Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Rifts ❯ Chapter 38: A Misinforming Review ( Chapter 38 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sailor Moon/Rifts Crossover (Revised Edition) By Simon Woodington

Chapter 38: A Misinforming Review

'Yanei!'

Nasura's voice was struck by terror for the brutalized young women she
had teleported into the room. Ayla, Haisha, and Naritha looked as
though it seemed impossible they might have survived.

'They're alive,' Yanei breathed, summoning a scroll, and beginning to
read it.

'What happened...' It clicked. She bowed her head, eyes closed. 'The
clones.'

Yanei nodded. Goku, Makoto, Hanlan, Iesha, and Masurani gathered
around, each emotionally stricken for the shattered young women.

'Oh Ayla!' Masurani gasped, stepping forward to grasp her friend.

'No, give us some room. Either make yourself useful or get out of the
way. They're dying!' Nasura stated curtly. A flicker of light appeared
and flashed before Yanei's face, catching the collective attention.

'It's a healing spell. It's not much, but it'll help.'

Goku shook his head morosely. Masurani's scowl lit up her face with a
dark light.

'Those clones must be pretty tough," Goku remarked sympathetically.
'Poor girls.'

'Those bitches,' Masurani flared. 'They'd better be dead, or I'll kill
'em myself!'

Yanei faced the emotionally charged young woman.

'I killed Shao-Enya, Masurani. I don't know about the others, but
that's at least one less we have to worry about,' she sighed. 'I did
sense a few traces of dead chi constructs. But, we won't know what
happened until...' her voice fell sorrowfully.

'Makoto, I don't know how to contact the other senshi, but perhaps you
might...?' Nasura muttered.

She nodded curtly, understanding. A moment later, a pair of women on
winged glory appeared by silvery shafts of light. The one, golden
blond hair in unmistakable arrangement, odango atama, and the other
like the first, yet long and straight, and more akin to beach blond. A
silk shirted fellow of dark short hair and easy, calm continence
accompanied them.

'Come,' Usagi stated without hesitation. 'Minako, you tend Naritha.
Makoto, Haisha will need your strength. Mamoru and I will attend
Ayla.'

As he stooped to take the fractured creature into his arms, she
gestured to Nasura and Yanei to join her. Both bowed swiftly, before
locating a room into which they all but disappeared.

'Iesha, Han, come with me,' Makoto declared.

'Of course babe,' Hanlan replied.

'Iesha?'

'Hai? Here,' she pointed to her bedroom. At which point they followed
Usagi's act.

'Hurry!' Minako snapped, gesturing to Goku, who blinked, then scooped
Naritha gently but swiftly into his arms. As they pulled a quick fade
into another room, Minako remarked: 'I guess it's just the three of
us.'

---

A silver haired man with distinctive gold streaks smiled and nodded at
an unseen accomplice in a small, red cushioned seat. He blinked,
adjusted the well fitting grey sports coat, dark blue vest, and
informally worn formal white shirt, coughed, then proceeded to break
the forth wall.

"Welcome to the 'Anime Niche Review'," he offered with an unmistakably
congenial smile. "I'm your host, Randy Hayworth of the 'Coalition
Authorized Newsletter'."

Abruptly, another, slimmer fellow appeared. He smiled as well, his
short black dark hair gleaming healthily. His trademark black
turtleneck sweater ended at a pair of loose khaki slacks, one leg of
which he pulled up to rest on the opposing knee.

"And I'm Mamoru Chiba, of the 'Moonlight Night Times.' Tonight we're
going to re-review a recent film that has met a great deal of
controversy since it's release not one month ago."

The attention swapped to the other fellow, on cue.

