Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Soldiers ❯ Act 20 - Nemesis : shisousen ( Chapter 20 )

       Christ, her head ached miserably.
       The lattice pattern of the ceiling above her head didn't help. "Who the fuck thinks that Rorschach from Hell is comforting?" the Crystal Guardian groaned, voicing her displeasure in English, her brain still too rattled to grope for the appropriate Japanese. Rubbing at the growing knot on the very back of her skull, she tried slowly to sit up.
       Her vision didn't swim, but it did do a half-hearted tango before giving up the fight. That was a good sign, and she took it to mean that she could stand, which she also attempted to do in a slow, doddering manner. When she succeeded at that, she figured she couldn't have been as badly hurt as she had estimated, once she'd hit the ground. The speed at which she and Venus had flown had given her very little time to react. Grabbing hold of her ally and taking the brunt of the impact, as well as shielding them as best as she could, she had blacked out not from the initial crash, but from her skull bouncing back on the stones when Venus's cheek thudded into her chin.
       Thinking of the long-haired blonde, she looked to her right to see the orange-suited soldier stretched out on a padded table, much like the one she had been laying on. She looked fine, in better shape than the soldier standing over her who felt, honestly, like complete shit. In the reflective surfaces of the walls she could see the scrapes and tears in her uniform, the scuff marks on her boots. Though she was not vain enough nor militarily disciplined enough to worry about her general appearance, it was still irritating to see. She hadn't even gotten a chance to blast that prissy white-haired dick in return for her suffering.
       Not that she had been able to call her own power properly anyway. She lifted her hand thoughtfully, wiggling her fingers. Flipping her hand up as if tossing a ball into the air, she produced a tiny, sputtering flame, which promptly fizzled out of existence. Scowling, she tried it again, literally growling through her teeth when she couldn't even bring so much as a will o' wisp to her fingers. "Unbelievable," she said, at length. Out of all of her abilities, her fire wouldn't manifest; and that was ridiculous. She was born with the power; it should have come to her far easier than the rest.
       Then again, the rest of them weren't exactly willing either. Shielding herself was coming to her only in times of crisis when she really needed the damn power, and every now and again when she didn't think of trying to use it; like at home. All she seemed to have left to her was that which came hardwired into her physical body; it really did nothing in the long run.
        Clenching her fist, she looked to her left to see Tuxedo Kamen, though he was minus the latter as he too was out cold on a table, his mask and cape removed. They sat on a smaller table for medical instruments, which were no doubt Mercury's. Or perhaps Endymion did some nursing of his own; she knew he wanted to study in college to become a physician. Maybe he had before becoming king.
       "You're awake. That's excellent," he said behind her, forming his image in the doorway. Thoughtfully, she gestured at him, a motion not unlike the flicking of water from her fingers; but all he did was tilt his head, impassive as always. "Are you testing me, kajidoro-kun?"
       She stared at him blankly for a moment - her head injury was not helping her - as she mentally translated the word. Then, her mouth quirked into a smile he knew well; that charming, sly curve of lips that could have enticed anyone. "That's cute. And no, smart-ass, I wasn't; I was testing myself." She made that water-flicking gesture, as if throwing the comment aside. "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak and the mind is questioning."
       He nodded as if he understood; and most likely he did. After all, she reminded herself dryly, his past was their future. And their future wasn't looking too bright. "Venus still has much to thank you for," he commented, switching the subject with ease. "Without your protection, she would have been badly injured."
       "That's me, the bearer of blunt trauma for three lifetimes. But if she's fine, why is she asleep?"
       As she watched in amusement, he mimed a hypodermic plunging into the crook of his elbow, where, she noticed, a Band-Aid had been loosely applied on Venus's arm. "She's obviously fatigued from battle, and from the stress of the time warp. I will not allow any of you to continue on, so obviously sickened, and she disagreed with me; so I judiciously applied a sedative," he explained with a hint of stern displeasure. The look he gave her would have frozen a lesser, meeker being into their shoes; but she was used to ignoring such authority, and she did so now.
       Venus whimpered in her sleep, even as the tall red-head reached down to lightly slide her hand across her brow. As she did so, the transformation was released, and Minako rolled onto her side, unaware of the change. Endymion watched in silence, either aware that the commander had such power, or skillful enough to show no surprise. She then moved around to the sleeping prince, removing his transformation just as easily.
       Smiling grimly, she said, "You just need to know what button to push." Running a hand through her hair, she changed back into the jeans, tank top, boots, and ever-present trenchcoat she had been wearing; all in a matching deep black that had not yet been laundered out. Straightening her lapels, she spared a wave for the trio of felines who were trooping in, followed by a pale Chibi-Usa.
       Endymion easily rattled off everyone's conditions for them, adding Mamoru's to the list - badly-bruised ribs, and a sudden heart palpitation had him on some serious medication, and he was hooked up to a monitor - noting that they would both be unconscious for at least twelve hours. "Though by our planetary rotation, barely half of that time will have passed on Nemesis. They are a day ahead, but their hours are longer."
       "What can we do until then?" Artemis asked, leaping up onto the table to sit protectively next to Minako. At her moan, he comfortingly licked her cheek with a rough tongue, and she lapsed into calm. He sniffed curiously at her civilian attire, wondering how she had de-transformed while asleep.
       The tall red-head shrugged. "Get some rest. Eat. Plan until they wake up for active duty again." She seemed generally unconcerned, despite the looks of anxiety on everyone's face; except for, of course, Endymion.
       Luna frowned, slitting her eyes as her tail began to lash. "How can you be so flippant, LeBeau-san? Usagi-chan could be in grave danger! We can't just sit here-"
       "And just what do you propose we do, Luna? I'm 'flippant' because I at least know where she is - though I have a feeling she's less in danger than we suppose - and because I know we can't do a damn thing until they wake up. How do you expect us to get to Nemesis? Flap our arms and paws and fly there?" she retorted sharply, matching Luna's stare with one of her own; and the black feline inched back. "At least, if the three of us combine our power, we could possibly teleport, though even that is pushing it.
       "The only possibility I can think of is using the time warp, to step into the future on Nemesis by a few minutes. But that's a serious misuse of the warp, and we've already pushed the limits by even coming here with Chibi-Usa." Glancing at the pink-haired child for emphasis, she saw that she was carrying Sailor Moon's rod like a personal talisman, close to her chest. Arching an eyebrow, she added, "and don't ever belittle me like that, Luna. Serenity chose me to be in this position for many reasons; and maybe once you remember, you'll chose your words better in the future."
       The black feline seemed reasonably cowed by the statement; mostly, because she didn't know what else to say. Alex was right; using their power to travel a distance of millions of light years was quite likely outside of their abilities, without Sailor Moon or the captured three soldiers. The time warp was the only likely way, and Pluto had already tried to kill them for merely entering it. But what, then, could they do? And what could they even come up with in twelve hours?

      Kami-sama, her head ached miserably.
       Her slow awakening made her aware of her various aches, a low pain all over her body like that of a sunburn. All she remembered was the sight of eyes; like ice, never ending, glacial, as they had drilled into her furious crystal blues. And the fleeting remnants of a dream, disturbing and short - her Mamo-chan, in the arms of a woman who looked like her, yet was not. Her Mamo-chan and this woman ignoring her as she fled after them, calling his name…
       She opened her eyes.
       The room was like a cavern, losing her in its dark depths. She lay in the center, lost in a large bed swathed in silken sheets that were like ice against her bare skin. Matter of fact, the entire room was almost insanely cold, which shouldn't have affected her as a soldier; her transformation gave her a higher tolerance to temperature and impact, like body armor. But as she looked down at herself, uttering a shriek, she realized just why she was freezing.
       She had been dressed in a gown of white that hugged her waist and curves, baring her shoulders and most of her arms. It dipped obscenely to show off the tops of her breasts, and she tinkled with each breath; jewels adorned her chest in a gaudy design, snaking over her arms like straps above the diaphanous buffs of the partial sleeves. Though it was no more revealing than her gown when she became Serenity, it was alien to her, and utterly humiliating. Who had touched her to change her clothes in such a manner?
       And as a matter of fact, why had they been able to change them at all?
       Where was her brooch?
       Seized with a dread even sharper than humility, she was shocked - to say the least - to see it lying by her hand, as though it were a useless bauble. Picking it up, she felt its meager warmth, though it was like a brand against her cold skin; a heat that pulsated as she concentrated. It throbbed in tune to the pain that suffused her entire body, and she realized the crystal was devoting itself to protecting her. But whatever was attacking her was strong.
       Strong enough to make the Ginzuishou strain itself to shield her, a thought that chilled her to the bone.
       Weak, she slid from the bed and nearly collapsed to her knees, holding her head. "Itaaaii," she moaned, unsure if she could even try and escape from whatever hell she had been thrust into. Clutching at her trailing skirts, she moved towards the sole source of light in the room; a projection, at such an angle she couldn't guess at the image. She stumbled closer to it to perhaps gain a clue to her whereabouts, and shrieked again.
       It was she.
       No; it was Neo Queen Serenity. Usagi moaned at the sight of her future self, frozen in such a pose, created into an image for someone's lecherous eyes to look at over and over again. She felt impossibly more naked, and she hugged herself tightly, unable to imagine who would be so disturbing to have such a thing. "Neo Queen Serenity…."
       A tickle of fingers drew down her naked back, like the touch of a spider; she froze, utterly terrified, unable to breathe, as the hand explored the bare regions of her spine, stopping just above the dimples of her tailbone. It was not a friendly touch, but possessive, cold. "You've awakened, my lovely creature. Sooner than I had hoped, despite the nature of the Jakokusuishou; you amaze me, Sailor Moon. Or may I call you Serenity?"
       "I have no claim to that name," she said softly, though it was an utter lie. She tried to stand tall despite his engulfing stare, but it was difficult; he was simply adept at making her feel like a lesser being in his presence, that nothing less than groveling at his feet and begging forgiveness would be suitable.
       He laughed; a strange, empty sound. "I shall do so anyway; it suits you, as benefits a royal personage. Though you are not yet she, I see her in you." With a flourish, he indicated the shimmering hologram, drawing close to her side so that she could feel his breathing against her skin. "What do you think of my decoration?"
       She hoped he couldn't feel the unconscious trembling in her limbs, but at his serpent's smile, she knew it was hopeless. In her hand, the jeweled insets of her brooch were cutting her skin, she was gripping it so hard for support. "I think it's terrible," she finally managed to say, looking away. "To stare at her like an object to be owned -" And now he did own her, didn't he? Stolen like a valuable from the vault, claiming ownership by merely possessing her indefinitely. It was a terrifying thought.
       "How true," he remarked calmly, touching his chin. "I've wanted her since the moment I saw her fierce eyes, staring at me; until that point, I thought of the royal family as inconsequential. To see the queen was to see her from a distance, untouchable, a mere speck of white and blonde. But on that day, she looked at me fiercely, and I knew desire."
       Her head was starting to spin from all of this talk about the person she would become, but had not matured into yet. It was honestly a bit confusing, too; she simply could not imagine herself as such a beautiful, elegant woman. The queen asleep in her bier of crystal had seemed like a goddess fallen from a painting, not a real person; and Usagi simply could not relate. To her, being a princess and living in a castle was still a fantasy, safe as long as she continued to see it as such. To recognize that the fantastic woman who lived in this era was truly herself, and that her life was mapped out to such a degree, was to shatter what little safe haven she had.
       Alex was right; she had no more accepted Serenity than she had Sailor Moon.
       Belated, she realized Demand was saying something, but it seemed to matter little as she felt herself suddenly thrust down, falling into a plush chair behind her. No doubt it was a cozy spot for him to relax, and to stare at her future self; the thought made the cushions a little less soft. "You seem shaken and tired, lovely. I expected Nemesis to have an adverse affect on you, but I had hoped that your little stone would have countered the relentless pressure. No doubt the two crystals are engaged in a powerful battle."
