Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Pretty Soldiers ❯ Act 23 - kyoufuu seigetsu : After The Storm ( Chapter 23 )

       What she saw was thus:
        A pink-haired woman, blood trickling from her cruel lips as she screamed, throwing herself forward. A blank-eyed, dark-haired prince clad in masquerade black turning, following the commands of his mistress. A triumphant, white-haired prince, still in his royal raiment, holding aloft two sparkling crystals as though they were the world's most precious diamonds.
        Scattered, defeated, crumpled onto the cold ground, sailor soldiers and their teacher, barely conscious.
        And above it all, a menacing sky.
       Indeed, this was a cruel irony. Something tragic would have to happen to save this world, and she would have to initiate it. The slaughtered lamb for the sacrifice; and wasn't that how they did it in ancient times? Blood to make the sun rise, the world to spin, the crops to grow. Fitting that the blood of Cronos should be shed for the purpose. After all, she had allowed this to happen, not stopping it when she had a chance. The simple closing of a door, containment in space-time, and she could have prevented some of this tragedy.
       But she had been so lonely, so goddamned tired.
       Here now, freedom, and she would waste it in the act of suicide.
       She lifted up her rod, watching the light sparkle on the orb. The power contained in her weapon was beyond her comprehension, and she wondered if the girl who would come after her could wield such magic. After all, she had had so long to learn how to use it. And it would take such fine precision to pull off this trick flawlessly.
       Her fingers spun the weapon artfully above her head, stopping abruptly at 12 and 6; and she summoned the power of her planet, feeling the blood slow in her body as she whispered, almost too frightened to say it aloud: "Time Stop."

      This was a strange sensation the blue-haired genius felt. Analytical as always, she catalogued the faint pains, the slowly increasing energy in her body; all of it was interesting to experience, as though she were revisiting the past fifteen minutes of battle. When it all finally stopped, leaving her refreshed as the moment she had become a sailor soldier, she sat up.
       As did all her allies, looking puzzled, but just as healthy. They looked at one another; then around to find themselves in a still and silent world. In front of them stood Demand and Black Lady and Endymion, though only the white-haired prince was frozen in place, clutching the crystals. Black Lady seemed confused and off balance, and she was clutching to Endymion's sleeve for support. He, still, with no orders to direct him, stood there like a post.
       Without having to be told, Usagi crawled up onto her feet, creeping warily towards Demand. She stared hard at him, unsure if he was going to begin moving, then made a stupid face; when he did nothing, she slowly pulled the two Ginzuishou from his hand. Then she scooted back quickly, looking around for her brooch, as Venus remarked, "What do you think happened? I feel wonderful…"
       "So do I," Mars piped up, rolling her finger in the air at Black Lady, who, though she seemed disinclined to bother them, was still a threat.
       The tall red-head was staring hard at the sky, frowning. No wind ruffled any of them; the fog was like frozen pea soup, stuck in place. Nemesis remained in its place, a black ball of nothing above the palace. "Time's stopped. Can't you tell? Nothing's moving, nothing's changing…only us. Only people of the Silver Millennium."
       Jupiter pointed down the hill, being the only one, from her vantage point, to see around the monolith and the bodies. "Sailor Pluto!"
       Black Lady's face changed at the name, mouthing a word; none of them paid any attention to her now. They were running down the hill towards the wobbling sailor soldier, her arms drooping like dying flowers. Just before they managed to reach her she collapsed, falling backward to lie in the snow, her rod spinning in the air before landing heavily across her chest. She was breathing heavily, rattling in her throat; her lovely tanned skin was sallow. "Pluto!" the tall red-head cried, sliding to her knees next to the soldier. "What have you done?"
       She lifted Pluto up to a sitting position in her arms, cradling her as she coughed. "…stopped time…I had to…taboo…"
       "You stopped time? But isn't that one of your powers, as the Guardian of Time?" Venus asked, clasping her hands in her lap as she knelt next to Pluto.
