The Wish




By Ken Wolfe




Characters taken from Sailor Moon (DIC) and Sandman (DC Comics)




Usagi woke lying on the hard earth. She opened her eyes and
found herself looking up into a gray, featureless sky. Puzzled,
she sat up and looked around. She was sitting on the shore of a
lake or an ocean. A lake, she decided, no ocean could be so
utterly still. Looking the other way, there was nothing but a
rocky, flat wasteland stretching as far as she could see. Which
was not far, for like the lake it disappeared into an obscuring
grayness hardly a stone's throw away. It was as if there were a
thick fog, but she did not feel cold or damp. She did not feel
much of anything at all. It was a monochrome world of stillness,
devoid of color or sound or even a breath of wind.


It took just a few moments for Usagi to remember that she was
dead.


In a flash her last moment on earth played across her mind's
eye. There had been nothing much to see, just the blinding white
wall of destruction rushing out to consume her, to consume
everything in its path. There had been nothing much to hear,
except the distant wail of the goddess Metallia as she went
through her death throes. There had been nothing much to feel,
except being swept up by the tide of obliteration, then falling,
falling...


A feeling of overwhelming sadness came over her. Was this really
all there was for them now? She took another look at her
surroundings. It would be hard to imagine a place more dead than
this. Her clothing - which she absently noted was the school
uniform she had been wearing when she had last transformed into
Sailor Moon - was the only bit of color in the overwhelming gray
dimness. There was nobody and nothing here, she was alone. Were
they really to be alone for all eternity? She could hardly claim
to deserved any better, Usagi thought sadly. Her entire life had
been one long misdemeanor. Any good she had done had always been
done reluctantly, and only at the repeated prodding of her
betters. Yes, this was a fitting fate for her. But not for her
friends. Oh, surely not her dear friends. Rei-chan, Ami-can,
Mako-chan, Minako-chan, they had all been such good people. And
Mamo-chan... no, it was impossible to think of him sharing this
fate. She prayed - knelt down and clamped her eyes shut and
prayed - that they must be in a better place. They had saved the
world... no, they had prodded a sniveling crybaby like her into
saving the world. Surely at least they deserved something better.


Usagi was still kneeling thus when the sound of gently splashing
water caught her attention. Startled at this sudden intrusion
into the preternatural silence of this place, her eyes flew open
and she gazed out at where she thought it had come from. The
sound came again, but still she saw nothing, not even a ripple
in the water. She waited, squinting into the grayness. At first
she thought her eyes were playing tricks, but gradually it
became clear that something was emerging from the mist. Usagi
stood and took a few steps closer to the lake shore, waiting.
The dark shape slowly resolved itself into a small, flat wooden
boat. There were two shadowy figures standing upon it. The one
in the back made a rhythmic motion in time with the gurgling of
water. He was moving the boat along with his paddle. Even when
they emerged from the mist there was little to see of him, just
the long paddle and a tattered, hooded cloak that covered him
from head to foot. But Usagi barely noticed him, it was the
woman standing at the prow of the boat who really caught her
attention. She was a short, petite young woman with unnaturally
pale skin and straight black hair that was left to spill
naturally across her white shoulders. She wore a tight-fitting
black body suit that was held up with thin straps that left her
arms and much of her upper torso bare. The matching leather
boots and wide belt were dull and flat. With the oversized
silver buckle at her belt and a large silver Ankh worn about her
neck completing the outfit, she presented a casual, stylish look
that seemed out of place in this setting. She was a creature of
black and white who stood out in this world of grays.


As the boat slowly approached the shore, Usagi could see that
the woman was grinning at her. She waved a black-nailed hand.
"Hi Usagi. Sorry to keep you waiting." Usagi did not even think
to reply, she just stood and stared. It was not hearing her name
that had astonished her, it was just the casual tone of this
encounter that was throwing her. As soon as the boat gently
crunched against the shore, the woman leaped down from the boat,
landing lightly on the ground. She turned and waved to her
companion. "Thanks, Ferryman. Keep the meter running, okay?" The
hood obscuring the man's head bobbed down then back up again.
The woman turned back to face Usagi again. Seen closer, she was
quite pretty, with dark eyes and a pixie-like face. Her lips
were black, as were the little whorls painted or tattooed beside
each of her eyes. It just further emphasized the lack of color.
"I know the scenery is not much to look at, but it's the only
place on your journey we'll have a chance to talk."