"This is a film is based on the Japanese television series called
'Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon.' For those of you not familiar with the
plot, it's about five schoolgirls, who at one point defended Tokyo
from an evil force known as the 'NegaForce.' The famed television
series was translated into nearly a dozen languages, and until its
recent resurgence, was incomplete. With fewer than fifty of the two
hundred episodes released in Japan, it's not hard to understand why
the completion of it has been met with such a positive response. As
for this movie, which is an odd thing in itself, the idea stems around
a "what-if" concept: A being from the 'NegaVerse' dimension sends them
to a violent world where World War Three is just an unpleasant memory.
Let me say now that if you haven't followed the television series,
that it will dramatically affect how much you can both enjoy the movie
and understand it. The fact of the matter is that it stands out
strongly against the other movies based on this series."

Mamoru blinked as attention was routed to him.

"It's groundbreaking P.A.C. - Petaflop Artificial Cast - technology
seems to have been lost in the wake of the media circle which has
sprung up around it. Before we get into that, we'll run a brief clip.
The scene we are about to see is a discussion between the lead, Usagi
Tsukino - played by Akira Toshiami - and Minako Aino - Suki Yumi Ami -
sometime after having adapted to their new home. They have been apart
for more than a year, and are, in a sense, rediscovering their
relationships. In this scene, Usagi is explaining to her
friend, Minako, some of what has occured during the period of
their seperation and exile to the alternate Earth."

The two sat back in their chairs, and faced the fifty-foot screen some
distance from their viewing balcony.

Setting: A small, grey walled, tattered room. Usagi is seated in a
hastily repaired wooden lawn chair. A miniscule kerosene camping stove
is nearby, and Usagi is absentmindedly-preparing tea from the pot of
water upon it. Garen is standing in the background, idly cleaning a
black energy pistol.

Usagi (to Minako): But you... you're an assassin!

Minako stands and approaches the window.

Minako: So... I'm not going to curl up and die! You know how many
times I've nearly died here? Being Sailor Venus is the only thing
that's saved me. I wouldn't even... have my virginity.

Usagi: Oh God.

Minako: We had it easy back home. The NegaForce wouldn't stand a
chance in a place like this. (She pauses, caught by Usagi's expression
of pain.) What? Usagi?

Usagi: I don't... I'm not...

Minako is silent.

Usagi (to Garen): Would you leave us for a moment?

Garen: Why? I know what happened. Heck, I saved ya... (Pause for
consideration.) Ah, sure... I s'ppose so. You jus' turn it down if't
boils up too much, eh?

Exuent Garen.

Usagi: I was raped.

Light returned, dawning artificially upon the black-red chairs and
symmetrical aisles. The gold streaked fellow donned a bright face and
spoke critically:

"Even though I gave it a marginal thumbs up, I found it a little hard
to swallow. Technically, this movie's a masterpiece, surpassing even
Jared Spielberg's 'Lucid Mercy.' And though I haven't read the book, I
haven't seen a novel translation to film that hasn't suffered. Though,
I must say, that the screenplay was well written, if not a little self
involved."

Mamoru looked somewhat chagrined for a moment. He stifled this, then
replied thusly:

"I can understand that the sudden transition might be a little much,
but I don't think it was badly done."

"I didn't say 'badly done.' I said 'well written' and 'self involved.'
And it's not really about the time lapsing. This movie is roughly
equivalent to Bambi vs. Godzilla. The only reason they live at all is
because some multidimensional conglomerate gets a financial twinkle in
its wallet?"

"Sure. It fits the rest of the fantastic attitude this movie
entertains," Mamoru retorted civilly.

"Not all of it. I was not particularly impressed that they glossed
over what would have otherwise been main events to cover secondary
characters, such as the rescue of Rei by her Adolphus which could have
easily replaced the appearance of this elven character, Fade. That was
the major difficulty faced by the director, and the screenwriter - who
happened to be the author of the novel, Simon Woodington. They only
marginally achieved success here. I honestly think it would have been
a more effective series. I doubt very much it might have harmed the
quality, for which Anime is renowned. Summarily, this movie felt too
much like a biography that some training editor accidentally mixed
with Super Cop and Merlin.

"As mentioned, the cast consists of P.A.C. actors, and while their
acting is flawless, as they bring the script to its finest rendition,
they are limited by their code. The interest of seeing unique
individuals protray characters with which we are already very familiar
is almost lost. As they literally become the character, using script
generated digital profiles. There is certainly no lack of controversy
here, on any scale."

