery transformation. Eyes downcast, Usagi reached for her brooch and mumbled the familiar phrase. Moments later, the two Senshi stood facing each other in silence.
Usagi opened her mouth to speak again, but Mars was already striding away toward one of the ice walls. She laid a hand on its surface and stared up at the top. “I think it’s too high to jump.” Despite her statement, she took a few steps back, lowered into a crouch then leaped high into the air. Though it was an impressive effort, the wall’s peak remained out of reach. Mars touched down on the snow with a soft crunch then strode back to the wall and gave it a few taps.
“Do you think you can melt it?” Usagi asked.
“Maybe,” Mars said, but she didn’t sound very confident. “It looks pretty thick. I don’t want to waste all my energy now and regret it later.”
“Well,” Usagi said with a soft sigh, “I guess we’ll just have to wait.”
She looked around for a place to sit, but their frosty cage offered precious little in the way of accommodation. The thought of sitting on the cold snow in nothing but a mini skirt didn’t hold much appeal. Sure, her boots could sprout blades, but heaven forbid her fuku should morph into a parka and a set of snow pants. Crossing her arms over her chest, Usagi rubbed her hands up and down her exposed skin before glancing at Mars. “Bit chilly,” she mumbled.
Mars rolled her eyes but walked over and rested her hands on Usagi’s shoulders. After muttering a few unintelligible words under her breath, a soothing wave of heat passed through her hands into Usagi’s arms. Warmth flooded throughout Usagi’s body, easing the chill and soothing the ache in her shoulder. She smiled and breathed a contented sigh.
“Thank you, that feels much better.” Mars said nothing, just stared back at her, looking anything but content. “Rei, I know you’re angry with me—”
“Angry?” Mars interrupted in a shrill voice, dropping her hands from Usagi’s shoulders. “Usagi, I’m not angry with you, I’m furious!” Usagi cringed, but Mars had only just begun. “You’ve done a lot of stupid things in the time I’ve known you, but I can’t believe you followed me up here!” Spinning on her heel, Mars paced away. “What’s going on with you lately? You’re moody, uncommunicative, and you refuse to listen to anyone.”
Planting her hands on her hips, Rei marched back and pinned Usagi with a scorching gaze. “We’re facing a serious threat, and you’re running around doing whatever the heck you want. This isn’t a game, this is real life, and there are consequences!”
Usagi balled her hands into fists. “You think I don’t know that?”
Mars looked down her nose with scornful violet eyes. “You sure aren’t acting like you do.”
“Don’t talk to me like that,” Usagi snapped. “I’m not a child, and I’m not a walking disaster either. I’m a Senshi just like you, and I deserve your respect. I was doing this before you showed up, and I managed just fine on my own.”
“Managed,” Mars echoed with a derisive snort. She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, crowding Usagi’s space. “Just barely, and those youma were nothing compared to what we’re up against now.” Usagi pursed her lips and held her ground, refusing to be cowed. Mars studied her expression and drew in a breath before gentling her tone. “You have to take this seriously, Usagi.”
“I am taking this seriously.”
Mars’s expression hardened. “No, you’re not. If you were, you wouldn’t have come up here. We all agreed that you would stay below with the others, and yet”—Mars spread her arms wide—“here you are.”
Usagi shook her head and raised a fist to her chest. “You needed someone with you. You needed someone close to watch your back.”
“What I needed,” Mars said with a scowl, “was to concentrate on the course and watch for a threat. Instead, you came flying down the mountain at breakneck speed and got us both trapped.”
Usagi bristled at the unfair comment. “Don’t blame this on me. What were you going to do, sprout wings and fly out of here?” Usagi leaned forward and poked Mars’s chest with her pointer finger. “You would have gotten caught in this trap whether I’d come up here or not, but if I hadn’t, you’d be stuck up here all alone.” Mars’s eyes flashed as her mouth drew tight.
Usagi lowered her hand but held Mars’s gaze. “That’s why I’m up here, and nothing you say will convince me that I made the wrong choice.”
Mars pursed her lips in a soft frown. “Maybe not, but let’s see if you change your tune when trouble shows up.”
“Dissension in the ranks?”
Usagi and Mars whipped their heads around in unison. Endymion stood less than ten feet away, leaning against one of the walls of their icy prison. Usagi slapped a hand against her chest to stop her heart from pounding straight through her ribcage. How long had he been standing there? Endymion cut a striking figure in his armour—tall, dark, and sporting a look of cold confidence. Usagi shivered when his piercing gaze settled on her. Dizzy with alarm, she reached for Mars as a faint warning sounded in her mind.