       Pluto's coughing was hard enough to shake her entire body; it was a wet sound, as if her lungs were filling with fluid. "…hai. But it is…forbidden…taboo…to interfere. It is a sacred rule…not to interfere, not to…" She turned her head and spat something dark into the snow, waving off Mercury's impulsive step forward. "…not to play God. I broke it."
       Above them, Black Lady had turned away from Endymion and stood, watching them. The emotions on her face were hard to read; she was torn. She remembered happiness with the dying woman, making her smile with her visits. A friend, when she had none. But she was the Black Lady; she was the queen of Nemesis; she had no friends. She was alone, always alone. Wiseman had made sure to amplify those feelings of rejection, filling her head with the bad memories in order to forget the good. But wasn't she also Usagi Small Lady Serenity, the princess of Earth, surrounded with loyal guardians and loving parents?
       Endymion stared into the fog, his eyes diluting, black bleeding slowly into the blue of turbulent oceans.
       They could hear Pluto's coughing, terrible as it was, echoing in a silent world. Usagi knelt, placing the crystal with its broken chain in her lap, holding the other in her hand as she took Pluto's gloved hands. But even as a look of concentration creased her face, Pluto slipped her hands away, shaking her head once, decisively. "Iie, princess. This was…my sacrifice. Let me die, knowing…that it was worth it."
       A tear fell from those crystal blue eyes as Usagi nodded in return. She leaned forward, touching her lips to Pluto's forehead.
       "When will time begin?" the Crystal Guardian asked quietly.
       "…when I wish it," Pluto sighed, lowering her hands to the belt around her waist. She struggled to unchain it, finally allowing the tall brunette to undo the simple clasp for her. Accepting the skeleton keys, she summoned one last bit of power, and they watched in mute surprise as a lavender kitten appeared in the air, looking just as shocked.
       Adorable in her grief, she wailed, "Pluto-sama! Oh, what have you done?"
       "Diana, it was my choice." She raised her hand to stroke the kitten, cuddling her to her cheek as Diana cried, whiskers tickling her lips. "I leave you…you, in charge of the Gate. Until another Pluto awakens. Can…you do this, Diana?"
       "Pluto-sama," she whimpered.
       Taking it as an agreement, Pluto carefully wound the chain of keys around Diana's small neck, for her to take back to the gate. Mars, surprisingly, lifted Diana up into her arms, cuddling her as she continued to bawl her little eyes out.
       Black Lady whispered, "Puu."
       Everyone looked at her finally, as she stood halfway down the hill, a lost and vacant stare on her face. She hugged herself, saying, "But I have no friends. I am the Black Lady. I am alone, as I was always alone…."
       "You always had us, Chibi-Usa-chan," the odango-haired blonde corrected her.
       "Even if you were a pain and a nuisance," Venus added.
       "You brought…joy, into my life…Small Lady…happiness," Pluto whispered, coughing violently. The tall red-head adjusted her grip, lifting the soldier upright just a bit more so she could breathe. Pluto smiled gratefully at her, before looking back at Black Lady. "Just like your mother…always making people…happy."
       Take a step back, the pink-haired woman began to shake her head, gripping her hair in white knuckled hands. "Iie, I am no longer that person! No more…"
       But she hadn't always brought joy to Pluto's life, had she? She had tricked her, and stolen a key to escape into the past, she had broken a sacred rule. It had been a poor way to repay the friendship Pluto had shown her for those past years, kind no matter how often she had visited and barged in. Her only true friend, whom she had told so many secrets…
       …was she crying?
       Disbelieving, she touched her face. Her fingertips came away damp, and she stared at the glistening moisture, stunned. "Puu…sou yo….my only friend…Pluto!"
       And then she heard the sound of others crying. Looking up slowly, she saw the clouds beginning to move again, Nemesis trembling in its course with the planet. Time had begun again, freed from its unnatural stop. She turned away from these things to see the sailor soldiers in their grief, and Pluto was…Pluto…she was…
       "Puu?" And then, "Pluto? Pluto…PLUTO!"