Mamoru nodded, then took a breath before opening his own monologue.

"So why did you give it a thumbs up then?"

"Well, as mentioned, the acting was flawless."

"I liked this one."

"That no surprise," he chuckled.

"Given the situation, and having read the book, Sailor Rifts:
Spirit of Evil, I was impressed. I felt it did a decent job of
connecting point A to point B, even with all the time shifting
involved. However, I do concur on the point of attempting to scrunch
years of history into three hours. Even though there was no room for
them, the background characters that were missed, unfortunately, I
felt did have an impact on the overall appeal of this film. This was
not enough, however, to dissuade my enthusiastic thumbs up."

"I don't think anything would have," Randy laughed.

"Probably not," Mamoru replied with a pleasent smile. "I would have to recommend it to any fan of Sailor Moon, and anyone who's read the book. It's another shining, Sailor Moon gem. Especially when one considers the first time use of P.A.C. actors, even in the midst of legal battles rivaling the recently settled Clone Agenda."

Randy answered a hefty nod.

"I agree, the main problem with this film lies in the narrow band of
audience it focuses on. I would have to limit my recommendation to
fans of the series and those who seek to enjoy the technical prowess
this film displays. Not that I didn't enjoy this film."

Mamoru smiled.

"At least there's a common point of agreement. After the break, we'll
explore in depth the explicit violence and moral issues surrounding
the P.A.C. actors that have had this film banned in twenty countries
around the globe."

There was a rapid darkening, which was reverted by the appearance of a
blond haired woman sitting back upon a khaki couch. The male voice
prodded earnestly and carelessly, yet with most pleasant tones:

"As I understand it, P.A.C. actors are submitted to the digital
equivalent of the actual violence to maximize the realism. Being
digital yourself, that would make it as real as if I were to die of a
heart attack right now." Dramatic Pause. "I also understand that you
recall each violent experience you had playing the role of Usagi
Tsukino."

She nodded curtly.

"Yes. In a sense I was her. You see, instead of make up, I merely have
to accept a digital profile, and instantly,' she flickered, her semi
formal blue blouse and dry cleaned black skirt altering to the angelic
blue kimono accented with blue and golden elaborate detailing, her
hair assuming the form of the appropriate odango atama. As she spoke,
her voice had seemed to brighten by two and a half notes, gaining a
slightly melodic quality.

"And I can keep several hundred characters on file at any given time.
Of course I have to fill in any blanks - like body language nuances
and other behaviors, like any 'real' actor. I'm not just spouting
code," she chuckled.

"So you code yourself. That is, rewrite yourself to suit the
character?"

"Um, sort of. I don't see it like that, like the actual ones and
zeros, but I understand what you mean. Really I just act like anyone
else."

There was a brief spout of giggling and an embarrassing snort.

"Oh dear," she giggled. "I'll have to have a purge. Um..." a blush
washed onto her lovely face, and she sputtered for a moment until
regaining her composure, thus enabling her to continue.

"As for the events in the movie that I portrayed? I remember each one
with perfect clarity."

"So what is your psychologist bill like?" the voice laughed.

She chuckled softly.

"Well I can store the memories, keeping them out of my active memory,
uh... what I mean is, I put them away, so I don't actually have to
deal with them all the time. Not good to have a wacko on the set, you
know," she smiled. "Unless it's in the script."

There was some congenial laughter.

"Okay, so I have to ask; what was it like to experience the various
stages of decapitation and disembowelment you suffered in the final
battle?"

The young woman pursed her lips in consideration.

"Truthfully? All that wasn't so bad. It was the rape that really got
to me. For some reason, I'm not able to store those kinds of memories,
so they stay with me. Even the purge won't do it..."

'No!' she rose, the word sour on her frowning lips. She was sweating,
a cold, urgent perspiration, and ominous in it's manner.

The clarity was frightening.