>> Be on your guard. <<
Thrusting an arm out in front of Usagi, Mars stepped forward and raised her chin. “Why are you here?”
Usagi caught the note of uncertainty in Mars’s voice. What was going through her mind as she looked at Endymion? Did she see Mamoru? Usagi had stared deep into those cold blue eyes and found no sign of him. Would Mars be able to unearth some remnant of the boy they once knew from the man standing before them?
Endymion’s lips curved in a menacing smile as he stepped away from the wall. “You know why I’m here, Sailor Mars,” he said without shifting his gaze from Usagi. “Stand aside, and I won’t have to harm you.”
“You wouldn’t do that,” Mars said, fisting her hand and pulling it to her chest. “You’re our ally, you would never hurt us.”
Endymion’s expression flattened as he finally turned his gaze to Mars. “If that is what you truly believe, then you are nothing more than a fool. Should you continue to stand in my way, I assure you I will not go easy on you.”
Mars straightened her spine. “I’m no fool.” Reaching into the air, she summoned an ofuda to her hand. “Your mind is corrupted by evil, but I will banish the demon inside you and set you free.” Mars pressed the ofuda to her forehead in concentration and shouted, “Akuryo Taisan!” before flinging the paper talisman at Endymion.
A tumultuous blend of hope and fear rose within Usagi as the ofuda hit him square in the chest and stuck fast. Silence descended as all three parties waited to see what would happen. After the span of several breaths, Endymion raised a hand to his chest and peeled the ofuda away. Holding it between two fingers, he eyed it with disinterest before a wave of dark energy surged through his hand and turned the ofuda to dust.
His gaze swung back to Mars. “Well, that was underwhelming.”
Mars cursed beneath her breath and stumbled back, offering Usagi a view of her shaken expression. The look of crushing disappointment on her face tore at Usagi’s heart, even as a shameful rush of relief swelled up from her core. Setting aside this troubling reaction for later examination, Usagi laid a gentle hand on Mars’s shoulder. “Sailor Mars,” she whispered, not knowing what else to say.
“What?” Endymion sneered, intruding upon their quiet moment. “Upset that your little parlour trick didn’t work? Are you truly so naive that you thought a piece of paper would be enough to fell me?”
A spark of anger flashed in Mars’s eyes before she pushed Usagi behind her. “Why do you want to fight us? We’re not your enemies.”
“You are nothing more than an obstacle,” Endymion replied, sliding his gaze to Usagi, “and I will gladly remove you to get what I desire.”
“I won’t let you touch her,” Mars vowed. “Not again.”
Endymion’s expression hardened. “Just try to stop me. Blizzar!” A black portal shimmered into view behind him, and a youma stepped out. Tall and lean with wild blue hair, it was clad in an obnoxious outfit comprised of teal spandex, bulbous white balls with faces painted on them, and… Usagi blinked. Were those bunny slippers?
Endymion turned to the youma. “Take care of this for me,” he said, then he stepped into the portal and vanished.
Simultaneously relieved and dismayed by his abrupt departure, Usagi’s gaze lingered on the spot where he had disappeared. She drew in a shaky breath, noting the ache in her lungs. Whenever he was near, he seemed to consume all of the oxygen around them, leaving her breathless and lightheaded. Usagi shook her head to dispel the fog of dismay clouding her thoughts. She should be glad he was gone. She needed her wits about her in order to deal with the youma he’d left behind.
As if on cue, Blizzar launched her first attack, and Usagi dove out of the way of a powerful blast of icy snow. Landing in a crouch, she scanned the area for Mars and found her positioned on Blizzar’s opposite side, already summoning her fire. The youma cried out as flames singed her left arm, then retaliated by hurling a storm of ice pellets at Sailor Mars, who dodged them nimbly. When Usagi moved to regroup, Blizzar turned the attack on her, driving her back.
The ensuing battle played out in similar fashion. Blizzar strove to keep Mars and Usagi separated with her frigid arsenal of high-speed attacks, forcing them on the defensive. Usagi did her best to draw most of the fire so Mars could play offence, but the youma was remarkably agile, teleporting at will and evading Mars’s repeated attempts to subdue her. As the tiresome game of cat and mouse dragged on, Usagi’s patience grew thin. She wanted to use the wand and bring the fight to an end, but Blizzar was too fast. Despite being outnumbered two to one, the youma had them running in circles.