       "Nemesis….kami-sama," she whispered, lifting a hand to her mouth. This was worse than she thought. Trapped on an isolated planet, so far away from her allies; how could she escape?
        "Hai. My kingdom, as it were." His laugh was brittle this time, mocking; and she realized he liked it here even less than she did. "My empire of mud and decay. But we chose this place to secure our true planet once more, to rid it of the long-living invaders who had stolen the throne."
       She looked at him curiously, her eyes innocent and wide, in contrast to the stubborn anger he had worked tirelessly to capture. "Are you Demand?"
       Her deduction had him smiling in approval, like a puppy that had learned its commands. "Prince Demand, I will correct you. Ruler of this brittle planet, and soon to be the sole authority of the pretty blue Earth.
       "It was not the name I was born to, of course. That I discarded carelessly, as it was unfit in our new society. In the manner of the legendary Earth kingdom, we all chose new names to signify our resistance to the godless Silver Millennium; after the minerals taken from the soil, I chose the hardest stone."
       It felt as though a door opened in her mind when he stated this proudly, a memory rising unbidden from the depths of her unconsciousness - it had indeed been the custom on Earth to take a new name, when one ascended to the rank of a top soldier or knight. She remembered Endymion describing the practice - which he had thought of as silly, but then again, members of the royal houses had enough titles and names without giving themselves new ones - and remarking that his four generals, his closest advisors and friends, had chosen the names of precious stones. Many chose such gems, in effect calling themselves valuable to the kingdom and its army.
       To think that this faux princeling could have learned of such a practice, and then taken it upon himself to usurp it, to throw it in the face of the very kingdom they had stolen it from; she felt a flashing anger. Not only for herself, but for her dark-haired prince, who had laughed carelessly at the practice, not knowing that in millennia to come, a smarmy boy would take it for his own. "How could you have found out such a thing!" she demanded suddenly, gripping the arms of her chair.
       "Does it manner?" he veritably purred, obviously taken with her show of displeasure.
       Her arms shook as she clutched at the fabric, half-risen. Beneath her right hand her crystal continued to throb, suddenly frantic with her rising emotions. But perhaps it was not frantic at all, merely as riled as she was, wanting to lash out at this arrogant boy - and she could do it too, she realized with a flush. She could destroy Nemesis without a thought, riding the power of the crystal through space to safety. A thought, and the tenth planet would be reduced to smaller asteroids within the Belt.
       What was she thinking?
       Her mouth felt cotton dry as she swallowed, suddenly aware of his conniving smile.
       He had expected her to attack him.
       It would have been deflected, obviously, for she was far too weak to cause any serious hurt; but it would have allowed the malicious energy she now recognized permeating the very air to inch that closer into her soul. Demand would have done nothing forcibly to warp and twist her into his perfect bride - all she had to do was give in to her anger, and the Jakokusuishou he had mentioned, no doubt the cause of the planet's decay, would have hastened her to his arms.
       As she lapsed into a stunned silence, Demand's smile grew sharper as he realized she had undermined his trickery. "Impressive, my queen. Instead of giving into your base nature, the very sentiment of humanity, you chose to continue to ignore it. How presumptuous."
       "I'm not a monster," she retorted, though it was hardly the vicious attack he had anticipated. "And it's also human to be kind and gentle. Have you forgotten it, or have you ignored it for your own plans?"
       He dipped his head - touché - and folded his arms, looking thoughtfully at the untouchable figure of Neo Queen Serenity before them. "Humanity has lost sight of its position in the universe. At the close of the 20th century, people lived longer, healthier. More children were born instead of sensibly killed. Like the parasite, we continued to multiply, not cut down by the reaper of Time or Disease, flaunting the natural predators we had with the forms of medical science and religious inoculation.
       "I once read a book when I was young, about how humanity had spread to the stars. With the aid of computer intelligence, long grown separate from us, humanity was given a false immortality, blasphemous in its warped ingeniousness. Things grew stagnant; nothing was quick to change, for humanity, now seeing eons of time unrolling before them, wanted everything to stay the same. Entropy, the natural system of change, cannot work, when an unnatural variable is introduced. Humanity is not pushed to continue past its established boundaries, will not change willingly, in such a situation.
       "Though Earth was finally scoured by the ice, clearing the way for a brand new order - of humanity pushed to the brink, willing to adapt and change - the Silver Millennium reared its head and led them astray." He steepled his index fingers, pressing them to his lip in a gesture of pensive thought as he paused in his rapid speech. Usagi, slowly digesting everything he had said, was unsure if she was impressed or confused. How could long life be so terrible? Surely people could still evolve on their own, despite the won battle against Time. Or maybe, she was simply being naïve about the logic of such a world; maybe it took the fear of death and the odds of survival to push and shove a person into adaptation.
       "For humanity to change, the unnatural variable must be destroyed. We have no time to wait for entropy to work its course, because entropy is effectively undermined when the despotism is not merely absolute in its rule, but eternal."
       "It isn't eternal!" Usagi said suddenly, jerking in her seat. Whatever power he had used to push her into the chair held her effectively in place; it was like fighting wet cement. "We'll die, just like everyone else! A thousand years is not forever-"
       "And what if you chose to resurrect yourselves again, using the power of your sacred crystal?" he countered, pointing sharply at the brooch in her hand. "Your mother sent you all to the future, effectively giving you another thousand years of life you were not to have. You had another chance to create your godless kingdom, your utopia of stagnation, and it can be done again and again.
       "Your child, the sickeningly precocious little rabbit; she'll live a thousand years. Her child as well. The citizens of the planet who accepted the crystal will live as long, and their children, and their children's children, and people who have known the same situation throughout their lifetimes will rear them.
       "The sailor soldiers, with their true immortality, could usurp the throne. And then they could rule from the safety of the palace until assassinated or killed in battle. You are all unnatural and unholy, and Earth is not your place."
       With another sharp gesture he cut off her oncoming rebuttal, grinning like a madman. Or, perhaps, like a child who had finally gotten his hand in the cookie jar. "We will rewrite history, you see, to rid the Earth of this unnatural variable. All of you are a crime against God; humanity is not your blood. We were destined for the vicious cycle of rapid death and decay."
       "Rewrite history….? Kami-sama; that's why you came to Tokyo!"
       "At first, we merely wanted to kill the rabbit. She escaped us when we blasted your pretty crystal city to pieces. Our goal had been to obtain the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, to use its power and that of the Jakokusuishou to align humanity's path forcibly once more with that of nature. But when we made plans to capture and kill the rabbit, we realized how we could correct the present by going to the past. Destroy the 21st century sailor soldiers, and incapacitate the 30th century defense system."
       That smile wavered, turning petulant. "I had forgotten the legends of Sailor Moon, the strongest soldier. That she was Neo Queen Serenity's former image. You disrupted our plans to kill the rabbit, and destroyed my loyal subjects."
       "You took my friends. You killed people cruelly in Crystal Tokyo! Nothing you say can alleviate these tragedies, nothing!" She shook her head, clutching the brooch to her chest protectively. "Death is not better than life! I don't believe it!"
       "You have the strength I witnessed in your future self," he mused. "And now, I see it in your eyes; it means my victory. The Jakokusuishou will feed your anger, and it will replace the soft spaces in your heart. As I anticipated, Neo Queen Serenity will be pliant for my domination, and she will be gone from her knight's side to stand by mine. My black lady, my queen."
       He moved closer to her as he spoke, icy eyes intent on the odango-haired blonde. She felt the force that kept her immobile lessen, and she sprang to her feet despite a tingle of bloodless limbs, wielding her brooch like a shield. Lightly he smacked her hand away, taking her wrist in one swift motion to pull her against his chest despite her cry, forcing her head back. "The beautiful queen of the blue and green planet," he sighed, leaning into her to capture her mouth with his own, bruising her lips as he kissed her roughly. He cupped the back of her head, holding her immobile; ignoring the beating of her fist against his side, he sucked at her lips, drawing them open to stab his tongue into her mouth.
       Had it been passionate and mutual, it would have perhaps been a wonderful kiss. But it was forced upon her and it hurt to the core of her soul - it wasn't Mamo-chan's lips, his gentle arms, or his loving, tender ocean eyes blue eyes - and she could do no more than struggle like a weak movie actress caught by the monster. Finally, however, she managed to twist her arm up high, swinging her brooch into the side of his skull, crying, "Iie!"
       It caught him entirely off guard, and he bit her lower lip before drawing back, clutching at his head. She could taste blood; furious at his actions, and feeling as though she had been raped, she threw up her arm, shouting, "Moon Crystal Power! Make Up!"
       The utter absence of even the merest trickle of power froze her blood.
       She must have stood in that pose for a minute, though it seemed forever, staring in disbelief at the brooch in her hand. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Demand cradling his head, licking at the droplet of her blood on his lip as though it were something sweet. No doubt intending to disturb her - and he did - his tongue roamed along his lips, searching for another precious smear. Finally, he said, "Your godless crystal is useless on his planet. The Jakokusuishou absorbs all power and renders it meaningless, destroy its usefulness. Even the power of your precious Ginzuishou is like a feather against unbreakable stone."
       Her arm dropped to her side as she wavered in her stance, feeling utterly defeated. Falling back into the chair, her hands between her knees, she was aware of his steps as he moved closer again to her, but she knew, despairingly, that she could do nothing.
       As he touched her, she whispered faintly, "Mamo-chan."

      "Itaaai, my head," she whimpered.
       With a moan, Rei slowly slid up onto her hip from her painful sprawl, finding herself rather frightened at the realization that she couldn't see. In front of her face, her hand was merely a pale blob, cavernous holes at their tips. It took a moment for her to realize that they were her fingernails, and barely a second later she realized, coldly, that she was no longer Sailor Mars.
       Someone else moved in the utter blackness, and she took to her feet hastily, poised to fight. Her grandfather had made sure years ago that she knew the rudimentary skills of self-defense, even if her real passion had been in the bow and arrow. So she stood there, muscles stiff from inactivity all but screaming at her forceful movement, fists clenched at her sides, until she heard the unmistakable sound of someone throwing up. The smell was indeed enough to make anyone sick; considering how long she must have been here, she had no doubt she was contributing to it. Then: "Where am I? I can't see anything…"
       "Mako-chan?" whispered someone else, hoarsely.
       "Ami-chan!" Rei cried out, relieved.
       "Rei-chan!?" they both replied, sounding just as relieved. A thin, weak beam of light cut through the darkness, barely illuminating the room, but just enough for them to see one another.
       All of them had lost their transformations.
       Makoto was in a terrible state. Though her power should have sped up her healing, if not entirely taking care of her smaller cuts, all of that energy had been devoted in her unconsciousness to simply staying active. And as it had failed them, it had failed her finally, and most likely quicker. She held herself around the ribs, cradling her fractured if not broken bones, her free arm hanging oddly at her side.
       Ami, holding the tiny penlight, no doubt having carried it for such emergencies, looked considerably better, though her arm was swinging just as strangely. She was regarding it even now with a look of confusion, because she had gained no such injury fighting Beruche; and ever the practicing doctor, she began probing her shoulder with her fingers, the weak light dancing around in the gloom.
       But Rei had seen enough of herself to be rather horrified. She looked to be a homeless person who had not seen a bath in months; her school uniform was wrinkled and sweaty, the very opposite of the proper, aloof student her classmates revered her as. Grimacing in disgust, she tried to smooth out some of the wrinkles, though by the paper-thin feel of them, it was impossible to accomplish.
       "Where are we, then?" Ami asked, repeating Makoto's earlier query as she trained the light back to them.
       The tall brunette shook her head gingerly. "I can guess. The lair of the Black Moon. That's where Koan claimed to be from. And it isn't from our time."
       "Nani?" Rei gave up on her clothes - she'd been attempting to tug her socks up, which, any civilized person knows, automatically droop after an hour of wear - and frowned in Makoto's direction. "What do you mean, not our time?"