Being alone failed to help the matter. Mamoru had elected to watch the
healing girls, who had been so terribly ravaged. It had taken so long,
and so much power to heal them, being almost slaughtered by the mystic
forces they had been thrown against. Images swam in Usagi's mind, the
finest details of falling crimson, of rended flesh, of slashed minds.
The mental damage itself had been nearly enough to undo Ayla entirely.
Usagi had spoken at length with the shaken young woman:

'We would be dead,' she whispered, red eyes trailing over a strange,
yet familiar Usagi Tsukino. 'Are you sure we...' her voice fell. That
wasn't right. Was she sure they would make it? She was the leader of
the Neo Senshi, after all.

But she wasn't. Not after this.

'Yes Ayla? You know what is stake. You must not forget that.'

'You know I haven't. How could I? It's only our entire world we're
fighting for in the long run,' was the fatigued reply. She took
several staggered, catching breaths. 'I know why helped me, instead of
someone else.'

Usagi nodded slightly.

'It's more than being the leader of the Neo Senshi, though. It's about
you, Ayla-chan. I know it's not easy to ask them to risk death for
you,' her eyebrows reached for each other doubtfully. 'My friends have
died once already, and now we face it again. It takes a lot of
strength to do this.'

She had closed her eyes slowly in lieu of a nod for which she had not
the strength.

'What about Xalia?' she asked with some hesitation, vindictively
fearful of the answer. "I've seen the message. Do you know what's
happened to her?'

Usagi had gazed directly into her eyes.

'Uraki-Ayo discovered her ploy. What they have done to her,' her voice
darkened. 'I do not know exactly. She is in grave pain.'

Ayla merely shook her head, emotions a stirred, boiling pot in her
being.

:They would be dead if Phate had not made me the angel of the Moon;
she thought, both comforted and horrified by this revelation. There
was no escaping the terminating point; battling Uraki-Ayo, the Earth
hanging again in the balance. Yet, for everything she stood for, and
was, the last daughter of Queen Serenity, the final heiress of a
kingdom that existed in no more than her heart, it had to end
differently. There would be no second chance, no rebirth, and no
abrupt savior to cull them from the razored grasp of Death's silvery
scythe. Either they, or Uraki-Ayo would perish. She bowed her head in
silence.

:Where was the end of the movie?; she wondered. Her dream, still
vivid, spoke lucidly. The idea she might die so gruesomely made her
shudder, and balk. She was not infinite. Death could indeed claim her.
Uraki-Ayo would surely turn to the NegaForce for such power. It was
inconceivable that he would not.

That led to a darker strain she feared more greatly than even loss.

'Usagi-san?' issued comforting female tones. Gradually, feeling the
vacant ebb of tears, she glanced upwards at the warm, sharp presence
of Nasura. She was shrouded in nightgown and housecoat of grey and
white.

'I'm sorry for putting you through all of this.'

'Through all of what?' she replied in what might have been clear,
crisp Japanese, if not for the rending turmoil. 'You have saved us...
we owe you our lives.'

'No,' she negated ineffectively. 'Not really. I know I've opened the
door to your freedom, but I haven't done it out of generosity.'

Usagi blinked, and listened quietly, her mind a shut, jeweled box.
Nasura frowned vaguely, then her face became winsome again.

'I did it because I was losing it. After Takari and the kids died, I
turned to what always made be forget: All-consuming research. In
college I ran a small time investigation firm to cover tuition...'
she offered a feeble grin and chuckle. 'It came so naturally...'

'I understand, Nasura-san.'

She gave her an uncertain look, but felt that she truly did.

'I had a couple of friends who came to me... it just happened that you
disappeared when you did.' She offered a faint frown. 'I could be
chasing down a cure for a water curse in China right now...'

Usagi nodded gently, pulling her knees up to her body and knotting her
arms about them. Her wings shifted and flexed slightly.

'I guess what it comes down to is, I feel responsible for everything
that's happened. I've been watching you since Luna first chose you.
When Uraki-Ayo replaced Beryl, I had a notion - even if it was vague -
of what was coming. I could have done something. Saved you from all
this pain.'