      Wiseman knew something was amiss. Even with the power of the Jakokusuishou and its negative power warping time and space, the planet Nemesis was frozen by the power of Pluto. But he could think; he could plot; and he could seethe. This was not factored into his plans at all, which prickled him; all of his scant knowledge on the black-clad sailor soldier told him quite definitely that she never interfered.
       He had counted on her never showing her face, as she had allowed his little pawns to run rampant through time and space without a single act of punishment. This was not a question of power - though he could play merry havoc with time, she was the living embodiment of time itself, and could have easily stricken him from existence - but of how strictly she followed the rules. Unable to leave the gate, she couldn't have done a thing to stop them, because they had used more simplistic means to travel. And so totally did she ignore them all, he assumed her to be oblivious to the battle.
       In any event, she had effectively removed the threat in striking a decisive blow, dying as the power she had used ruptured her organs and bled into her cavities; or at least, that was how he pictured it. The soldiers had hardy bodies, but to wield such intense power had to come with a consequence, taboo or no.
       And time began to flow again, and Nemesis lowered steadily towards the blue Earth.

      The air was stifling beyond belief, and it was almost a trial to breathe in a single swallow of oxygen, it was so rapidly disappearing. Clustered around their fallen ally, the soldiers were gasping as their natural instinct to cry was wreaking havoc on their lungs. Deep, rapid breaths were definitely going the way of the dodo, fast. "Even if we stop Nemesis, at this rate, the Earth will still be in peril!" Mercury coughed.
       "It doesn't matter!" Usagi retorted, carefully closing Pluto's eyes. "We can't allow Pluto's sacrifice to be in vain! We have to save the Earth!"
       Everyone nodded in agreement, expressions fierce. Gently, the tall red-head lowered Pluto's body to the ground, arranging her arms to cross over her chest; in her fingers she wove the Garnet Rod, like the statue of Pharaoh holding the crook and flail. When she stood up, the girls were surprised to see the red of her eyes, as though she too had cried. "Let's destroy the son of a bitch," she said bluntly, looking up at the monolith.
       Black Lady was staring at them all, shaking her head in denial. She had stopped screaming, but continued to mouth the word "Puu," sliding backwards on her heels to sit, undignified, in the snow, legs sprawled open. Like a little girl lost, not willing to accept that someone has died; she was rocking, hugging her arms.
       The soldiers returned the stare, waiting, perhaps, for a sign.
       In Venus's hands, the future Ginzuishou disappeared as Black Lady let forth a scream of pure anguish, gripping at the air on her head as though she would tear it off. Not only of pain for her loss, but sorrow at realizing she had been tricked, that she had caused so much damage to her world and her family; now she remembered. And the tear slid down her cheek, beginning to glow bright like a star.
       Around her the light grew, enveloping them all in comfort. Like once before, they could see miracles happen; the snow receded beneath their shoes, grass turning a living green, the air became wonderfully breathable. The fog dissipated, and within the light was a perfect world, with a surprising figure at its center, shrinking instead of growing, casting off the lie. Black crystal shattered, the sigil was righted, and the heir of the Silver Millennium came into her power, for the first time, finally.
       "…Chibi-Usa-chan?" the odango-haired blonde gasped.
       She stood unsteady on her feet, having lost an entire decade of growth in seconds. But it was definitely the little girl they had come to know, her sugar pink hair once more in fat pigtails, eyes wide and innocent, her body sexless in youth. And yet, she was clad in a miniature of Sailor Moon's fuku, with pink skirt and collar and boots, and red bows. She seemed as surprised as anyone to see these clothes - though the tall red-head was staring strangely, as though disturbed to see this transformation - and began stammering, "I…I'm a…"
       Tuxedo Kamen said, "A sailor soldier, like your mother. You've inherited the power of Sailor Moon, Chibi-Usa."