       "I mean, I woke up on a ship of some sort. And the bastard who captured us was complaining about going through time." Her words came out harshly as she remembered his casual, angry beating as she lay helpless. Even the woman, the green-haired witch who had fought her, had used magic in their combat, not fists. It seemed strangely un-chivalrous. All the more reason for her to train harder, better…
       Ami, if it was possible, looked paler in the light. "That's not possible," she said faintly. "Time travel is merely a theory, hypothesized by fiction writers and dreamers."
       "Then how did we come to live in the 21st century, when we had died centuries ago?" Rei retorted tiredly, flinching as she found a bruise on her hip.
       "Rebirth," Ami replied, sounding just as tired. "Spirits finding new life. In science, we've already accounted for the possibility of ghosts existing. But we're talking solid bodies, living being entirely, travelling through another dimension that hasn't even been proven to exist."
       "Dammit, Ami-chan, does science have to prove everything for you to believe it?" Makoto cut in, her own voice not so much tired as much as it was pained. "You're splitting hairs, is that the term? And you heard what Alex-san said; she was from our era, the 21st century. But she was taken back in time to the Silver Millennium!"
       The blue-haired genius threw up her hands, a stupid gesture as it intensified the pain in her shoulder. Rei, as she had never had the pleasure of meeting the tall red-head, was looking between the two of them quizzically. "'Alex-san'? Who are you talking about?"
       "Oh, our old mentor from the Silver Millennium. She was living as Moriya-chan, but when she died, she was fully reincarnated, and she lives in a high-rise near the bay."
       The batteries chose to fail at that moment in Ami's penlight, leaving them in total darkness again. Makoto cursed, and they heard her hit the ground as she apparently slipped in her puddle of vomit. Both girls felt queasy as they realized it, and they began to move, inch by inch, towards the sound of her voice. "Mako-chan, are you alright?" Ami asked.
       If the absence of light was bad, the sudden full-blown appearance of it was worse. As though the sun had dropped down from the sky, the room was entirely full of white radiance, and they all screamed in varying degrees of agony as it blasted their eyes. They cowered onto the floor, covering their faces as though in the presence of a god, and waited, painfully, for their eyes to adjust.
       "And so I see that the sailor soldiers are weak, no matter of their form," Wiseman's voice echoed around them. The floating sage seemed casually unaware of the brilliant light that expanded from his globe to fill the room, though it barely even intruded into the depths of his cloak. But his eyes, or what seemed to be his eyes for they were as amoebic as his hands, glowed as they stared down at them critically. "Useless, perhaps, for weapons against the white queen."
       By sheer stubbornness did Makoto look up, clenching her fist at him. "And who are you! Another servant of the Black Moon? Come down here so we can show you how useless we can be!"
       They had never had the pleasure of Wiseman's laugh, but they received the full measure of it now; cringing, they covered their ears now. "As though I would sully myself in combat with the likes of you. No, my pawns, you are condemned back to the dust from whence you came. Your useful is in your deaths."
       "It doesn't matter!" Ami cried from her position, staring fiercely up at the seer. "Sailor Moon is stronger than that; she'll see your plans crumble and fail, even if we die!"
       "In our Replay operation, Sailor Moon is not the important piece. Only the queen matters; this is a new game, and soon to be a new world, little soldiers. A pity that you show no strength to save yourselves," Wiseman remarked, his voice holding unmistakable scorn. Between his hands the light began to dim; and they knew he was going to leave them to the mercy of the confusing, encompassing darkness.
       But Rei, staring at the floating seer in confusion, queried, "What queen? Our queen is dead, stranger; surely your path of revenge has not been so long in the making that you've been misinformed."
       Unconsciously, the three moved closer into formation, clutching their hands to call the transformation pens into their palms. But of course, when they appeared, the magic within them was depleted; drained. Still they held them up like swords, or more approximately shields, as Wiseman began his hacking laughter again. "The silver queen of our everlasting hatred, sailor soldiers. Neo Queen Serenity of the godless anthems; ruler of a blasphemous land. When you are finally dead, she will have lost her three guardian soldiers, and time will begin to remake itself. Earth will set on a proper path, and the phantom will then encompass it and ruin it before everyone's eyes."
       "Neo Queen Serenity?!" the three of them cried in unison, stunned.
       The darkness became their entire world as the light simply ceased to be.

      Flashbulbs popped. It was enough rapid light to cause an epileptic fit, but it continued to come, and she bathed in its worshipping glow. "April! April! Over here, Ms. Desiri!"
       It didn't seem to matter that the reporter was speaking in English, she understood him perfectly. And the fact that everything seemed to be circa America 1920 was nothing. She looked excellent in the fashions of the era, in a glittering orange fringe dress that barely touched her knees, a blue ribbon wrapped around her head to hold back the blonde bob of her hair. Her lips were painted perfectly in screaming crimson, and she could feel the heavy kohl surrounding her eyes. Laughing, she danced for the crowd, a rather frantic motion of hips and legs that she knew somehow was the Charleston, though she had never heard of it until now.
       Posing in a perfect drapery of limbs against the movie poster behind her, smiling coyly as the painted figure of herself in ample miniature fled the villainous gangsters, she was blissful. This was fame; this was unconditional love. All of them adored her as April Desiri, the blonde sensation who was the light to Clara Bow's dark, often compared to the 'It' girl as her steadily rising competition.
       A single reporter stood out of the melee, calm despite the raging sea of flesh around her. Smiling like the Madonna, she was a white apparition, gaining an intense light around her being. Slowly, the dream dissolved around her, and Minako was left standing alone in her flapper's dress and dancing heels, cold in the wake of such warm devotion. Neo Queen Serenity bent her head to kiss her cheek, taking the salty tear that had slid down into herself; and Minako felt unburdened. "Gomen nasai, Mina P, but my loved ones need us. Wake up…"
       Sneezing suddenly, Minako opened her eyes to find a tail draped over her nose, its end twitching as its owner purred in a dream of his own. Sprawled on his belly on her breastbone, her heartbeat had put Artemis to sleep; and with another breath, she was sneezing out more fur. "Ar-te-mis!" she yelled.
       He yowled, paws flapping as he flung himself up a bit too quickly and sent himself head over tail and off the table. Luna and Diana, comfortable on the middle table, both opened an eye to see the white feline twitching on the floor. Luna went back to sleep; Diana, concerned - oftentimes a bit too much in her parents' estimation - leapt down to her father's side. "Otou-san, otou-san! Daijoubu?!"
       "Huuuurrggh," was the best he could come up with.
       Minako rolled onto her side, peering down at her loyal companion, snorting more fur out of her nostrils. "Serves you right for sleeping on me like that." His only response was another gurgle of pain as he twitched again. He was beginning to wonder if this truly was his only role in her life; loyal confidant, punching-bag-under-protest, and altogether mocked.
       Even as he belly-crawled out of the infirmary, he was forgotten by his future progeny, her attention caught up by her future mother's rapid regurgitation of events to Minako, adding in her comments here and there. Evidently, parenthood had not bestowed upon him even a shred of recognition or dignity. Grunting he finally padded off properly on all fours, without even a "Arigatou, Artemis, for watching over me while I slept!"
       Maybe he was supposed to have born a mouse.
       (Then again, he recalled a lack of respect in general in the Silver Millennium. He was betting it was that damned evil matriarchal society that done him wrong.)
       Contemplating his lot in life, he wandered briskly down the hallway towards the back door, a large open-air arch that showed the rear gardens like a painting in a frame. They too bloomed in good health, and halfway to the actual door Artemis could smell the particular scent of grass and some thickly perfumed flower. Endymion had said, upon showing them the tables and stone benches scattered in a rough crescent around a permanent dais in the center, that many ceremonies were held in these gardens. And Artemis, like the tall red-head, had to wonder what kind of ceremonies a dying and recuperating planet could have. Or maybe Endymion was deliberately being ambiguous; hiding the full extent of their futures from them, so to speak.
       At the last moment before the door he veered to the left, walking headlong into a wall beneath the stairs to the second floor. He felt nothing as he passed through the hologram, though he had to close his eyes before the moment of expected impact, still uncomfortable with the illusion of solid wall. But he had to open them again, quickly, or he would end up falling down the stairs that started a mere yard from the wall.
       Carefully descending, the stairs spiraled loosely into the depths of the earth as he walked, and he could feel the temperature fall to a moderate constant that was, nevertheless, warmer than the fogged streets above in the city. Bouncing the last few steps, he found himself staring into a large cavern carved deep within the ground, big as a football field. The hard packed dirt floor was loosely strewn with padded mats, though not enough to qualify as protection; for seasoned soldiers, adapted to hard battle, having their falls softened during training only made them weak in a fight. He could imagine all of them walking out of here at one time or another with fractured or broken bones.
       It was a room entirely dedicated to practice in a way Venus and Jupiter's personal workout spaces simply could not match. Scorch marks on the walls and floor dictated a long history of missed aim, and spider webbed cracks showed where an elbow, a fist, a foot, or a knee had slammed into the dirt. Rough boulders gave little protection against firepower, and several lumpy mannequins lay where they had fallen, tackled or blasted. Slapdash walls and blockades were welded together for additional hiding places. Support beams made of what looked to be steel high-rise girders were slightly scorched, presumably in an attempt to hit someone hanging from them. In various places he could see laser-guided weapons, obviously controlled by the keypad just inside the door, the best technology they had either built or scrounged from the frozen city.
       Artemis settled on the very bottom step, curling his tail around his hind and fore quarters as he watched a whirling dervish destroy the place.
       'Destroy' was perhaps a strong word, however. She didn't destroy it as much as attempt to do so, failing, in her mind, miserably. Artemis blinked as she flung herself at the wall, dodging a discharge from five of the lasers and barely escaping without being hit, rebounding off to spin in the air, twisting around another three shots. Her coat had a neat hole burned in it, which she ignored, though the scent of charred leather was rank.
       Flipping forward, he watched as she flung what looked to be pieces of glass - and which the city had in abundance - at small boxes above two of the lasers. Both hit, despite her speed and airborne position, and as she landed, she ducked backwards to avoid one more blast. But the two boxes she had hit had effectively shut off the lasers without destroying the equipment, leaving her with seven more.
       Another two shot off as she ran for another protective boulder, and she dove into a roll to pass beneath them. Kicking up she brought her elbow around, catching a standing manikin with a blow to the neck and shoulder with a speed and intent that would have most likely crippled. Sidestepping the 'body,' she caught the poor thing around the throat, turning the cloth torso into the path of a laser. It burnt with a cleaner scent than her leather as she threw it aside, twisting around to see Artemis. Her eyes widened slightly as he caught a familiar scent, but as he turned to see Minako and the cats arrive, the tall red-head was darting off again.
       The long-haired blonde was flanked by the image of the king, who had no doubt told her where to find them. And in the darkness of the well stood a tousled, tired Mamoru. "Has it truly been twelve hours?" he queried softly as Minako stepped into the room briskly, already well updated. Artemis nodded.
       "Venus Star Power! Make Up!" The dark-haired prince, unaccustomed to bright light after such a long nap, flinched as Minako transformed. With an impatient gesture she leapt fully into the range of the lasers, landing neatly atop one of the boulders. She cracked her knuckles as she winked, receiving a rather wry smile from her ally in return. "I can't let you have all of the fun, sensei."
       "Oh, really? En guarde, then, Venus." The tall red-head was airborne in the next instant, tackling Venus from the rock as five lasers sliced the air above them. They rolled and kicked away from one another, both of them on their feet to face off as the weapons positioned themselves again.
       A sizzling sound preceded the arc of the beam, shooting past Alex's head close enough to singe hair. She smiled, disappearing behind one of the walls as Venus slid around the rock, pointing. Both stood at angles to frustrate their audience, unseen except for the telltale sound of heels on dirt tramped to the hardness of concrete. But it was only one pair; and as Venus emerged into view, she yelped rather stupidly as a laser nearly cut off her toes. Flipping backward, she moved desperately to avoid the rapid fire of the weapons as they followed her, taking a precious moment to stop, land, and aim.
