Better to End This Way -- by Albrecht Halbstein [PG, I think] To Alex, my friend (I think): So I bent my decision just a bit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Let's get over with the usual stuff first. The Sailor Moon characters are the properties of their creator Takeuchi Naoko, the publisher Kodansha, and the animation company Toei. I use the characters and the stories without the permissions of the aforementioned parties. This is the third and final attempt to write a fanfic by the author. I wanted to stop after my second story, but I like to have a sense of "closure" to my series of loosely related stories. Nobody will get any funny idea this way. This story was rushed out in 3 days -- 2 days to come up with an idea and 5 hours to turn the idea into the story in my computer, so it is very short. (Hey! I just want to end this damn thing. What do you expect?) The inspiration came from a fiction I read a couple of years ago and the ending of the anime "Doraemon" that I heard rumors about (I still don't know what the real ending is after I heard about the rumor a year or so ago). WARNING: If you cannot accept any minor or major (in this case) alteration to the original storylines of the anime and manga, please ignore this story. All comments regarding the story itself, the crippled and awkward writing style, the intolerable grammar and spelling, and the inappropriate vocabulary usage are welcomed and encouraged. I do appreciate any idea for my possible revision. The author's e-mail address is halbstein@hotmail.com. The story is told in the first person point of view. I find it easier to tell a story this way. If it bothers you, well, tough luck. It you do not like the main character, Ten'ou Haruka, in this story, well, you are welcome to disregard this story. Nobody forces you to like her anyway. If you do not like the way I portray her, _YOU_ come up with a better one. If you do not like me, I do not necessarily like you, either. So, there! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- I quietly walked into the room, pulled up a chair, and sat next to the bed. I looked at the person sleeping in the bed. "Michiru," I whispered. I extended my left hand to brush the locks on her forehead to the side. "Haruka?" said Michiru, opening her eyes. My left hand brushed down to her cheek. She put her right hand on top of mine to keep my hand there. "Your mother told me that you are not feeling well today when she let me in. Are you a little better now?" I asked while attempting to retract my hand. "Ara," she laughed. "It is nothing serious. I just need some rest." "Heh...I'm a bit tired myself. I'm tired of having to fight the atavistic monsters and search for the talisman," I commented. "When will our mission come to an end?" "I know it is tiresome. I hope it will end soon, too," she said. "Ah! We decided the other day that we will check out the stock rooms of the museum today, didn't we? Since you are not well, I think I will go alone. It may take a bit longer, but it won't be a problem," I said. "I wish I could go with you today, Haruka. Be careful, ok?" she said. "Hey! Don't worry about me. You stay put. I'll be fine. Oi. I better get going now. I'll see you when I come back," I said, pulling my hand back and standing up from the chair. "See you later," she said and smiled. I turned and walked out of the room. A few drops of tear fell down her face from the corner her eyes. ---------- What a beautiful Sunday it is. Oh, good. The museum is full of people. I can sneak into the stock rooms without being noticed. I moved swiftly into the first room. The only thing in this room was shelf after shelf of old reference books. Hmm, the talisman should not be in the room. I moved down to next room. Similar things. To next room. Similar things again. Next room. The content in the 4th room seemed different. What were stacked on the shelves were boxes instead of books. I had to spend some time in this room. I searched box after box and shelf after shelf. There were tons of ceremonial artifacts from various ancient tribes of the world. But none of them resembled the talisman that I was looking for. As I was putting the stuff back into the last box in this room, I sensed a movement behind me. I turned around as fast as I could. Bright light, that was all I could see...and pain, that was all I could feel before I fell on the floor unconsciously. ---------- "Michiru?" I whispered to the figure in the dark after I opened my eyes. I was surprised to see Michiru here after I remembered that I was in the museum. I was shocked by my own whisper-like voice. "What are you doing here, Michiru? Didn't I tell you to stay at home? You are worried about me again, aren't you?" I whispered. Then I remembered about the bright blinding light and the pain. "Are you ok, Michiru? Did anyone attack you? Did you see anyone leaving this room?" I continued to ask in a whisper. "I am fine. There was nobody else," she said simply. I saw tears flowing down her face and a painful expression on her face. I was slightly confused. "I lied to you, Haruka. I am well today. I pretended to be sick so that you would come here alone," she said. I was more confused. Then I saw her hands. She held 2 things in her hands -- her transform stick and...the talisman. THE TALISMAN? She found the talisman? "You have found the talisman?" I asked in a whisper. "Yes, I have found it. In fact, I found out where it was several days ago. I wish I didn't. But I did. I had to get it out because the fate of the whole world depends on it," she answered. I felt very confused and exhausted. "Was it in one of the stock rooms that I haven't searched?" I asked. "No. It was not in this museum at all before you came in," she answered. I felt totally lost. "I don't understand," I