Sailor Moon is copyright 1992 by Naoko Takeuchi.
North American Rights for Sailor Moon are owned by
D.I.C.

Rating: R - just for a few profanities

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Life ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Part II - Unravelings
Chapter IXB - Who's Predicament?


	A 17-year-old rubbed his hands against his
jeans nervously, shifting from one foot to the other.

	"Would you stop?" another said angrily, puffing
on a cigarette.

	"I'm just-"

	"Well, don't be!" he snapped.

	"I didn't know we'd have to do this."

	"Yeah, well, now you know.  Deal."

	"Man, maybe we should-"

	"Maybe you should shut up and suck it up
already!"  He threw the cigarette to the ground and
put it out with his shoe.  He straightened his jacket
and felt the pocket to make sure he had what he
needed.  "Are you in?"

	"I-" the words died on his lips.

	"Are you in?"

	'How did I get stuck with this idiot?'

	His leg moved up and down rapidly.

	"Are you in or are you out?" he gritted.

	'Now or never . . ."

	He stopped his fidgeting and took a deep
breath.  "In."

	"Chicken shit," the other muttered before
heading out.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


	As she walked, Usagi absentmindedly noticed the
darkness of the night, the silence of the air, and
the isolation of the street.  Three blocks away from
her house, she entered a relatively dark street and
noticed unhappily that some of the streetlights were
broken.  And then she heard the roar of a car.

	The car pulled up beside her, startling her.  A
door was thrust open, and she was grabbed and forced
into the car.  Struggling, she kicked and screamed,
trying to get free.  The man who held her was strong,
however.  He placed one hand over her mouth and the
other he wrapped around her upper body, pinning her
arms her to her sides.  Instinctively, her grip on
her bag tightened and she tried to use it as a
weapon.

	After a short reckless drive, Usagi was dragged
- still kicking and screaming - into an area with
leaves and dirt on the ground.  She had lost her bag
somewhere along the way.  She was pushed up against
something rough.  She supposed it was a tree just as
a fist connected with her jaw.

	Desperately, she kicked out and managed to hit
one of her attackers successfully in the stomach.  He
let go of her arms and cursed profanities.  She
delivered a roundhouse kick to the side of his face
and he stumbled back.  The other man came toward her
unsurely, and she got into a fighting stance.  He
looked at the other man and after a moment's
hesitation, lunged at Usagi.

	He managed to grab her arm and twist it behind
her back.  She elbowed him hard as he tried to grasp
her other arm and stomped on his foot.  He let go
with a yelp of pain and she kicked his shin hard.  He
hopped a few steps before letting himself fall.

	She ran away.  She focused on her feet falling
hard against the pavement, slapping as it did so, and
the beating of her heart, the pounding sound, rushing
through her ears.

	As Usagi ran, she suddenly remembered.
Thrusting her hand into the air, frantically she
began to call out, "Cri-"

	She was tackled from behind.  The impact
knocked the wind out of her and she fell heavily
against the concrete, scraping the skin on her face
and arms.  She felt herself being turned around and
dizzily saw blinking white lights.  She closed her
eyes to steady her vision, and when she opened them
again, she was met with dark brown eyes.  Angry eyes.
Vicious eyes.  Infuriated with her and her struggles.

	She breathed hard, trying to catch her breath.
She could feel her heart throbbing inside of her,
trying to get out.

	From the exertions?

	From fear?

	"Little bitch!" he spat, slapping her once.

	She tried to concentrate on transforming.  But
she couldn't.  She was overwhelmed by the smell of
smoke and coughed on it, tasting blood on her lip.

	She became unbelievably frightened.  Never
before had she been attacked by a human.  Never
before had she had to witness so closely, human
nature at its worst.

	She continued to struggle physically.

	One of her attackers straddled her waist,
holding her hands together, while the other tied them
- with what, she couldn't distinguish.  All she knew
was that it hurt.  All she knew was fear.

	'This is what I protect.'

	She was dragged to her feet and held by one of
them.  Desperately, She threw her head back as hard
as she could and was awarded with a curse.  She tried
to kick at the other man but he was able to grasp her
leg and hold it in place.  She tried jerking it away
and just as she thought that he thought they were at
a stalemate, he suddenly let go, throwing it to the
side and rushing towards her.  She stumbled, trying
to maintain balance and then slumped over his arm as
he punched her in the stomach.  She was whirled
around and hit in the face.  She fell to her knees.

	'This is what I die for.'

	She willed herself to focus.

	They pulled her up by her hair and an uppercut
was delivered.  Her head snapped back and she closed
her eyes.

	'Breathe, Usagi.  Breathe!'

	They kicked at her legs and she crumpled to the
floor.  Someone's foot connected with her stomach.
Her cry came out muffled.  She tried to curl into a
ball.

	'Concentrate.  Con-'

	"OOOF!"

	They grabbed handfuls of her hair, right above
her scalp, and hoisted her up enough to knee her
stomach.  The impact lifted her body off of the
ground.

	'Son of a-'

	"Ugh . . ."	Her knees nearly collapsed as she
returned to earth.

	'This is the thanks I get?'

	They circled her like prey.

	In her anger, Usagi found strength.  Fear
wasn't doing anything, maybe anger would.  She
gritted her teeth together as she knelt on the floor,
eyes narrowed with determination.

	'I can do this . . .'

	Her heart slowed from its frantic pounding.