       She took out one of the lasers and received a burn across her thigh for the trouble. Just as quickly another laser expired, though from where the projectile had come from, she couldn't tell. Entwining her fingers in the parody of a gun, she aimed with what she considered a double-barreled beam, sighting down her indexes as she stepped around the walls and rocks. Though being a sailor soldier came hardwired into her memory, the training she had once received to become a truly unique fighter was lost. She had gained some of it back as Sailor V, but the powerful and deadly technique she had wielded as the leader of the guardian soldiers was slow in coming back to her.
       And it showed. Finally despairing of catching her sparring partner unaware around some corner, she leapt up onto one of the walls, barely twisting beneath a double assault: a laser sliced neatly past her midsection, and she was slammed down by a blast of what felt like air pushing her off the metal. Landing somewhat awkwardly, she looked up to see Alex shaking her head as she stood in her old position. "Venus, Venus. You're supposed to fight, not fall down."
       Oooo. That irritated her.
       She lowered her head in petulance as Alex sighed, leaning back on her left hand. It turned into a surprised grunt as Venus spun up and around with her golden chain, catching her around the ankle and calf and flipping her back off the wall. The long-haired blonde barely had time to celebrate as three lasers came flying her way, and she moved without thinking to pepper the air with short bursts of her beam, creating a rough shield to head off the fire.
       The air around her grew hot suddenly. A ball of fire was spinning right for her, melting through the metal of the walls protecting her. Sweating beneath the bodice of her uniform, she swung her arm up to release the links of her chain, expecting them to find a support beam to wrap around without her needing to look. As the fire grew hotter and closer, she imagined the magic being absorbed back into her hand, shortening the distance between her and that very beam, and she shot up into the air.
       The flames scorched her heels, but she was pulled to safety as she spun around, twisting desperately to avoid the lasers as well. She reached out to grab the beam, nearly swinging up and over it as her momentum kept on going. Hanging limp, she looked down over the large room, seeing far too many tumbled walls that her ally could be hiding beneath. A barrage of glass shards hit the steel beneath her hands from somewhere to her right, and she squawked ungracefully.
       Rolling up, she stood on the wide beam to survey the suspected area. But it was from her far left that the tall red-head appeared, arms folded as she stared up at Venus calmly. The lasers left her alone, keyed as they seemed to be for any sort of frantic motion, but she began to run deliberately, springing onto one of the boulders.
       Every laser discharged, crisscrossing the room.
       And incredibly, she dodged each one.
       Not even dodged, danced.
       She ducked, spun, twisted, gesturing in what was an inhuman display of aim and focus. Box after box blew as she avoided the weapons, going off within milliseconds of one another. Each time she turned she came right up to face them, and each time they passed her by as though she were merely walking around an immovable tree in the park. As though she could see them coming from miles away despite their speed, she continued to draw their fire, until the very last one was silenced.
       It took ten seconds.
       All of it had been contained within a five-foot radius, and was within it that she slid to a stop, poised as though ready to jump. Relaxing, she lowered into an easy crouch on the balls of her feet, looking up at the stunned figure of Sailor Venus high above her head. "What?"
       "How…what…how did you do that?" she shouted, flailing. "You….you…lasers…"
       "Really? I couldn't tell."
       Recalling her chain, Venus rappelled down the wall, landing on one of the rocks. "That was impossible. How could you do such a thing?"
       The tall red-head smiled strangely; it wasn't so much smug as self-satisfied, and maybe, even, a little sad. She tilted her head around to see the trio of felines running for them, a befuddled Mamoru and a placid Endymion lazily following. Venus looked away as well to catch sight of Artemis leaping at her, paws outstretched, to be caught in her arms.
       Luna padded to a stop between their feet. Next to her, Diana was prancing around curiously, a trembling ball of fur as she sniffed at Alex's boots, and then centered her attention on a scorch mark on the floor. Watching her child as anxiously as she did Usagi - though no one would ever push her to admit it - Luna finally remarked, "That was impressive, Alex-san. But, Sailor Venus, you were rather…clumsy."
       The black cat's dry way of saying 'Inept,' most likely, judging by the look on her face. Venus belted out an embarrassed laugh loud and harsh, causing them all to jump back about a foot. "Ah ha! Have no fear, minna, I was simply testing out my old teacher!"
       "Is that right?" Alex asked coolly.
       "Mochiron!" Artemis felt himself suddenly dangled under an arm as she used her other to expansively gesture, a technique he was well familiar with, and wary of. "For Sailor Venus, the brightest star of the sailor soldiers, this was merely a breeze! But sensei has gotten so old and slow in her years, and so I thought I would be kind to her."
       Clearly, none of them believed, but she continued to affect the haughty stance away, beaming a 10-megawatt smile despite the frantically trapped cat under her arm gasping for air. The fact that she was standing about half an inch shorter because her heels had melted down, effectively gluing her to the floor, didn't help her campaign any.
       Endymion worked up the energy for a peculiar smile, glancing across to the tall red-head. "I'm sure then, Venus, that it would be no difficulty at all to continue practicing. Alone."
       Alex palmed her hands together, fingers intertwining like slow lazy snakes. "Of course, for the brightest star of the sailor soldiers, it would be nothing to defeat the highest level."
       The long-haired blonde grimaced, paling. "N-nani? But, I thought this was…"
       "Level three. I believe it goes up to level ten, does it not, Endymion-sama?" Alex asked conversationally.
       "That's correct. Sailor Venus was always adamant that her fellow soldiers continued to stay completely trained and alert, in case of any possible attack," he responded mildly.
       Artemis dropped onto his furred butt on the floor as Venus started to stutter dumbly, completely trapped. And by herself, no less. She stayed put as they all walked for the door, Artemis limping along rather comically, and the controls were set. "Don't worry, Venus," Alex called out as she hit the button to lock the program in, "at least I'm cooking dinner this time."
       Each laser in the room aimed at her.
       "A-ano," she whimpered, looking around - and realizing, as her body was tugged back around sharply, that she was stuck. She howled like a basset, fleeing from her shoes rather ungracefully as the lasers fired and began to chase her around the room. "This isn't faaair!"

       Chibi-Usa swung her legs as she watched the tall red-head move around the kitchen with a silent efficiency. Luna-P sat lay heavy on a stool next to her, tracking the very same movements with a calculating fierceness, re-examining every step to make sure not a one had been made towards the child in anger. Endymion had made sure that this time, upon fixing the toy, its programming had been sufficiently upgraded.
       The pink-haired child was reminded poignantly of Jupiter rushing around in a similar manner, though far noisier, her long ponytail wound up into a bun at her nape, her uniform traded for a white chef's apron and sloppy, comfortable clothes. Their food options were limited, and so the tall brunette was always forced to be insanely creative whenever she cooked; the servants tended to rely on basic stews and noodles with plain sauce. Vegetables were growing, but they were midgets compared to their healthy predecessors, and most of the fruit was only happy in the warmer climates.
       Rice was as precious as gold, even though they were growing it at a remarkably successful pace. Soybeans were being cultivated in large quantities as well. It seemed as though they had finally gained a real foothold in their new world, fighting back the frost and the ice and reclaiming their planet. Of course, the Black Moon had set them back years, destroying many of the garden plots and farmed terrain. Whatever the callous traitors wanted, they had most likely accomplished in leaving the survivors to starve.
       And truthfully, it wouldn't take very much. Chibi-Usa herself had no idea how to cook; if she had not gone to the 21st century, she would have been alone in a palace with plenty of food that she couldn't eat. Perishables were already spoiling in storage, and the leftovers would not have lasted long. She had never been interested in learning the basics of cooking, though Jupiter had tried - transparently - to teach her; it was a skill that a princess, surrounded by servants, should not have needed. It was also a skill she was thinking she was going to have to acquire.
       Certainly her mother had never needed it; she remembered a happier time when her mother had described to her, in sometimes strange terms, how she had been a terrible cook. She had terrified her friends with her attempts at culinary masterpieces, burned water, and had been generally unable to do something as simple as heating up a TV dinner. Chibi-Usa had laughed along with her in the safety of her lap, the two of them giggling over what she had considered to be a special secret. The reality, she had realized, was not quite as she had always pictured it.
       Being alone in a city rescued from the ravages of the fickle planet, taught by a tutor who was warm, if not almost meticulous and distant, Chibi-Usa was perhaps a bit naïve. She had been ensconced in palatial comfort for almost her entire life, elevated by her blood above the few children of the city. So she had played in the halls of the palace, imagining the battles of the strongest soldier, pretending to be Sailor Small Lady, the second-most-strongest soldier. Her mother had been, in her eyes, nothing if not infallible; and Chibi-Usa had been the failure. Pretending had been her escape.
       The children were cruel, infringing on her safe, gentle world. When she was gently nudged outside to play with them, they were vicious in attacking her, deriding her, denouncing her as a fake. And it was true, she had realized early on; she was not in her mother's shadow, she was buried in the dirt beneath it. No power shone within her like the gentle, ever-present aura her mother possessed. She was a tiny human mistake with no crescent mark and no shining presence.
       "Chibi-Usa?"
       Yes, that was her. The 'Little Rabbit.' The runt. The stunted rodent of no use except for that as a rug. Her mother's deformed daughter, who had brought about the tragedy of the world by her own shame.
       "Imouto."
       She was nothing.
       "Merde.…Usagi Small Lady Serenity!"
       It was the foreign word that had her staring up as much as the use of her full name. Alex was leaning on the counter across from her on one hand, the other holding a ladle. Chibi-Usa stared, momentarily disoriented, into lapis lazuli settled entirely onto her. "A-ano….hai?"
       "I'm so glad you've decided to rejoin the world of the living," was her mild response. "You've been so close to tipping off that stool I thought you had skipped a synapse up there."
       The pink-haired child blinked, glancing around. She had unconsciously righted herself upon Alex's summons, as she had been indeed starting to tip over. Looking sheepish, she said, "Gomen nasai, Alex-san. I was thinking."
       "They must have been some catastrophic thoughts." The tall red-head held out the ladle towards her, offering her a taste of the soup at the bottom. A heavy vegetable soup, and it was fragrant as well as delicious. She drank it as delicately as she could as Alex held it for her, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.
       "That was yummy. You're a very good cook!" Chibi-Usa cheered, smiling. Food always perked her up, though it was the tall red-head's tendency to treat her more like an adult than a stunted child that lifted her spirits even more. It was a treatment she had not truly recognized nor cherished until she had fallen into Mamoru's lap.
       The tall red-head shrugged as though it was absurdly obvious, wandering back to stir the rest of the pot. Topping it off again with the lid, she set the ladle carefully on a pad especially for the purpose, wiping up the few drops that fell to the stovetop. "It must be hard cooking in a world that has so few resources. How do your parents manage to keep everything so well maintained?"
       Chibi-Usa cocked her head, visibly thoughtful. Though she knew her parents loved her dearly, she knew they took no notice of their tendency to speak above her head, as though she didn't understand them; or, more accurately, as though she were a potted plant in the corner of the room. Everyone did it. She was, after all, still a child, though the heir apparent. As a result she had gained an intuitive look at the monarchy and how it ran the burgeoning city. This was the first time anyone had actually asked her about it, however. "Mama and papa are worried that the frost won't be cleared in time to solve a food shortage," she said slowly, re-assembling the words she had heard over several days' worth of meetings. "Even though they've awoken about a third of the city, everyone who could do something to help meet the needs of the rest of the population, the crops aren't growing as quickly as they hoped. The animals aren't breeding very fast."
       "And now most of the working class that was unthawed is rotting in the streets," the tall red-head said succinctly, leaning back against the counter, arms folding. "If the Black Moon plan to take over after every living thing is dead, they've inherited a lot of worthless real estate." She tapped her finger against her lower lip, brows drawing down into a pensive expression. "But travelling through time…"
       "Travelling through time is the sticking point," the dark-haired prince spoke as he came to a halt in the doorway, at ease in his civilian clothing. Alex and Endymion both had suggested he remain as Mamoru until expressly needed as his alter ego, to give his body the time to recuperate on its own. And indeed, he was still wincing now and then, as if his heart was still paining him. "If they had only been after Chibi-Usa, why did they capture Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter? They would have killed them outright; prisoners make no sense. And from what we've seen, they leave nothing alive."