Usagi shook her head in confusion. "I'm sorry... do I know you?"


The woman sighed. The impish grin never really left her face,
but now it was tinged with a feeling of annoyance that was
clearly not directed at Usagi. "This is normally the point where
I would show you the place where you died and you would figure
out who I am."


That took a moment to sink in. "You're... Death?"


The woman inclined her head. "Pleased to meet you."


"Pleased to meet you," Usagi returned automatically. "Um...
you're here to take me... uh, to take me away, right?"


"Normally, I would be."


Usagi frowned. "I'm dead, aren't I?"


"That's what we're here to talk about. You did something that
makes the situation a bit more complicated. You made a wish."


"A wish?"


"Yes. Just as you were about to die, you made a wish."


Usagi remembered now, her final words as she had been falling
into oblivion. "I wish I could go back to those happy days. I
wish I could go back to my plain, ordinary life," she repeated.


Death nodded. "Well, it looks like your wish came true. We're
just as surprised about it as you, believe me. I mean, there's
my brother Destiny writing your obituary in his big fat book
when suddenly the words just disappear right off the page." She
snapped her fingers. "Poof, just like that." She chuckled, her
eyes sparkling playfully. "He was quite vexed about it, let me
tell you. So of course he calls up his little sister and says
you've got to go find whoever has done this and get things fixed
up. So, here I am, Usagi. Now we've got to get this business
fixed up."


Death's manner was still pleasant and friendly, but at the same
time there was no mistaking the firmness in the tone that said
there was something that needed setting right. She sounded very
much like Usagi's father just before he was about to patiently
explain why Usagi should not have done something. "I'm sorry, I
don't understand. What do I need to do?" Usagi asked.


"You need to decide whether you really want this wish."


Usagi frowned. "I can do that?"


Death's cheeks dimpled as her lips curled into a pleasant grin,
making her look even cuter. "You've already done it, Usagi.
You've set the clock back to before you died. If you decide it's
what you want, then just as soon as we're done here you're going
to wake up in your bed and go to school and all your friends
will be there waiting for you."


Usagi tried to think clearly about this, tried to make sense of
what this strange woman was saying. "But... won't we have to
fight Metallia all over again?"


"Nope. The Dark Kingdom wasn't included in your wish. They'll be
gone, either way. In fact, I just finished delivering them all
to the next world. You just have to decide whether you want to
let your wish stand, or..." she pointed. "Whether you want to
use that again and undo the wish."


Usagi took a step back, her hand going reflexively to the locket
at her breast that held the Ginzuishou. "Why would I do that?"
she asked sharply, suddenly feeling threatened. "Are you trying
to trick me?"


Death spread her arms wide, her face losing just a little of its
impish playfulness. "I'm putting all my cards on the table,
Usagi. We can't force you to decide one way or another, you took
that choice from us when you made your wish. You're the only one
who can undo it."


"Why would I?" Usagi asked again. "Why would I let my friends
die?" She was still not sure how much she could trust this woman
called Death. But if her friends' lives were at stake she felt
it would be wrong not to at least listen.


Death cocked her head. "Have you heard the proverb about death
and taxes?"


"Sure, Minako told me. It goes, 'The only sure thing about death
is that we'll have to pay taxes on it.'"


Death's eye twitched. "Uh... actually, it goes 'The only sure
things in life are death and taxes.'"


"Oh."


Death looked both ways and leaned close for a moment, speaking
softly as if not wanting anyone else to hear. "Just between you
and me, the bit about taxes is a lie." She straightened up
again. "But death is the one thing in the world that is certain.
That is, it was, until you made your wish. You and your friends
are about to become the first people on earth who actually
succeed in cheating death."


"Why is it cheating?" Usagi shot back. "My friends only died
because I wasn't good enough to help them and they had to
protect me! It wasn't fair! They didn't deserve to die like
that!"


"Death is just like love, and just like all the other blessings
and curses in the world, Usagi. It comes to people in its own
good time, whether or not you or I or anyone else thinks they
deserve it. It's not your fault or anybody else's, it just is."


Usagi managed to calm down a bit. "I'm not trying to cheat
death. Everything has to die eventually, I know that. I just
wanted my friends to have a long, happy life first, that's all."