Usagi glanced up at her, face softly blank, a startlingly innocent
regard holding her.

'Nasura, why are you here?'

She flagged.

'I wanted...' she paused. 'You know, I've been a KnightsMage for
twenty years, and I still don't know why they made me elect trainer of
the squires.'

'You're strong. A survivor,' she chimed pleasantly. 'Like your senshi.
And mine.'

'If only by the slip of pinfeathers,' she half smiled, the fleeting
humour dropping wounded between them. 'I guess after watching you all
along, and helping you behind the thick red curtain... I wanted to
know you better, Tsukino Usagi.'

She smiled at that.

'Hai...' Usagi's brows furrowed. 'How are the girls?'

Nasura caught herself amidst relief and sorrow.

'They will have healed by tomorrow... incredibly enough,' she offered,
clearly awed. She shook her head with a distinct frown. 'It's been
such a trial by fire for them. The moment they - well no - much before
they were even Knighted, it's been non-stop contention. He's made
things very difficult.'

'Hai,' she agreed wistfully. 'And what about you? What will you do?'

'I've decided to remain. Ayla is blossoming as I expected she would,
but they will need my power here.'

Usagi nodded.

---

:Naritha? Where is this?:

It was a dimensionless corridor of grey, blue, and black. Immediately
near was an oak table of intricate edgework. Upon it was a Chinese
checker board of marble, the pieces of which were various precious
stone spheres. Her eyes caught on it and latched while her body found
the comfortable curve of the leather-bound seat. Naritha, it seemed,
was already seated.

'It's your move, Haisha.'

Naritha gazed up at her Chinese friend, befuddled by the grammatically
sound structure of the sentence. She wore a simple blue dress, her
waist length hair casting a deep, unsettling shadow over her
child-like features.

'Naritha? Is that... is that you?'

'Hai,' she smiled. 'I am psychic, remember? We are talking in a
dream.'

'I believe it!' she gasped. 'But...'

'We will remember. This is the only way now. We're both too weak to
talk.'

'Weak?' She shook her head with a curled lip. 'What did we... uhn!'

She leaned forward, holding her stomach as if winded. She felt ill as
she never had before. The power of the memory was overwhelming, but
somehow unavoidable... The gruesome battle with the clones of Hino Rei
and Mizuno Ami. The shattering of bones, the gouts of... she turned
her head, heaving, spitting a small welling of blood onto the grey
tiled floor.

'Haisha!' Naritha started, panicked. 'Calm down! Please!!'

The world spun as if suspended in a top, and she reeled, gripping
frantically the edges of the game board. Her breath came in uneven,
harsh gasps.

'I'm... I'm okay,' she offered windlessly. 'It's... there's j--ju-just
so m-much.'

'That is why I joined you in your dream. You needed a companion.'

'Hai,' she nodded, her wind reaching a more respite pace. 'A
companion, huh?'

Naritha hinted a smile.

'Hai, Hai-chan.'

'So?'

Naritha blinked.

'Hai?'

'Why bother? And why is your Japanese so good now?' Haisha questioned
as she gestured for them to begin the determining rock/paper/scissors
for the first move. Naritha was quiet for a few moments while they
each turned up identical items over several attempts.

'Mind if I go, Hai-chan?'

'No, I guess not... you were nice enough to drag me here.'

She displaced a white/grey piece, then spoke with the overtone of
confidence and due consideration.

'I'm drawing on your aptitude to speak,' she replied shortly.

'You can do that?'

'Not normally, no. But as we are close enough in friendship, I guess
you're letting me.'

'Letting you? Oh... you mean not using my crystals mind-ward stuff. I
gotcha. So... why?'

'What? I just... oh. You recall Yanei, neh?'

'Sort of. She fought Shao-Enya, right? She toasted that stupid cow?'

Naritha nodded, acting upon Haisha's movement of black/blue piece.

'She saved us. That's why I pulled up the memories for you. You wanted
to bury them, but right now it's important that you don't forget.'

'Why?' she responded, creating a seemly pattern with a single move.