       "And that may be the only surety we have right now." Endymion appeared like a slow mirage next to Mamoru, an altogether eerie effect. They stood at exactly the same height, despite their shoes, and it was as if someone had taken a photograph and found an afterimage had appeared after development. Even the somber expressions on their faces matched, their straight-backed, perfect posture. It was comforting to know some things didn't change. "If the soldiers were dead, this time would be irrevocably altered."
       Chibi-Usa stared between the three adults as slowly, over the course of several seconds, even Endymion's face twisted into realization.
       Mamoru found his voice first, though it was weighed down by shock. "They can't possibly be attempting such a thing. It could create a paradox, if not completely destroy the time line. Stopping the creation of Crystal Tokyo….they wouldn't have been thawed out, wouldn't have been awake to alter time."
       "Thawed out, hell, they might have been killed by the thing that froze the planet to begin with," Alex jumped in, mechanically going through the motions of again stirring the soup pot. "But it would have stopped the queen from offering long life to her citizens, which is what the traitors seemed to take such offense at; right, Endymion?"
       "We have no reason to think otherwise."
       She made a derogatory noise, dropping the lid back down. "Well, now we've definitely got incentive to go rescue them. Even if we managed to get to Nemesis and save Usagi, they could just strangle one of the girls and everything goes to shit."
       "You put it so eloquently, Alex-san," Mamoru said flatly. She made a slashing motion at him with her finger, and he corrected himself: "Alex."
       Claws click-clacked on stone as the trio of felines came up, with Artemis looking mightily peeved. No doubt Luna had roundly defeated whatever masculinity or dignity he had left in front of their future migraine-ah, progeny. It would explain the self-assured flick of the tail she gave as she walked in front of him. "Have you thought of a plan?" she asked the moment she wandered, hesitantly, though Endymion's legs after a bouncing Diana.
       Mamoru watched this with a definite twitch to his eye; it had to be rather disturbing to see three cats walk through his future identity's body. But to the question, all he could do was shrug, while Endymion replied, "No. But we have come up with a decidedly bad conclusion."
       "How could it get any worse?" Artemis grunted, inching his way through the king's calf.
       "The Black Moon are killing someone so the time line goes to shit," Chibi-Usa said, somewhat singsong as she made herself useful.
       Luna looked right up at Alex; her frigid expression said it all. The tall red-head looked up and away in her innocence as Artemis and Mamoru both sputtered. Diana, however, looked up at Endymion, curiously asking, "Endymion-sama?"
       "Your mother will tell you when you're older," he replied automatically.
       Chibi-Usa seemed somewhat oblivious to the reason for everyone's reaction, but then, adults had funny habits.
       "The enemy is trying to stop Crystal Tokyo from existing?" Artemis finally, coherently, managed to ask, proving that he did indeed have some intelligence amidst all his male instincts. Luna looked suitably impressed.
       The ladle clinked against the sides of the pot as Alex stirred it one last time, reaching across to turn the heat off. "Everything points to it. And they've captured four people who, if even one dies, can completely change the future as we've seen it."
       Mamoru lightly ruffled Chibi-Usa's ponytail as he sat down next to her, resting his elbows on the table like a barbarian. She smiled, seeing her father so poignantly in him as he turned away, giving her his face in profile; and then the genuine article (or at least his image) walked past, making his way around the table to stand at the head. Obviously, he couldn't eat, but he took up his normal position as though he were indeed sitting down.
       As if on cue the uneven tap of heels came echoing down the hallway, getting louder as the long-haired blonde put an extra spurt of speed into the last yard. She skidded past the doorway in a blur of orange, a hand curling around the frame to stop her flight. Pulling herself in, she stopped in the entrance for them all to see the state she was in: uniform singed and torn, her hair frizzy from the heat, her heels melted into a sort of avant-garde puddle at the bottom of each. Then she struck a flamboyant pose despite her rather disheveled state, crooning, "Cock-a-doodle-doo! That was great! I mean, at first, I was getting burnt and falling down, but then I began to remember things and I went bouncing around the lasers and swinging on the rafters and it was so awesome-"
       "Minako-chan, breathe," Luna said at her feet.
       "-and I so totally kicked ass!" Venus finished, inhaling sharply. As she stepped forward she threw off her transformation, finishing her rapid advance to the table as Minako, who looked to be in much better condition; except for her scrapes and the hair. Nothing could save heat-damaged hair except expensive conditioner. "What's for dinner? Not snails again, I hope!"
       "Just for you, Minako, I made vegetable soup." Alex set a bowl down in front of her, full of steaming soup, and a crusty bit of bread to soak it up.
       "Sugoi! Just what every hard-working soldier needs."
       The soup was ladled out for everyone else - including the cats, who insisted on tasting the broth; they got to share a big steel bowl - before the tall red-head herself sat down. Minako slurped hers noisily in appreciation, apparently oblivious to the heat. Pausing between spoonfuls, she looked up at the two other soldiers and asked, "What do we do next?"
       Mamoru took it upon himself to describe to the long-haired blonde the situation, though it was not without an undercurrent of pain. He had to keep a strong front - his manners and royal status as a prince demanded it - but re-living the thought of Usagi dying all over again was not pleasing. It had to be so much easier for the king, who maintained his placid façade until he thought it absolutely necessary to show anything else. And it couldn't have made him feel any better to know his wife was not only dead to the world, but also in the hands of the enemy.
       But it was heartening to see Minako's change into a levelheaded leader, the shift taking place in a matter of seconds as he spoke. All smiles one minute, and nothing but attentive the next, she set her spoon down and stopped eating entirely to listen to him. "King, do you have any space craft? Like we had in the Silver Millennium for leisure and diplomatic trips?"
        "Iie. Such a discovery may have been thwarted by the ice, and we've had no time to waste trying to replicate the ability of a space ship while surviving."
       "So we can't even really get to Nemesis," Minako deduced rapidly, stirring her soup. "And we couldn't possibly teleport, just the three of us. Not without Sailor Moon."
       The tall red-head sopped up some of her soup with her piece of bread. "Maybe in time, with practice and the full realization of your powers, you could teleport on your own. But we don't have months or years to waste for that to happen." She delicately popped the soaked bread into her mouth. "Another idea?"
       "I'm thinking of one, sensei," Minako replied dourly as she lifted up a spoonful. "Maybe we could just have faith in Usagi-chan that she'll find a way off of Nemesis on her own."
       Endymion said, "That seems to be one of the few options left to us."

       For the second time that day, Usagi awoke in a strange room. Again in a mild sort of discomfort, which had abated only slightly. At least her head no longer spun; when Demand had lost his temper and slapped her away, she had crashed into the chair with no grace intended. Her skull had managed to find that one spot between the cushions where the padding was thin, smashing against the metal framework.
       Apparently her fighting him was not as much the turn-on as he wanted.
       Still generally woozy she sat up, finding herself alone in the large room. She'd been moved from the chair to the bed, dropped none-too-neatly onto the icy sheets, and again she was freezing cold. Shivering violently, she slipped from the bed to receive the shock again of her bare feet against the stone floor. Shoes, she needed shoes, but Demand's obviously wouldn't fit her. Her hand reached to find her brooch, and found only silk; the gold jewelry had been set atop a bedside table instead, next to a creased paperback.
       The covers had long been lost, the pages inside almost fallen out of the binding. It fell open to a particular section, having been folded and creased so often to hold the page. Translated into Japanese from English it was a somewhat clunky read, but she realized quickly that it was the book he had spoke of: "Now, now,' said …Aah-nii-aah…from where she was leaning on the terrace wall. 'Entropy can be our friend.'
       "'When?' I said.
       "She turned around so that she was leaning back on her elbows. The building behind her was a dark rectangle, serving to highlight the glow of her sunburned skin. 'It wears down empires,' she said. 'And does so in despotisms.'"
       The entire section was circled, most likely for quick reference, and she closed the book slowly. "But that isn't me," she whispered softly, letting her hand slide away. "I wouldn't let it happen." She stepped away from the bed, holding her brooch as she tiptoed towards the door and the closet set right next to it, saw a bundle of pink, white, and black. Her clothes, her civilian attire, and as she came closer, she saw the shiny toes of her shoes peeping out from beneath.
       It would have been wonderful to change back into her own clothes, and she did try; but the fastenings on the gown she had been thrust into were impossible. She couldn't even find half of them, and she was too polite to rip it off, even if it belonged to a megalomaniac. So she contented herself with slipping on her shoes and stockings, feeling slightly warmer. Her toes were ecstatic.
       She managed to pin the brooch on her dress, though the fabric was so flimsy she kept her hand clasped over it, just in case. So protected, she exited Demand's room, closing the door behind her with a click of the knob that sounded thunderous to her paranoid ear. But no one came out of the other doors; no one appeared to throw her back inside again. It was a definite good sign.
       Creeping as stealthily as possible, one hand gathering up her voluminous skirts, she snuck down the hallway and past many more closed doors. But they were all so ordinary and plain, most likely storage rooms or bathrooms. She didn't need them; she was looking for an ominous door that would be heavily locked or perhaps barred. A door that was made to keep prisoners locked in tightly. After all, where else could Ami-chan, Rei-chan, and Mako-chan be, but here on Nemesis along with her?
       An open door sat near the end of the hallway, and she peeked inside slowly to see what looked to be a kitchen; but if it were a kitchen, then Usagi couldn't help but feel sorry for them. What looked to be a standard Salvation Army kitchen set, small enough to be child's size play toys, sat in the very middle. A rig of gutted parts from a fountain made up their sink, continuously sucking up water and spitting it back out again into a rusted tub. Piles of cheap earthenware plates and thin metal utensils and chopsticks in rough mugs sat next to it for washing. Even Demand, it seemed, had to eat off a plain dish. Such power they all seemed to wield, and they couldn't even waste it on perfecting dinnerware or kitchen items for themselves.
       Now disturbed for reasons she couldn't quite admit, Usagi continued to the end of the hallway, which opened up into a large cavernous room. There seemed to be no use for it, save that of ego, for the walls were covered in stylized carvings that depicted nothing but victory for the Black Moon. She walked through feeling like an intruder, a spy seeing someone's darkest fantasies; indeed, one of the carvings was a rather graphic portrayal of them rising triumphant atop a pile of white, featureless corpses. Thank the kami none of them were in colour.
       In the middle of the room she found herself in a conundrum; two other doorways led out of the room into the rest of the building, as well as the hallway directly across from where she'd come in. No doubt the room she sought would be as far away from any main walkways as possible, but it could have been a side path off of any of these halls. She stood there, puzzling, a lost doll of white and gold in the midst of so much darkness. "Mercury…Mars…Jupiter…"
       Beneath her hand, the Ginzuishou throbbed.
       "Hai…my true friends, alone in this dark world. But not alone anymore!" she whispered fiercely, closing her eyes. She could feel, impossibly, the answering call of power, so faint within the building, but it was there. "They always protected me, gave me confidence in myself. I can't let them down, not with my loving spirit! Ginzuishou! Onegai, Ginzuishou!" It grew warmer, beating back the darkness as she found herself running, hands clasped against her heart where she had fastened her brooch. "Sou yo…to Jupiter, and Mars, and Mercury! I have to believe in myself, for my friends!"
       She looked like a white-petaled flower from behind, pressing forward into the wind. Her shoes were mutely clicking against the floor as she ran, nearly tripping on her skirts or sliding on her smooth soles. Like a lantern in the fog, she glowed despite the darkness, even as it pressed against her relentlessly, angry. She evaded its grasp as she fled, passing doors widely spaced that most likely opened into more giant rooms.