Frustrated by their lack of progress, Usagi uttered a low curse and scanned the horizon for signs of reinforcements. She was thus distracted when the ice shard sliced into the side of her left knee, knocking her leg out from under her. Usagi collapsed to the snow, now spattered with her blood, and swallowed a gasp of pain when Mars’s anxious cry reached her ears.
“Sailor Moon!”
Usagi looked up in time to see the beam of ice strike Mars in the stomach. The magic worked fast, freezing Mars from the waist down. “Sailor Mars!” Usagi cried, scrambling to rise. Her injured knee buckled in protest, hindering her ability to stand, let alone walk. Mars met Usagi’s gaze from across the narrow battlefield, and they shared a moment of unspoken frustration before Mars looked past her. Her eyes grew wide.
“Sailor Moon, watch out!”
Arms seized Usagi from behind, wrapping around her waist and neck. When Usagi reached for the arm at her throat, a low chuckle sounded at her ear. She froze as warm breath tickled her cheek.
“Miss me?”
The playful intimacy of the words delivered in that low, oh-so-familiar voice evoked an odd mixture of dread and exhilaration within her. Usagi knew she would dwell upon this reaction later, provided she lived long enough to do so. Momentarily paralyzed, she looked to Mars and found strength in her ally’s apparent panic. Usagi surged into motion, thrashing and clawing to free herself, but Endymion held fast, squeezing her waist before hefting her up off the ground. Despite her injury, Usagi kicked out in fury and managed to strike one of his legs with the heel of her right boot.
Endymion grunted a curse and lowered her back to the ground without releasing her. “Enough,” he growled, “or I will allow Blizzar to turn your friend into an ice sculpture.” Usagi went still and looked to the youma, who was watching the scene unfold with obvious enjoyment. Blizzar narrowed her vicious yellow eyes on Sailor Mars.
Mars was beating her fists against the ice encasing her lower half. “Fight him, Sailor Moon!” Usagi flinched at the command before she clutched the thick fabric of Endymion’s sleeve and gave it an uncertain tug.
“Blizzar,” Endymion said, curling his fingers around Usagi’s left shoulder, “keep her still.”
Blizzar grinned, and Usagi jerked against Endymion’s hold when the youma struck Mars in the chest with a second beam of magic. The icy sheath climbed up her neck, locking her arms against her sides. Usagi whimpered at the sight of Mars’s distraught expression.
Endymion lowered his head, grazing Usagi’s temple with his jaw. “Now,” he said, next to her ear, “give me the ginzuishou, or I will force you to watch as Blizzar finishes the job.” Usagi stared at her helpless friend and felt the fight drain out of her. Defeated, she let go of Endymion’s arm and dropped her hands to her sides.
Mars watched, unblinking, and shook her head from side to side, the only movement she was still capable of. “No,” she told Usagi. “Don’t do it.” Her tone was adamant, and while Usagi didn’t doubt her sincerity for a second, she could also see that Mars had no other plan to offer her.
Endymion tightened his grip on Usagi’s waist to an almost painful degree. “Do not keep me waiting,” he warned. “I wasn’t bluffing.”
The summoning magic tingled in Usagi’s fingers before she even knew what she was doing. Squeezing her eyes shut to block out Mars’s appalled expression, Usagi felt the small object materialize in her hand seconds before a cry sounded from above. Endymion’s arms fell away, and Usagi tumbled forward into the snow. Dazed, she looked up in time to see Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury drop down into the crater.
Hope swelled in Usagi’s breast. She surged to her feet, eager to join her allies, but forgot her injured knee in her haste. The wounded leg betrayed her, giving out immediately and thwarting her hopes. A hand caught her by the wrist and pulled her back toward danger, away from refuge. Usagi collided with Endymion’s chest and arched back before gaping up at the fresh wound that slashed his brow.
Scowling, he wiped away a trickle of blood before it could seep into his right eye. “Enough of these distractions,” he said, drawing her close, “let us finish this where we cannot be interrupted.”
Gripped by dread, Usagi wrenched her neck around in search of salvation and spotted Mars. The Senshi’s violet gaze was open wide, clouded by an emotion Usagi did not immediately recognize. Little wonder, given the fact that she had never once seen it on her fierce friend’s face. Not until now. It was only after Endymion dragged Usagi into the darkness that she was able to give it a name.
Terror.