'I'm not sure. I can't read her.'

'No. I meant why did you pull my memories up? I nearly lost it!'

Naritha considered both word and deed before moving her piece to
capture, and word to mouth.

'Because I can't do it alone...' she frowned, seeming suddenly quite
the fragile, delicate creature her body portrayed her to be. 'Miserly
loves company, right?'

'What?' she blinked, both at Naritha's sudden fear and her phrase. 'I
think it's "misery".'

'I understand some old people can be both, yes,' she nodded in
apparent comprehension.

'Oh geez,' she groaned. 'No. I mean the phrase is "misery loves
company". "Miserly" is totally different,' she sighed. 'I don't
mind... I guess. I'm still sane, right? Maybe I'm tougher than I
thought.' Then she added thoughtfully, 'I didn't know I could block
you.'

'Hai. Mind-wards, as you put it, can be used to block friend as
enemy.'

'So why did she save us? You didn't answer that.'

'But you...' she blinked, recalling that Haisha was not a trained
psychic. She had let her infinity split, pursuing the interest of
question over every other interceding point. Formal discipline negated
such problems.

'What?'

'Nevermind. I don't know why, but I get the sense it was because she
was betrayed. Where is Akari, anyway?'

'Oh! You're right. Where did he go? He could be hiding. That doesn't
matter. It's your move.'

'It will. For now I guess you're right,' she breathed, plucking a
piece with two delicate fingers and making a move she hoped would
evade disaster.

---

Makoto seemed to be praying while her husband held her. Masurani and
Goku stood either side of the new woman Nasura had brought in place of
the captured senshi. Yanei maintained an inaudible hiss from a glaring
distance. She was still, like undisturbed snow in the peak of winter,
her long purple hair cascaded underneath her comatose form like frozen
water. Her healed body was wrapped in a cotton blanket.

'Yanei, are you familiar with this woman?' Nasura quested, noting the
appearance of the bird-like traitor.

'Not sure,' she muttered in consideration as she approached the prone
figure. 'No... I know her. I met her once before I left. She is your
clone-sister, Tsukino Usagi-san. She's really very pretty too. How did
she get here?'

'I recovered her from Xalia's home. She appeared shortly after we
discovered Sailor Ether's message to us,' Nasura explained.

'Oh! The kawaii mage,' she frowned slightly. 'How is she?'

'We don't know, but I can make a fair guess she is not well,' Nasura
stated with darkness in her tones, yet no ill-will towards Yanei. The
focus, more logically, was Uraki-Ayo.

'G-gomen... g-g-gomenasai, Nasura-san,' she offered, heartfelt, if
not somewhat uselessly. Nasura's lips thinned as she held back her
temper and encouraged the silence that followed. She nodded marginally
at Yanei, tension written upon her face.

Usagi gestured for Masurani to step aside and knelt next to her
modified duplicate. She placed her hands upon the young woman's head,
and closed her eyes, slipping easily into an explorative psychic
trance. Silence gripped Time's shoulder, her nails nearly piercing his
skin, before dissipating as Usagi began an unconscious meditative
breathing regiment.

'She was the right hand of Uraki-Ayo, serving him completely, as a
military officer, and as a bedmate. She is solely responsible for
gathering the blood samples, which allowed them to create clones of
us. She has no memory of this service.'

Masurani squinted angrily.

'Where did you say she came from, Kei-san?'

Nasura blinked.

'Xalia's home, why..?'

It dawned.

'He knew. It was a setup. We were supposed to find her.' Nasura glared
at the motionless and entirely vulnerable woman. 'We can't trust this,
can we? Uraki-Ayo has proved himself repeatedly.'

'It may not matter,' Usagi pointed out. 'I can affect her mind.'

'What?!' the four gasped. Surprise, it seemed, had surpassed Yanei and
Goku.

'Her mind is open, and her heart is not hardened, just misled. She
loves Uraki-Ayo, and serves him because she believes his will is
righteous. I only have to show her the truth, and she will...'