questioned. "I will explain everything to you. That's the least that I should do," she said and paused for a moment. I could hardly keep my eyes open. I could hardly breathe. I must have been more tired than I realized. I decided to close my eyes and listen. Michiru began to talk. "I had a strange dream that told me that there is more to my transform stick than simply allowing me to transform into Sailor Neptune. After I woke up, I took out the stick and examined it. When I twisted the little star on the top, the handle part below the heart was separated. A tiny scroll fell out of the cavity of the handle. That scroll explained everything." "It was written by the Queen's Advisor just before the Queen sent all senshi away from the old Moon Kingdom shortly before the end of the Silver Millennium. There was a talisman that can be retrieved and used by the Miko to wake up the Messiah in case of a future emergency. The Advisor stated who the Miko is and where the talisman is and gave the instructions of retrieving and using the talisman for that purpose. He put the talisman where it was and assigned the Miko." "My mind became completely blank after I read the scroll. I could not think or do anything for several hours. Then I read the scroll again and again. I don't remember how many times I cried to sleep and was waked up by nightmares (or daymares ^_^) and the premonition of the end of the world that day. After the facts finally settled in, I decided to do what I have to do for the sake of this world. Shortly after that, I suggested to you that the museum seems like a possible place for storing the ancient talisman which we are seeking and we should check out the museum. I wanted to get you to a place that is seldom visited by people without raising your suspicion." "Haruka, I am very sorry. I am the Miko, and the talisman was part of you. My transform stick is the tool for extracting the talisman from you. The bright light that you saw was the result of my activating the stick to do the extracting. Once the talisman is taken out, you...you...will...die." It was odd, but everything was all very clear to me now. I opened my eyes and chuckled. "The old Advisor finally won, didn't he? This was his way of separating us for good, I see," I whispered. "No, he can never separate us. I will join you after I wake up the Messiah. The Messiah has infinite power. She won't need us. Please wait for me, Haruka," she said decisively. I could feel my strength leaving me. I could feel my life force leaving me. I could feel the air leaving me. "You are so beautiful, Michiru. I am happy that I met you again in this life time. I hope to see you again in next one. I hope that we will have a peaceful life next time around. Be sure to look me up, ok?" I whispered and winked at her. I wanted to raise my hand to touch her one last time but did not have the strength. She took my hand into hers. I was content. I closed my eyes for the last time and smiled as I took my final breath. Till next time, world. Michiru stayed there like a statue with me for a long time before she finally collapsed. ---------- What a beautiful Sunday it is! A slender girl lay on a bed next to the window in the hospital. Her sandy blond hair had lost its shine. The girl's eyes were closed. There was no expression on her wan face. With the exception of regular beeping of the machine that was used to monitor her heartbeat, the room was quiet. Nobody else was in this room. The beeping sound was almost hypnotizing. Then, an annoying monotonous buzz sound replaced the beeping and broke the pattern. Her heart stopped beating. A herd of doctors and nurses swarmed into the room immediately with every medical emergency equipment available to them. ---------- 2 hours later at a nurses' station in the hospital, a group of nurses were talking. Nurse A: "Did you know that her parents are family friends of the Superintendent of this hospital?" Nurse B: "I knew that. But did you know that her parents are very powerful and wealthy people?" Nurse C: "Well, anybody can see that. How else could they afford to put her in the best room of the hospital for 5 years?" Nurse D: "Has it been 5 years? I remember that she was sent here in 4th grade...ara...it has been that long." Nurse A: "What happened to her 5 years ago?" Nurse C: "Her name is Ten'ou Haruka. She was a friend of my son's in elementary school. She was extremely bright and active. One day the soccer team practiced as usual. Somebody kicked the ball to the wrong direction and knocked her down. She fell and her head hit the flat surface of a rock. She became unconscious and fell into a coma ever since. No, she did not wake up even once." Nurse D: "Poor girl. She was so young and so pretty." Nurse B: "I wonder what she had been thinking for these past 5 years. Was it possible for her to 'think' at all?" Nurse A: "You know what is odd? I could swear that I saw a smile on her face when I rushed into the room with the other nurses and doctors. Do you suppose that she was painful all these years and found it to be a relief to be able to go?" Nurse C: "Who knows. Perhaps it is better to end this way. It crushed even _my_ heart to see her become thinner and paler each day. Imagine what her parents felt." Yes. Who knows what she was thinking? People can only guess. To the nurses and doctors in the hospital and her parents at home, she had been unconscious for 5 years before she died. But to herself, the reality was that she was a warrior who took the weight of the world upon her shoulders and had a dear friend whom she hoped to see again in the next life time. Perhaps she was a warrior like that in a previous life time. Who can state what the reality is here? She did "live" through a Sailor Uranus' life. Was it not real to her? I will let the story end here.