       It would happen. She could save her friends, and they could escape the evil planet, Nemesis, together. All on her own, she was going to rescue them. She, Usagi, would be the brightest star amidst them all, and she didn't even need them to rescue her in turn anymore. No one had to protect her-
       Like a stab of pain into her skull, the darkness pierced her glow. Crying out, she slipped to her knees in the middle of another long hallway, the Ginzuishou faltering at her chest. She could feel the cold of the Jakokusuishou trying to invade her soul, teasing her with its power, its evil influence promising her the universe. How could she hope to fight it? Her heart nurtured hate as easily as any human being's; she was no shining figure of hope. She had no true friends, only opportunistic associates who would cuddle close to her holy stone, greedy for the power it wielded.
       "IIE!" she screamed, her voice echoing down the corridor. The darkness retreated at her final resistance, but she knew that it laughed at her; even she was corruptible. It was a pyrrhic victory at best.
       She dropped her head into her hands, crying. Kami-sama, she didn't want to go through this all over again. She wanted to be blissfully ignorant of magic and its world, not lost in a dark kingdom that sought to terrify and enslave her. But worst of all, she knew her friends were somewhere in the building, within the castle that entrapped her as well. And it was obvious that the Ginzuishou was nothing without her confidence and spirit to give it power.
       Her tears revealed no more crystals, no more secrets, against her hope. She huddled back against the freezing wall, rubbing at her eyes with her fists, like a two-year-old lost in the dark. "I feel so weak…this place is a death trap." And she had no idea where she was, a realization that stabbed another fresh spear of terror into her heart. She could be lost here for eternity, dying alone, mistakenly, before anyone found her.
       Or perhaps not; she heard, against belief, voices.
       How ironic that she hoped they were Demand's allies.
       She crept forward on hands and knees, crawling to her feet as she came close to the source. How had they not heard her scream? The door to the room was wide open.
       Inside, Rubeus and Saphir, despite their shared animosity, stood in what they presumed was secretive discussion, so deep were they within the bowels of the castle. Neither of them felt the waning presence of the Ginzuishou, nor its wielder, growing weaker with each step. Saphir, so still as Rubeus paced, remarked, "You've become more agitated as of late, since we lost Esmeraud."
       "How can I not, dammit?" Rubeus retorted sharply, his anger roiling as high as the flaming red of his hair. "Esmeraud, destroyed by Sailor Moon, like a common foot soldier instead of the strong ally she was. And Demand seems to care only for the silver queen, instead of our real goal! He won't even tell us where he put her captured body."
       Saphir shrugged, giving a strong impression that his brother ruled his life more sternly than he himself did. Whatever Demand did, in the end, it didn't matter. "But we will accomplish our goals anyway. The captured soldiers will die, lost forever in the Room of Darkness. Time will begin to change its course properly. Without the interference of the Silver Millennium."
       Usagi fell back on her hands, stunned. It was just as Demand had explained, and altogether fiendish in its simplicity. And how would she be part of the plan as well, for who knew how long she could remain in their hands? Not only was she Princess Serenity, with her life span of a thousand years, but she was Sailor Moon, a sailor soldier of immortality. Would she die after her time had passed, or would her soldier's power keep her alive?
       "I still say we could use them as vessels, fill them up with the power of the Jakokusuishou," Rubeus argued. "Inside that ancient buried prison they'll merely rot and be of no use. With proper discipline, they could be used to carry out the final plan and kill the king and queen."
       The studious blue-haired man frowned, looking strangely pensive. "It would be a waste. Killing only one of them could accomplish our goal. We don't even need the strongest soldier, though her death would produce the ultimate result. Her useless holy stone will be cast into space."
       "I think your brother has plans for her. He won't kill her. He wants his silver slave, not a corpse."
       Pressed against the wall for support, Usagi shivered. He had spoken of making her his black queen, once her spirit and heart was twisted by the evil energy of the Jakokusuishou. Forcing her to love him, instead of Mamoru, and most likely carrying out his plans at his side. She would become an evil goddess bent on destruction, allowed to reign freely once Demand died, and in a twisted way, that was most likely his plan. But considering his hatred of her life span, maybe all he wanted was for her to denounce her heritage. All the better for her to become pliant to his wishes.
       Dimly she heard footsteps coming towards her, but it was if they were in a tunnel, and they echoed. Getting further and further away, she realized that she was losing consciousness again, and that the speck in her vision was Demand. Speak of the devil…..

       And again, they've forgotten me. They didn't honestly mean it, but I'm so small that they can't help themselves. No one cares that I've left the palace walls, without the hovering security alarm that is Luna-P. The toy broke again, and no one knows to fix it.
       I can't see through the fog, it's so cold and thick. Like the day that the explosion destroyed my shining city, the white obscures everything. And I didn't mean for it to happen, but I had to prove to them that I was mama's daughter, that I was their princess. The kids were always so mean and cruel to me…. "You're not the real princess, don't you know that by now? You're just a fake!"
       "I am too the real princess! Mama and papa love me!"
       "Then why don't you look like them? Show us your power!"
       But I have no power. I'm a tragedy.
       "Can't you use the Ginzuishou? We bet you can't, huh. You don't even know what it looks like, the holy stone!" Everyone laughed at me. The fake, the fraud, the pink-haired alien. "Show it to us! Prove you're not a liar!"
       Mama can't know my trouble. Mama and papa have so much to do while ruling the city and making everyone happy; I can't tell them. So I did it on my own, with Luna-P's help.
       (She could see the crystal in its glass case, safe within her parent's room. No one would dare come here, not that they could make it even this far. It was a shining, glittering prize within the box, and she crept closer to see it sparkle. How many times had her mother told her she would one day inherit this stone?
       (Luna-P had been heavy enough to smash the glass and knock the Ginzuishou out to the floor. It felt strangely cold as she picked it up, cupping it in her small hands. "Now I can prove I'm mama's daughter. The Maboroshi no Ginzuishou…"
       (Someone was coming. Suddenly terrified, Chibi-Usa darted behind the bed, Luna-P soundlessly following her. Hugging the toy to her chest, the crystal in her hands, she could hear the soft whisper of her mother's skirts as she entered the room, and the throaty gasp as she saw the mess. "The Ginzuishou…! How could anyone… Small Lady? Small Lady, where are you?" The sound of footsteps retreated rapidly, and the pink-haired child knew her mother had taken the hidden stairs directly to the first floor.
       (It took several minutes for her to uncurl from her position, following her mother down the stairs. Her eyes full of tears, she wanted to explain and apologize, and she nearly tripped headlong down the steps. And as she reached the first floor, she could hear the sound of something terrible. The entire palace shook as she screamed, running in mindless terror to find her mother out of instinct.
       (She saw her mother outside of the gates.
       (The crystal enveloped her mother suddenly as her guardian soldiers watched in horror, helpless to stop it. Chibi-Usa screamed again, knowing terribly that it was her fault.)
       Everything was the result of my actions. Mama will never wake up without the ultimate power of the Ginzuishou, and I could never use it. Sailor Moon was captured by the enemy. How could she be the strongest soldier if the Black Moon could capture her so easily? How can she be my mother and yet be held prisoner?
       Nothing is right anymore because of me.
       (But she had a true friend that only smiled for her sake. Hidden away in loneliness like she was, the door was so far into the palace to find. A beautiful ornate door, a portal constantly open to the space between time, she had found joy.
       ("Hajimemashite, Small Lady," Pluto had said, kneeling at her feet. "Princess Serenity. One day I knew you would find the door."
       (Chibi-Usa had been so thrilled at recognition. Everyone else was aloof or cold to her, disbelieving her royal status for she carried no crescent sigil. "Masaka…you know my name?" she whispered, fearful yet joyous.
       (The tall woman nodded, gracefully getting to her feet. "You are the princess of the Silver Millennium. I am Sailor Pluto, the guardian of the space time door. I've seen you grow up, princess, and just like your mother, you will truly grow up to be a gentle lady."
       (For that, the pink-haired child felt wonderful. No one but her parents and the guardian soldiers had told her that, and none of the citizens had ever lavished such praise on her. To them, she was merely a child. Pluto had to be a real friend to say such a thing.)
       I want to see Pluto. She always knows what to tell me. Her magic tricks make me smile. And I can open a door with my key and see her now, without needing to use the palace entrance.
       ("Whenever you become sad, Small Lady, you can always overcome your sadness with joy. Say the magic word."
       ("What's the magic word?"
       ("Abracadabra. Say it, Small Lady."
       ("Abracadabra!"
       (Pluto pointed her staff up into the air, saying, "Pon!" as flowers exploded into being around them. "See? The magic word always makes you feel joy.")
       Like an adult, I want to see her. So I open the door with my key, though it takes an effort; Pluto needs to charge it again. But it opens, and I'm in-between time again, seeing the endless realities unfold around me in the darkness. Pluto says that no matter what, I always become a gentle lady.
       But there's Pluto now, standing at the door and looking into the palace. Papa is talking to her. And she's…smiling?
       That can't be right. She was always so sad and unsmiling, until I made her happy. My special friend - now papa is making her laugh. Is it possible that maybe I'm not the special friend Pluto always called me? Am I just a silly girl? It isn't fair; I never wanted to share Pluto with anyone.
       I fling the key down at my feet and run away.
       (Endymion looked back down the hallway, frowning. "I can't understand it, Pluto. She doesn't seem to be anywhere in the palace, and she wouldn't leave the gates again. I was positive she would have come to you."
       (Pluto fingered her weapon, staring longingly at the marble floors she could never walk across, the hallways she could never travel down. "Daijoubu, Endymion-sama. Small Lady is a smart girl; she'll turn up. Perhaps she went to her room to sleep. She's had a hard day." She smiled, suddenly, before she could help herself. "Like a true princess, she prevailed."
       ("Indeed," he responded.)
       Nothing matters anymore. So what if I'm lost between time? I'm always running away. I'm always trying to get away from the pain of the real world. But it's so cold here, and I'm shivering and I want my mama. It's starting to become scary here, so far away from Pluto's door.
       Everything is dark and scary, and I threw away the key. I don't know what to do. If I call for help, Pluto will know I lost the key, and she'll be angry with me. I don't want her angry with me. I want to be home again. Sailor Moon can't save me here.
       Something is glowing in the darkness.
       "Someone is lost," a voice speaks. "Can it be that the small rabbit has lost her way?" The cloaked figure in front of me is frightening.
       I have no power to fight the creature. "Who are you? How can you be here between time with me?"
       It laughs, and I'm even more scared now. But I won't cry. "An entity of darkness," it rasps. "I am the end for this world. But you know that I can take away your pain, little princess. Come with me and know power. The power you deserve."
       Power…the power I was never born with. The power I desperately long for. I want to be my mother's daughter, truly. "How can you promise such a thing - how do you know?" I whisper, unsure of how I feel. For such a creature to offer this to me, how could I trust it?
       "You know I speak only the truth. I can give you this power. Just take my hand."
       With power, I could save my family from the evil. Everyone would be proud of me. I wouldn't be the little rabbit anymore, but a lady like my mother. Should I do it? Pluto, I wish you could be here with me!
       "You will inspire loyalty with your power. Nothing sad will remain."
       Yes…finally, they could love me.
       "Like your mother, you will be revered."
       Yes…powerful, like mama and her shining stone. I will do it, and become their true daughter. No one will ever laugh at me again.
       "Take my hand, princess, and everything will be yours."
       ….yes, finally.

       Bells were chiming all around her. Suddenly, the cacophony reached a fever pitch, and Pluto knew that something had gone horribly wrong.
       In the distance she could see a storm brewing, jagged slashes of lightning playing within the funnel of wind growing larger. Such storms were a regular occurrence, as they swept dimensions and realities clean of their unneeded detritus, cast-offs left behind as time created each new second. But this storm was unusual; it was violent, disturbing, an unnatural force of power that she had never seen. It appeared as she had felt the explosion of power from afar, a rippling effect of immense proportion.
       Running, her rod at the ready to enter the storm, she came upon something glittering. The remnants of the opened door still glowed, and the sight froze her blood, for she had never felt its creation. But that was impossible, because the use of a key - which sat dead at her feet - always triggered an alarm within her. Someone had opened a door, and had blocked her from sensing it.