"That's what you say now. But what will you do the next time
you're watching your friends' lives come to an end? Even if
they've had a longer and happier life than they had ever dared
hope for, would you be content to let them go?" Usagi was
silent. There was no point saying anything, they both knew the
answer. Death continued. "You're just starting to wake up to
your powers, Usagi. If you decide to live, then one day you'll
be able to wish for just about anything you want. One day,
you'll be able to put me out of business for good if you want
to. Do you understand what that would mean?"


"No," Usagi answered truthfully.


"It would be the end of the world as you know it. It would be
the end of life as you know it. All the normal reasons that
people have to cherish their lives and cherish their children
would be gone. There may still very well be people who cherish
life, but it would be for reasons so utterly alien that the
Usagi who is growing up and falling in love for the first time
in her life could not possibly understand them. You may help to
build a world of sublime beauty, but it will be a world you
would not recognize or understand if you saw it now."


Usagi's head was swimming. "I... I don't... what is all that
supposed to mean?"


"It means, Usagi, that either you accept the world for what it
is, including my part in it, or you decide to try and change it
into something different."


Usagi fidgeted for a moment. "Onesan... sorry, can I call you
that?"


Death chuckled. "You remind me a lot of my little sister, so I
guess it's okay."


"Onesan, if I could really do that, I mean really stop people
from dying, ever... do you think it would stop people from being
happy? Do you think it would stop people loving each other?"


Death sighed. "There are a million worlds that I almost never
get to visit anymore because most everyone lives forever. Some
of them are pretty nice, some of them are not so nice. I guess
it's a matter of taste. By the time you're powerful enough to do
the same for this world, you'll be a very different person. I
can't even imagine what you could do to this world, Usagi."


It took a moment for Usagi to work up the courage to ask her
next question. "I'll go wherever you want to take me, but... my
friends, if I let them die, will they be going to a better
place?"


"Sorry girl, that's not my department. I'm strictly pickup and
delivery. Like I said, all my cards are on the table. I've told
you everything I can, you're just going to have to decide."


Usagi thought very hard, very carefully, and for a very long
time. Death waited silently, showing no sign of impatience,
other than playing absently with her silver Ankh every now and
then.


After several minutes, Usagi squared her shoulders and faced
Death. "I want my wish."


"Okay. It was nice meeting you, Usagi." Death turned, walked
back towards the boat, and leaped deftly back into it.


"Wait!" Usagi cried out.


Death turned around and raised a slim eyebrow. "Yes?"


"Is that it? Just... 'okay'?"


"I told you, you've already made the wish. If you're not going
to undo it, then there's nothing more to do. When I leave,
you'll wake up in your bed and that's that."


"Don't you even want to know why?"


"If you want to tell me, sure."


"It's because I know Mamo-chan can make me happy for as long as
I live, even forever. If a crybaby like me can be happy forever,
then anyone can. Don't you think so?"


"I don't know, do you think so?"


Usagi nodded. "Yes, I do."


"Then I guess you've made the right choice." She turned back
towards her silent companion.


"Wait!"


Death looked back at her again. Her expression was still
pleasant, but there was perhaps a hint of irritation. "Yes?"


"Will I remember any of this? I mean, when I wake up."


"If I tell you that now, would it do you any good?"


Usagi thought about that for a moment. She scratched the back of
her head and laughed nervously. "That was a pretty dumb
question, wasn't it? Sorry, I shouldn't be keeping you, you're
probably way too busy to be standing here talking."


Death smiled. "Don't sweat it." She made to turn away, seemed to
consider for a moment, then locked her piercing eyes on Usagi
once again. "It's very hard, you know, trying to give people
something to live for when I'm not around anymore. In fact, it's
probably the hardest thing in the world. But something tells me
you'll do okay." At a casual gesture from her, the man she
called Ferryman put his oar to the water. Leaving barely a
ripple, the boat moved slowly from the bank. Death sighed
heavily. "Well, now comes the hard part," she said wistfully.


Usagi frowned. "What do you mean?" she called out.


Death's laughter was already sounding like it was miles away.
"It'll be a pain explaining this to my big brother Destiny, he
hates doing revisions."


The next thing Usagi knew the alarm was ringing and mother was
shouting that she was going to be late again.






The End