'Lose her sanity,' Nasura interjected.

Usagi was stunned into silence. Her eyes narrowed as the process
churned in her augmented consciousness, finally resting on Nasura's
inspired observation. She gazed at the woman, who's grim expression
brought no comfort.

'Great... so she was sane before?' Masurani snarled with dark ire.
'She's strong... I mean major league "Can of Whup-Ass" strong. I can
sense it. She could match me in battle, all out.'

'"Can of Whup-Ass"?' Usagi questioned doubtfully.

Masurani shrugged with a smirk.

'American saying. Means "kick ass".'

She nodded curtly, after which Nasura offered her view on the matter
at hand beyond Masurani's spoken attitude.

'If you're right about her heart, then I have an idea that may save
her sanity, and elimate her threat.'

'Oh, I could elimate her threat right now,' Makoto and Masurani hissed
in a related phrase. They glanced at each other for a moment, and then
fell silent at Nasura's commanding glare.

'Turn her perspective towards ours by planting the idea that she is
already a Neo Senshi,' she instructed.

Masurani peaked, hackles risen as she growled ferally.

'Are you nuts?! What's the bloody point? If she can just smoke us so
easy, we'd be better off ending it now while we still can!'

'Masurani! Enough!'

Crestfallen, she bowed slightly, pliant to the tone of command, and
aware that she had overstepped her bounds. 'So sorry, Nasura-sensei,
but I really I think I'm justified here!'

'You are,' Nasura replied, to which Masurani's eyes widened, mouth
agape. 'You merely need not yell to get your point across. I'm not one
of your childish classmates. I do recognize your concern, but I seek
also your trust. Do I have that?'

'Hai,' Masurani nodded, chastened despite her exoneration.

'Nasura-san, I wouldn't worry. She's nowhere near as strong as I am.
Only Usagi,' Goku smiled warmly at her, '... is that powerful. And
she's not even one-tenth as powerful.'

'One-tenth?' Nasura blinked interestedly.

He nodded.

'Makoto's ability to adapt makes her potentially more powerful than
any of us,' Yanei observed, displaying remarkable nerve in speaking
amongst her former opponents.

'Hai. If this woman proves stable, however, we may have ourselves a
valuable asset,' Nasura stated clearly.

Usagi closed her eyes and prodded Jisuruka's scewed mind.

'Uraki-Ayo has given her everything she need to become Sailor Ether.'

'Ether? But he must realize my awareness of her actions.'

She shook her head as if pained.

'I mean Mortalis,' she said, a shiver ruffling the feathers of her
wings. 'I don't know why I said that. Something's happened. I can
sense him weaving a spell here. He's using her presense...'

'Yes, he's...' Yanei began, then assumed a pale complexion. Her
breathing abruptly became labored. 'Trying to Tap me.'

An extremely alarmed glance passed between Usagi, Nasura, and Makoto.
Usagi bowed her head and began whispering while the others followed
suit. Within moments a shrouding mist encircled Yanei, who's heavy,
almost ragged breathing began to ease. As the mystic effect passed,
though the protective mist remained, Yanei chanced a question:

'Why? I didn't deserve that,' she stated with honest, heartfelt
despondency. 'I almost...'

'Yanei, you have redeemed yourself,' Usagi supplied. 'In my eyes, at
least. You have have earned our trust.'

Yanei prolonged the silence, allowing thought to take her focus. A
glance at Makoto told her that she agreed.

'Thank you, Usagi-sama,' she offered simply.

With a soft smile, she returned her regard to the still comatose
Jisuruka.

'What about my relationship with her?' she inquired gently.

'Why have one? It certainly isn't necessary. It's your choice.'

Usagi nodded in reply, shutting her eyes. Her face tightened, and she
was still for several minutes. Each watched in earnest.

'It would be wise to not turn the young woman away. She will be
distressed, and lost. She will want a companion, a friend to lean on,'
a familiar, motherly voice elaborated. 'No one else can understand her
more completely than you, Usagi.'

Usagi smiled, the light of it shining through her entire being.