       But she knew who had opened it.
       The question was how she had done it without Pluto noticing.
       Picking the key up, she could sense that it was entirely drained of the energy it needed to open the door. But it still would have led Small Lady safely to Pluto and her gateway, had she kept it in her possession, and the child knew that. It was one of the simplest rules Pluto had described to her long ago. To have left it behind like this meant that Small Lady was most likely lost within the growing storm. Everything was too coincidental for it not to be so.
       "Kami-sama," Pluto moaned, holding up her rod for protection. The storm was a phenomenon that she couldn't control, created by time itself as a clean-up crew. She had no direct interference with it, she could only find her way through it without fear. Dispersing it, stopping it; that she could not do. It was a chaotic element that once started had to run its course.
       And no doubt whoever had protected Small Lady's entrance from Pluto's awareness had caused the storm to reach such a fever pitch.
       Thinking better of it, Pluto retreated towards the gate, clutching the dead key in her hand. "The king…I have to reach Endymion-sama. I have to tell him what's happened!" Though hell if she knew how she was going to do it. She couldn't leave the gate undefended; it was a sacred rule.
       She willed a portal to open in front of her, tracing the circle in the air with her rod. With two quick jerks she pulled the dark wine coloured bow from her breast, tying it around the dead key. This she tossed into the portal, watching it land two seconds into Crystal Tokyo's future, dropping in front of Endymion, Mamoru, Minako, and Alex, as they stood at the console. Closing it, she gripped her weapon tightly, the two seconds passing easily; it was the time they took to run to the door that had her stomach clenching with impatience. Surely Endymion could interpret the message.
       Through the gate she could see him running, a shadow of lavender. Behind him the three soldiers had cast off their civilian identities, running as Venus, Tuxedo Kamen, and the Crystal Guardian. Endymion held the key with its ribbon, and as they came close he cried, "Pluto, what's happened?"
       Though she could not exit the gate, they crossed it with ease to stand in a half circle around her, breathing hard. Pluto envied them momentarily before she pointed back at the chaotic storm. "This storm isn't natural…Endymion-sama, Small Lady opened a doorway here, and I couldn't sense it. Someone was here with her." Touching Endymion's hand, he held up the key. "She dropped her key. She was lost in time-space. And then, this storm brewed as I felt a release of energy."
       "Chibi-Usa's been missing," the dark-haired prince said brusquely. "She left after we finished eating…I found this in the garden, along with Luna-P, broken." He held up the rod he had created along with his princess, a crack visible in the ornamental orb. "Chibi-Usa had found it after Sailor Moon had been captured. She'd been carrying it with her."
       "But how the hell could someone hide the opening of a door from you?" the tall red-head asked Pluto, holding up an arm to shield her face from her whipping hair. "That's impossible."
       Pluto shook her head mutely, taking the key back from her king's hand. "I don't know, Guardian-sama. But Small Lady is no doubt in danger!"
       The wind was getting worse. A funnel spun out near them suddenly, and like a slap they were all flung far into the distance as Endymion, immovable, vanished. They tumbled around, the gate following Pluto like a loyal dog, finally landing in a rough heap some ways away. Around them the wind continued, fiercely whistling in its power. "This is like the kamikaze!" Venus cried above the noise, crouched low to the ground.
       "And Chibi-Usa is somewhere within it!" Tuxedo Kamen stood despite the battering wind, holding up the rod like a shield. "I have to find her!" he yelled, running into the very center of the whirlwind.
       "No, Endymion-sama!" Pluto's voice couldn't even hope to carry across the distance; her words were simply swept away, but she tried. "You'll be lost without a key!"
       And indeed, he didn't hear her. He couldn't hear anything, in fact; the wind was like the howl of a banshee, completely obliterating all other sound. Behind him, Venus and the Crystal Guardian retreated back into the palace, ordered by Endymion to stay put. Even with a key, there was no way of being sure they could find him, and they could be roaming space-time forever simply searching. Pluto closed the door.
       "Chibi-Usa!" Tuxedo Kamen yelled hoarsely into the wind. Alone he fought against the storm, sweeping the rod in front of him. It did nothing, but it gave him a feeling of inspiration to see the weapon, remembering his princess as she wielded it. Their daughter was whom he had a chance to save right now.
       The wind picked him up again, spinning him around within its funnel. He was spat up and out, sent head over heels past the storm into the distance and away from the gate. Landing was no easier than it had been during the first entrance into time-space, and he staggered forward to throw up the soup he had eaten. "I used to pay to go on fair rides like that," he hoarsely coughed, though the humour simply was not there.
       He was thankful, however, that he had been thrown clear of the black, fierce menace. It made the travel easier. Reaching up to brush back his hair as he stood, he brushed bare skin; the domino mask had been ripped off in the wind. It wasn't as if Chibi-Usa didn't know who he was, he didn't really need it, but in his tuxedo and cape he felt a bit naked with the mask to complete the image.
       Taking hold of the rod again, he touched his lips to the ornamental orb. "Usako…please, lend me your spirit and strength. If you can hear me, Usako, send me your love!"
       But that was a foolish gesture. The weapon stayed cold, lifeless. Nevertheless he gripped it tightly, running on.

       "Usako…please, lend me your spirit and strength."
       In Demand's arms, she heard her prince's voice.
       "If you can hear me, Usako…"
       "Mamo-chan…!"
       "…send me your love!"
       She stirred, fighting the hold someone had on her body. Opening her eyes she saw Demand as he carried her, presumably back to his room. He looked down at her, and his expression was fierce. "Let me go, Demand! Release me!"
       "It doesn't matter, Serenity," he said in return, tightening his arms around her. "Your will is weak against the power of the Jakokusuishou. Give in. Forget your aloof prince."
       That did it. She began furiously struggling, kicking her legs and beating her fists against his chest. "Iie! Don't touch me! You've imprisoned my friends, and I won't allow it any longer!" Twisting in his arms, she saw that they were entering that giant room again with its four doorways, walking in from the hallway next to the one she had wandered from.
       Finally he did drop her, and she staggered onto her feet, just barely retaining her balance. "Your pride does you well, Neo Queen Serenity, but it will kill you in the end!" he hissed, snapping his cape back, smoothing down the wrinkles in his clothes. She stared at him in utter loathing, though it was a disgusted emotion, empty of anger. All she had for him now was disgust, and disdain. There was no hatred for their crystal to latch onto.
       "The Room of Darkness, where is it?" She didn't expect an answer, but she waited for him to say something. Anything. Instead he ignored her, attending still to his clothing, his pride chafed by her refusal of him. "Where are my friends!"
       With a gesture of dismissal, he turned his back on her. "Dead."
       The fear that swept her body was all encompassing, but it was soothed just as quickly by the knowledge that if her friends truly were dead, they wouldn't even be here talking. Time would have changed. She merely shook her head, turning to look down the last corridor. "They're alive. I'll find them, and we'll escape his planet of death together!" Gathering her skirts again, she left Demand at a run, secretly amazed she hadn't tired yet. As Usagi, she had almost no stamina, and yet she was still running at top speed.
       In front of her the hallway curved away, leading deeper within the castle, to its center though she didn't know it. No other doors opened into the corridor, as it led directly into an immense gymnasium of a room at its end, flooded with an ominous light. She ran despite herself, slowing as she passed through two pillars flanking the doorway to find herself in what seemed to be a ceiling-less auditorium decorated like a Roman coliseum. A ring of pillars and crossbeams in the middle looked like a simple Stonehenge replica, with a thick beam of black light in its center rising up into what seemed to be oblivion. The pain assaulting her now was intense, like needles in her skin; the Ginzuishou was helpless under the suddenly strengthened onslaught.
       And standing in front of it was Saphir.
       Around him hovered two amorphous shapes, twin ghosts with long hair. "Veneti," Saphir said as he raised an arm, one of the ghosts curling around his sleeve. "Aquatiki. I came to congratulate you, as always. Your droids are magnificent."
       "Saphir-sama, we are honored," Aquatiki, presumably, said. It was a masculine voice, but wavery, as though it was coming through on a weak radio signal. "We've merely followed your example."
       They spun around him like living clothing as he turned, giving a stunned Usagi a cold, pale imitation of a smile. "Hajimemashite, Neo Queen Serenity no Sailor Moon. Such a lovely girl you truly are. Surely you would have grown into a woman of beauty." Gesturing with one gloved hand, he looked back at the rising beam of light. "Welcome to the reactor of the Jakokusuishou. The center of Nemesis, the dead planet."
       She stared in horror at the light, touching her hand to her mouth. "Kami-sama…such evil power, coming from the planet itself…!?"
       "Of course. None of us could wield it in its entirety. It's buried deep within the planet's core, suffusing this entire planet with death and decay. This is the only release of that power. We mine pieces of the crystal occasionally for our use, to channel its power personally." Saphir slowly walked around the outside of the circle, followed by his ghosts. "A violent power. We used them to rip open holes in time, to go back to the past. The time warp is useless to us. We had no need for it."

Usagi felt nauseous. Such a horrible misuse of power. And Pluto, obviously, had not been able to stop it.

Saphir gestured to include the entire thing, laughing shortly. "Wonderful, isn't it? A breathtaking display of power. The power of the Jakokusuishou, which absorbs everything. A crystal of death and decay, and we alone control it as it distorts space and time." Stroking his hand along a pillar, he then frowned. "But something else controls it as well. It's growing even now, taking over the core of the planet. And yet, it should be straining, shrinking perhaps, from our misuse of it. Time travelling, and creating our droids, and our collective powers…bit by bit, we've taken too much. Even with a second crystal receptor in Crystal Tokyo, siphoning power from the dead Earth, we're using too much."
       "Dead Earth….the black crystal monolith has done that?" the odango-haired blonde gasped.
       "We didn't plan to," Saphir replied dryly. "But my brother's plans are rarely fruitful. Like this planet, they are ruinous, flawed, destined to destroy. We only wanted to rid Earth of your kind, not destroy our nurturing mother planet. The monolith spread rot."
       She could only imagine what circumstances had led up to Demand burying the black crystal monolith within the earth. But the effects were obvious, and far-reaching; she suddenly wondered what condition the king's body was in, asleep in his bed. Surely, for the Earth to be decaying, the prince of the planet would be too…! "Mamo-chan!"
       He stared at her, frowning. With a wave of his hand, he sent his ghosts free to hover at his shoulders, looking at Usagi as he furrowed his brow in thought. "My brother was corrupted by our crystal as surely as this planet," he said finally. "He believes our path is righteous, and he will not be swayed. And most likely, he is right. Even though it may mean all of our deaths, we will continue with our Replay operation. In the 21st century, everything will change."
       "You can't do this!" Usagi stepped forward, clutching her brooch in reassurance. "Surely this future is not so terrible that you would do destroy it! No matter what, there's always hope…"
       "This future is a stagnation for human kind. There is no hope for a race that breeds laziness and comfort." He pointed towards her, his voice hitting her like a slap in the face. "You and your crystal are the result of this operation! Everything done in spite and greed is because of that crystal that wields such magnificent power! Desire for that power is what motivates my brother, what drives us into the past to kill ourselves, because of you! And when we kill every last one of you, when we destroy that unnatural power, humanity will be freed from that yoke!
       "Veneti, Aquatiki!"
       With a shock, she realized the ghosts were right above her. Leering at her, they suddenly slammed her back onto the ground with a physical force such spirits should not have had. She screamed shortly, unable to pull herself free, and she lay on the cold stone helplessly as Saphir appeared above her. "Why are you doing this?" she pleaded. "All I've ever done is try to live, as a normal girl…!"
       She gasped as he grabbed her throat, closing off her air supply. "It doesn't matter. Because of you, the Earth is a rotted corpse. Throughout time, you and your crystal will be the source of destruction as every enemy seeks to steal it." He tightened his grip, rubbing his thumb over her voice box, intending to crush it. "It may not be your fault, but it's your curse, and I'll end it right now!"