	'I kill freaks from other universes every day-'

	Her bag, a good thirty feet away, slowly rose a
few feet off the ground and began to glow silver.

	'I can do this easily.'

	Someone turned her onto her back.  "And I
thought this was going to be hard."

	Shock overcame her, followed by fury.

	'He thinks this is funny.'

	She closed her eyes.  Her breathing stepped
down a notch, still heavy.

	One of the attackers saw the bag and his eyes
widened.

	'He thinks this is a game.'

	Her bound hands tightened into fists.

	The knife glistened in the moonlight.

	Before he could say anything, streaks of silver
flashed from the bag.

	The other turned as he saw light from the
corner of his eye.

	'He doesn't know how wrong he is.'

	'Crisis Make-up.'

	"What the fu-?"

	Her body blazed gold and she became Sailor Moon
once again.  Her racing heart slowed.  She floated to
stand on her feet and her eyes snapped open.

	They were completely silver.

	A glossy, furious silver.

	The crescent moon on her forehead burned
brightly.  Wind surrounded her.  Her skirt rippled in
the wind.  Her hair whipped itself around her body.
The bow on her chest flapped uncontrollably.

	They backed away.

	"Mother of Go-"

	"Sailor Moon?"

	She had not blinked once.

	Her bangs blew away from her face.  Her emblem
shone so brightly, it actually hurt her.  She was in
the middle of a whirlwind.  The trees rustled loudly.
Litter began to scrap against the ground.

	They became afraid.

	She looked at them, feeling their fear.

	Her eyes practically shot sparks at the men.
The fire in her eyes was so real.

	Her aura began to round out.  Soon, she stood
in the middle of a circle, like a shield.

	"GO!! GO!!"

	"Omigod . . ."

	"Get the hell out of the way!!"

	They ran.  For their lives.

	They stumbled and tripped.

	They were scared.

	Terrified.

	They began begging forgiveness.

	Pleading for God.

	Claiming redemption.

	Screaming for help.

	Uselessly.

	The circle around Sailor Moon exploded.  Her
back arched, her arms and legs hanging in response,
and energy shot out of her chest.  She cried out
unconsciously.

	They screamed for mercy as they were blown
away, one into a tree, the other into nothing; his
body flew until gravity took hold.  They felt fire.
Scorching pain.  Scalding burns.  Their bodies
slipped to the grounds.  Their minds slipped into
oblivion.

	And all that was left when the lights went out
was Tsukino Usagi, bloodied and bruised, confused;
clothes torn, bag lying two feet away from her.


~ ~ ~ End ~ ~ ~


Author's Notes:

	SHE'S ALIVE!!!!!  SHE'S A-LIIIVE!!!!

	*dun dun duu-unnn*

	Yes, I am alive, my dear friends!  And even
though you're probably mad at me right now, I am
amazingly gleeful.  I was struck with inspiration and
I absolutely love this chapter.  My other plotline
was unbelievably predictable and boring.  I LOVE this
one so much more.  Don't you think it was worth the
wait?

	*crickets*

	Um, right.  Well, since I just changed a
slightly major part of the plot, let me go ahead and
just say, I have no idea where I'm going.  I do, but
I don't, ya know?

	Well, anyway, I have to give my thanx (I've
been neglecting to mail ppl . . . AGAIN!):

	LunarBard2003 - I have no idea why you are such
a dedicated fan, but I sincerely thank you for it.
You're like this little reminder every time I go to
my Inbox that screams, "Where the hell is Life?"
although not quite like that. *g*  Thank you for
continually sending emails.  They are great
encouragement for me.

	Gekkani Musouka & Gaea - Thank you for the
praise on the story.  I apologize for not emailing
you back and I hope that you like this part!  I know
you've been waiting on it for a while.

	Bejiin - Thank you for the email; I had no idea
it had been four months since 9A.  And I would never
laugh at you!  *snickers* =)  BTW, what's so wrong
with being crazy?  Hehe.  Hey!  I see that look on
your face.  You can't get mad!  I DID resolve the
'evil cliffhanger.'  You never said I couldn't
instill another.  *evil laughter*cough*

	Gomen.  The writer in me is on a rampage.
*whispers* she thinks she's god!

	I HEARD THAT!!!  I AM HONEY & I AM GOD!!!
(Ever see 'Men of Honor' - just saw it, can you
tell?)

	But moving on, I need to also say hello to
*Sailor Angel*.  Um, hi.  So very sorry I haven't
been writing.  I've been trying to read your entire
series over and I just keep getting interrupted.  I'm
about halfway through.  I'd email, but I'm such a
bum.  You already know that.  I'm sorry, but I am
still following your writings.  Don't think I'm not.
I just need to find the time to actually read them!
^_~

	Well, minna, that's all.  Thank you for waiting
on me, as if you had a choice.  Hehe!  *rampaging
HoNeY gets smacked in stomach*

	It's pretty late right now.  How come
inspiration always strikes at the oddest hours?  Oh,
well, whatever works, right?  I'm babbling, aren't I?

	I need to sleep.  Even gods - I mean writers
need rest.  They need energy to rule the world and
whatnot.  I think I'm delirious.  Hmm.  This AN is
way too long.  *shrugs*

	Ja ne!

HoNeY
hnymustd@hotmail.com
hunilove01
04/21/01
"Life" is copyright 2001 by HoNeY.