'Hai Luna-san!' she agreed wholeheartedly, a welling of emotion lodged
in her throat. She swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, and bowed her
head, eager to complete the task. Minutes flew by in an instant, and
Usagi rose to face her guardian, whom she had not seen since her
ascension to an angel. Luna and Artemis stood intimately joined by
hands, and joined by a startling manifestation of their professed love
for each other.

A young short purple haired girl gazed wondrously up at Usagi, the
silvery caress of innocence in her amethyst eyes. Her mouth turned
slowly upwards in an adorable smile as she played with the wide hem of
her pastel violet sun dress.

'Hi Usagi!' she began in the placating tones of an unruffled child,
all caring and warmth.

'This is Diane,' Luna smiled, slipping her fingers back through her
hair and pushing a shift of the purple strands behind her ear. 'She's
your cousin.'

'How old is she?' Masurani asked, smiling and waving at her.

'Three months.'

The expected gasps passed rapidly, leaving only questions, save
Makoto, and Hanlan.

'Now isn't the time for that,' Artemis decreed. 'We have a war to win.
Ami?'

Ami, and the remainder of the Inner Senshi faded into existence, sans
Minako. Ami, and Rei each bowed in turn to the gladly aghast Neo
Senshi, who bowed immediately in response. Ami began, cutting to the
quick without hesitation.

'Uraki-Ayo is as ill prepared to carry out this war as we are. The
majority of his resources have already been tapped. With so little
energy to utilize, he will be pressed to end the war quickly. The
vortex crystal supplies him with the vast energy he requires to attack
our dimension. Without it, he is nearly powerless to endanger us.
Uraki-Ayo is no fool, very unlike Beryl. He is a realist, knowing his
weaknesses, and exploiting those of his enemies. He believes Xalia to
be valuable to the Neo Senshi. This is not entirely true.'

A dread silence drifted over the assembled group. A gifted young woman
captured and now suspended between the rails of life and death. They
feared what she suffered, and hoped that she might be spared, all the
while knowing the truth of Ami's words, even as they found it
difficult to accept.

Masurani gave a somewhat reproachful look, but Usagi raised her hands
as the brute warrior opened her mouth.

'We will do what we can. I promise you this.'

'I guess I speak for the Neo Senshi, for now,' Masurani realized
dimly. 'I trust you. I'm pretty sure the others would agree. The ball
is in your court.'

Silence beckoned and was greeted enthusiastically, until Usagi spoke
once again, only moments later.

'The five of us will face Uraki directly, and end his cursed
existence. If it is possible, we will rescue Xalia, and preserve her
life.' She paused. As for the "if not," what was there to say?
Nothing. 'As for you, Neo Senshi, the Coalition Society of Mutants,
and our mates, you will all confront the armies Uraki will manage to
send to earth. Your ultimate goal must be to destroy the vortex
crystal. It is his only link to our world.'

'Why not have your...' she blinked at the choice of word '...mates
with you?'

Rei bowed her head solemnly, then latched her eyes onto Nasura's.

'I don't think is this the right time. We really aren't ready for it
yet. We haven't been with them long enough.'

Ami nodded, and added: 'I agree. It will take years for us to
co-ordinate our abilities. Until then, we're better off alone.' She
paused sheepishly. 'Do you really think it's easy for me to admit
that?'

Nasura sighed, as if understanding, but not quite accepting the
reasoning.

'How are the remaining Neo Senshi?' Ami inquired finally.

Nasura frowned pointedly.

'Well. Ayla is meditating, praying on the upcoming battle. The others
are preparing in their own ways. They're still quite weak.'

Usagi nodded.

'Better than they were yesterday,' she observed. 'Luna, Artemis, are
you ready?'

'Hai,' Luna affirmed. 'Diane sweetie, you're going to stay behind.'

'I agree,' Artemis grunted. 'You can stay with Iesha.'

'But Papa!' she whined. 'I want to help!'

'You can, by keeping Iesha safe,' he replied gently. She pouted, but
was quiet. There was no argument.