       Beneath him she writhed, choking.
       He blamed her for his brother's greed and lust for power. But it wasn't her responsibility. She recalled her mother, Queen Serenity, telling her this; many would seek to gain its power. But it was the spirit of the wielder that gave it such power, and it had been Usagi's belief in herself that had given it life. And then, even the Jakokusuishou was powerless against it.
       Her future self had the confidence to protect her planet. Neo Queen Serenity in her crystal coffin had defended Earth against all invaders until the Black Moon. And now that was her mission, to repel the invaders from her world. Her home.
       She could see Serenity as if in a dream, reaching out to her, resplendent in her tight gown. They hugged, and it was warm, as though they were truly together. Serenity kissed her cheek. "Don't give up."
       In her hand, the brooch exploded with light.
       The pressure on her arms disappeared as Aquatiki and Veneti exploded, screaming. Saphir stumbled back, covering his eyes as Usagi slowly stood on strong legs. "That's impossible!" he cried. "The light…the light of the Ginzuishou so close to the reactor!?"
       "I don't understand how it's possible, but now! I'll transform and find my friends! Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!"
       Disbelieving, Saphir stared as the odango-haired blonde disappeared, replaced by a sailor soldier. "Sailor Moon…masaka! You couldn't possibly transform in this center!"
       In the doorway, Demand and Rubeus appeared, looking just as stunned. She had been so weak further away from the Jakokusuishou, and yet within the very room of the reactor itself, she had transformed. And she did not look particularly happy. "Saphir, Rubeus, attack her before she escapes!" Demand ordered, making no move towards her.
       Sailor Moon ignored them all. "I felt your power once: Mercury, Mars, Jupiter. Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, tell me where you are!" She touched the floor, searching through rock and dirt, finding level upon level buried beneath the castle. And then, as Saphir moved towards her, mirrored by Rubeus, she found them.
       Her power tickled each of them as they huddled in the dark, having long ago given up conversation. "Sailor Moon?" Rei said first, slowly standing.
       "Is it possible? Here, in this horrid place?" Ami murmured, on her knees.
       "In this time! Sailor Moon! Lend us power!" Makoto said fiercely, getting to her feet as well.
       They could feel the entire castle shake above them as the ground ripped open at Sailor Moon's feet, tearing apart layers of earth. Her power was like a perfume, slowly filling the room with its energy and strength. "Transform!"
       Even in the darkness, their pens glowed again, green and red and blue. Warm and living in their hands, they lifted them high. "Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!"
       "Mercury Star Power, Make Up!"
       "Mars Star Power, Make Up!"
       Sailor Moon held out her arms.
       The three men cringed back as the soldiers exploded out of the ground, blasting their way free - or, rather, blasted free by their princess. After such darkness, even the light of the Jakokusuishou hurt, but even though they covered their eyes, they instinctively ran to Sailor Moon. "Mars, Mercury, Jupiter!" she cried, laughing with joy.
       "How the hell did she accomplish this!?" Saphir exploded in a very uncharacteristic display of anger, wielding a rough knife of black crystal. The girls turned towards his voice, all but Sailor Moon staring through pained, slitted eyes.
       "Wiseman!" Demand shouted, clenching his fists. "Stop them! With such power, they can't be allowed to escape!"
       Instinctively, the three soldiers formed a guard around Sailor Moon, calling power to their hands, as the robed seer appeared to their right, floating alone. Lightning snapped around Jupiter, fire burned between Mars' hands, water spun in Mercury's palm. They had no intention of allowing Wiseman to get past them, not this time.
       But that didn't seem to be his plan. He didn't even make a move towards them. Demand, angry, repeated his order, stomping his foot like an impatient child. Wiseman merely laughed at that, his laughter continuing as the shadow he cast upon the wall began to grow, cancerous, around him. It was a demonstration even their white-haired prince had never seen, and he took an unconscious step back.
       "I can feel it; the power of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou," Wiseman finally spoke. "An amazing power. When I take it, I'll use it to amplify the power of the Jakokusuishou, and free it from its imprisonment on this rock."
       Rubeus and Saphir stared intently at the robed seer, wondering at his choice of words. But Demand seemed oblivious, suddenly laughing. "Does everyone desire your holy stone, Serenity? That must cause much hatred and confusion. As a matter of fact, it caused the replay of Earth all those centuries ago. Now it does so again."
       "Iie!" she countered, protected by her guardian soldiers. There was no mistaking the fierceness in her expression as she stepped forward. "Hatred is caused by greed, which is solved by love and understanding. I bear nothing but a want for peace, and protection of that love! It's all of you who cause so much suffering and hate, and I won't stand for it any longer!" Her forehead was hot, and only she was oblivious to the sigil of the moon on her skin shining brightly. "I have a duty to protect that love and understanding! Everything evil in your heart is a result of misunderstanding; wake up to the truth!"
       "Lies and fantasies!" Demand shot back, grinning. "Your crystal is the source of such delusions. You think that we can't understand, being lesser beings that you of the Silver Millennium. That arrogance is the root of such misfortune!"
       Wiseman's amoebic eyes were glowing beneath his hood. His shadow was overtaking everything, shaking the walls like cheap plastic toys. Bringing the entire building down atop them all would be a minor annoyance, but it would trap - perhaps kill - the sailor soldiers. And he could then pluck the crystal from those lifeless hands. "It doesn't matter. I won't be misled by such honeyed words. Already the plan has been set into action. Prince! Command your men to kill them all!"
       "Try it!" Jupiter said for all of them.
       Chunks of stone were falling from the walls; a pillar fell, then another. Behind them, the light from the reactor was pulsating thickly, as if it were contained within too small of a space. Saphir cursed, running towards a control panel at the base of the light. But by the way the light throbbed, it was already too late, though Saphir seemed to be trying his honest best to control it. Even as a pillar fell inches at his back, he kept up the pace.
       Rubeus, on the other hand, made a disgruntled noise, and turned on his heel. "Fuck this," he stated rudely, "I'm not going to die like a dog." Demand took no notice of him as he fled back down the hallway, running unevenly as the floor shook. He had no intention of being flattened like a pancake under stone. He planned to die under his terms, which had included, at some point in his life, ten girls in a hot tub back when they existed.
       Near the end of the corridor, the shadows completely blocked the exit.
       Wiseman's eyes loomed above him, far larger than the reality. Despite himself, Rubeus backed up, suddenly truly afraid for the first time in his entire life. Then it washed out in a deluge of anger. "Get out of my way!"
       "Cowardly Rubeus. Out of you all, the worst weakling. You deserved an early death at the hands of the silver queen, not Esmeraud; but I never expected any of you to survive."
       "Weakling!?" he shouted. "How dare you! You and your sniveling ways, always content to be out harm's way whispering your tired old song."
       Impossibly, a girl's laughter weaved its way out of the shadows. It sounded almost familiar…no. Not familiar, but recognizable. As if he'd heard something similar to it. "What better way for the wolf to capture its prey but by donning the sheepskin?" the voice mocked. "All of you are pathetic dreamers with your weak plans. This is a new world we shall send into ruin for the sake of our revenge."
       A hand reached out to cup his cheek. Shocked into silence, he watched as a leg, long, shapely, pale, followed, shod in a black heel. As if teasing him, she slid slowly out of the shadows to cuddle close to his chest, smiling with the arch of a viper as the recognition filled his eyes. "Poor, Rubeus. Where you've failed, we shall prevail."
       "Y-you….but, that's impossible…!" he stammered.
       She kissed him, fingers sliding up into his hair. He barely felt the pain as she snapped his neck, releasing him as he burst into flame. Laughing, she turned away to sway back into the shadows, swallowed up as the corpse became nothing but ash and chunks of larger substance in a pool of cooling, congealing grease. Humans never did burn neatly.
       Demand frowned as he felt the death of his last ally; now, it was merely he and his brother. It disturbed him to lose Rubeus, even if the man had been an arrogant prick. But he shoved the thought from his mind as he stared at the object of his desire, seemingly safe within her ring of guardians, even as the building shook and rumbled. "You can't escape, Sailor Moon," he announced over the noise. "This is the growing power of the Jakokusuishou."
       "It doesn't matter!" she retorted, touching her heart. She could feel the residue of time-space on her, connecting her to Chibi-Usa's key. The question was if it would work as she was about to attempt.
       Concentrating, she reached out to take Mercury and Jupiter's free hands. Startled but compliant, they released their power to take each of Mars's hands, and the circle was complete. Energy, and in the amount they needed, rushed through them all. "Cronos! We call on your power to guide us to the key!"
       "No!" Demand shouted, rushing forward.
       The connection snapped them back like a rubber band, pulling the four soldiers away from Nemesis towards the key. Demand swung his arm to try and grab onto the closest - Mercury - but his hands passed through empty air. He stumbled onto his knees, disbelieving his luck, when the floor heaved. Saphir was calling out his name in terror, and he realized that they were going to die together as the castle collapsed on top of them both.

       Wiseman held up his sphere, showing the image of the dark-haired prince still between time, running. The woman stroked the glass, mesmerized by the sight of the lost prince as he called out "Chibi-Usa! Chibi-Usa!"
       "Is he what you desire, my child?" Wiseman asked.
       "More than anything, Wiseman," she purred. "A suitable revenge and a perfect bait. Mamo-chan will be all mine, at last, and we will have the Ginzuishou in our hands."
       And now, the dark-haired prince was pausing, catching his breath. He looked again at the rod in his hand, still wishing against hope that the faintest light animated it finally, gave it warmth to let him know his princess was all right. But it remained cold and dead. "Usako…I believe in you. Please, let me know you're safe!"
       He was cold, and tired. The temptation to sit down and rest was strong, but he remained stubbornly on his feet. "Chibi-Usa?" he called out. "Chibi-Usa, can you hear me?"
       "Hai, Mamo-chan! This way….I'm over here, Mamo-chan!"
       "Chibi-Usa?" Relief flooded his veins. He walked towards the voice, almost staggering he was so tired, relaxing as she continued to call out to him. Lulled by her voice into a hypnotic calm, he never noticed that the upside down sigil of the Black Moon glowing like a beacon out of the darkness.

       Pluto watched the storm finally die down, spinning off into oblivion. She sagged against the gate with a weary exhaustion, pushing open the doorway to see the Crystal Guardian, Venus, the felines, and a faint Endymion standing there waiting. "The storm is over," she said with a sigh. "And finally, too. I fear it was doing more harm than good."
       "Is it safe to go looking for Tuxedo Kamen?" Venus asked.
       Four beings of light took shape behind Pluto before she could answer, and she slammed the door shut again as she leapt into a defensive position. But to her shock she watched as each body gained detail and features, and she straightened up slowly to say, "Sailor Moon. Mercury, Mars…Jupiter! How?"
       "Pluto!" the odango-haired blonde cried, releasing her friend's hands. "I asked Cronos to return us to Chibi-Usa-chan's key. It worked!"
       The black-clad soldier allowed the door to open again, stepping back as everyone stared across. Mars in particular looked stunned, as not only were Endymion and Pluto unknowns, but the tall red-head next to Venus was entirely alien. They crossed over into time-space, and Venus wasted no time in flinging herself at them, managing to hug all four soldiers at once as she cried, "Minna! You're all safe!"
       "Once again, our faith in Sailor Moon proves true," the Guardian remarked, and for once, it seemed devoid of sarcasm.
       "Mochiron," Sailor Moon warbled, buried beneath her friends. "But, where's Mamo-chan and Chibi-Usa-chan? Was he badly hurt?" she added, recalling the blast he had taken to the chest.
       "He was, but he's healed," the tall red-head said slowly. "Chibi-Usa…she disappeared into a time storm."
       The odango-haired blonde looked stunned, taking a step back. Even she could understand the gravity of the situation, though she had never been told of such a storm existing. "Mamo-chan went after her," she deduced softly.
       "Hai," Pluto replied, just as softly. "And neither of them has a key. They could be lost in space-time, wandering forever."