       "So that's where my crystals have disappeared to!" the white-haired prince snarled behind him, staring in utter loathing at them all. But against such odds, he seemed content to hurl epithets from where he stood, instead of foolishly attacking them; and so they ignored him again, focusing instead on their newest soldier.
       Though Usagi was crying, "Mamo-chan!" now as well, running up to her prince's arms. Around them, the light was fading, the air and the fog returning to what had become normal. It cloaked Nemesis in obscurity, though the planet was so close now, a jet plane could have unwittingly smashed into it. They could see the half-frozen Tokyo Bay roiling, waves growing with each slap onto the shore, the tides thrown completely into disarray with this new interference in orbit.
       The buildings in the city that had been rescued from the ice, incorporated into the crystal and stone motif beautifully, their windows merely shattered, were now crumpling and twisting. Sucked upwards into Nemesis like dust, they could see an entire heritage disappearing into its maw; if Tokyo was indeed the only city to survive the ice, all of Japanese civilization was vanishing. Even bodies, rotted and unrecognizable, were pulled apart at the joints and slurped up like spaghetti. All to ruin.
       Wiseman boomed, "And so you take my pretty Black Lady from me, soldiers. But it no longer matters! I have no more need of earthly bodies, I will bring this planet to ruin in revenge! Hobbled by weak people with rampant dreams, I've waited patiently for this moment."
       "The people of Earth have done nothing to you to deserve such suffering!" the odango-haired blonde screamed over the wind, though it was a strain not to breathe. "You used Demand and his people! You killed innocent lives!"
       "I initiated the first step a millennium ago," Wiseman thundered over Usagi's denouncement, "but it failed to bring the ruin I desired! The shining white queen revived a dying race, and condemned me for my plan, calling me traitorous!" Beneath the planet, the Crystal Palace shone brightly against the darkness, continuing to stand though ruin took apart the city at its very borders. "Banishing me! The planet Earth was a dangerous animal, and it stood in my way, it prevented me from the magnificent future I craved!"
       "You were the criminal Serenity banished to Nemesis, before the ice!" Venus cried, remembering the king's words.
       Black lightning stabbed down from the sky, aiming for them all. Even Demand was forced to flee out of the way, as each bolt slammed into the earth close enough for them to trust that Wiseman's aim was excellent. Against the surface of Nemesis, they could see a leering skeletal face appear, its bulbous eye sockets far too large to be human. It gained depth and shape, and they realized that it really was the planet looking at them, assuming this illusion. "I was the Death Phantom!" he roared, mouth twisting with the words. "I was a mastermind of vision! And when I initiated the ruin of the blue planet, I never truly anticipated the power of the Ginzuishou to stop me, and so I waited impatiently. I wanted that power to rule the universe! Everything else falters in that light!"
       The white-haired prince shoved rudely past Usagi and Tuxedo Kamen, placing himself in the midst of the scattered soldiers as he screamed, "And so we truly were pawns to you! Us, with our dreams of humanity becoming as God intended us to be! Esmeraud, Rubeus, I, and my brother, our loyal followers of our dream…we trusted in you all these years, like fools!"
       He spun on his heel, pointing at the odango-haired blonde. "You are the bearer of ill tidings, you allow destruction in your wake. Though I desired you as a mortal desires a woman, the holy stone you bear is tragedy and deceit. It is because of you and your blood that humanity undergoes these tribulations!"
       "Humanity's greed isn't her fault," Mercury said firmly, hands coming together. "Usagi-chan is pure of heart and spirit, and she would do everything to protect everyone."
       "As she has done so well in this time!" he spat, his face creasing with hatred as he stepped forward. The power flared from his forehead. "And though I know I was misled, that perhaps you truly are a beautiful spirit, you cannot deny that your birthright is what condemns our world to such suffering! And if I had the chance again, I would say it, and I would do it, and I would see you crippled or dead to protect this planet!" he howled in condemnation, as the light of his power grew intense and bright.
       That was when he would have killed her, breaking her lovely body with that raging power. But there was a sudden pain in his back that prevented it, a heat that singed the hair from his neck and melted his clothing to his skin. Momentarily confused, he stepped backwards, his power flying off harmlessly into the snow. And he shuddered under the impact of another pain, a force that threw him forward onto his face, breaking his nose on the frozen ground.
       Behind him, Jupiter lowered her hands, Mars as well; her arms long emptied by the disappearance of Diana back to the gate. They stared at Demand's shredded back, skin and muscle so much unrecognizable bloody meat. Venus quietly stepped up, pointing her finger at the back of his head, and whispering, "Crescent Beam."
       The sound of the skull and brain exploding was thankfully muted in the thick air.
       And though he whispered something into the snow, his final words were heard by no one.
       But it was a disturbing execution, though Venus seemed lightly indifferent to the display. In ages past, she would have done the same to any enemy of the throne, such power killing instantaneously and without pain, and perhaps that was why she alone stepped forward. Her allies, however, were wide-eyed with shock and disgust, all of them but their mentor unable to reconcile the image of bubblehead Minako so calmly executing a man.
       "This is Wiseman's doing," Usagi whispered faintly, her eyes screwing tightly shut. "All of this…even Demand and his people were innocent deaths. This must cease."
       Turning her head away to avoid seeing the mess at her feet, she held aloft the past Ginzuishou. But as she began to say the words, the Crystal Guardian said, "Be careful, tsukimidango. Without your brooch, you'll transform purely into a sailor soldier; your body won't be able to cope for long with such power."
       That was true; she remembered that battle in the Arctic, when she had taken that pure power into herself, and it had killed her in the end. To do it twice within such a short period of time, barely that of a month….!
       But she had to. This was the life she had been given. She said, "Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!" gasping as the power, possibly even more intense, flooded her body. All of her friends stared at her in awe having not seen her in such a powerful form. She literally radiated light.
       And it was a power that irritated Nemesis; a sudden violent prickling that said there was yet more. The untrained Ginzuishou of the past should have been weak, like that of a tiny insect; and yet the planet felt discomfort, recognizing the sensation as the same as that which had banished him. He didn't know that even now, the Crystal Palace's sovereign was opening her eyes, watching the bier that encased her fade away, allowing her freedom once more. That it was her power that answered Sailor Moon's as the future Ginzuishou appeared above her outstretched hand, though it had been inherited by her child; but the crystal was the same, no matter if mother or daughter wielded it.
       But no one knew that the royalty of this destroyed kingdom had woken up. And so they did what they had to. "Could we combine power to destroy the planet? Like Metallia?" Mars asked above the sounds of destruction, holding back her hair from her face.
       "Nemesis is a planet of negative energy. To create the proper nullification of force, we would have to use pure positive energy," Mercury said, scanning the planet. "Perhaps if Sailor Moon used the Ginzuishou, and we lent her power, it could disperse Nemesis."
       Sailor Moon accepted her weapon from Tuxedo Kamen, though it seemed pitiful next to the power of her crystal. Still, it was the only real weapon she had for battle, and she spun it between her fingers with a look of determination.
       "Will I fight too?" a small voice asked.
       Chibi-Usa was holding onto her father's cape, as if hiding behind its folds. Though she had inherited her mother's power, she didn't feel very worthy of it; in fact, past the initial surge, she felt nothing of the power at all now. Seeing Sailor Moon in such light, she could now easily see her as the gracious, powerful woman she would become, and again, she doubted herself.
       And these was that part of her that was scared utterly at the thought of going against such a massive enemy, when all of her life she had thought her worst enemy to be the son of the cook. This was a battle she never envisioned happening, or even taking part in; she had always planned to awaken her mother, immediately hand over the crystals, and let her handle it. Such a fight had been unknown in her lifetime, and she had not had the slightest inkling of how truly dangerous her actions could be.
       She shrank back further, closing her eyes. Already she must have done something terrible, as she realized, quite sickeningly, that she had no idea how she had even arrived at this location. What she remembered last was talking to a man…a nice man who had offered her something wonderful. But that had been in space-time, and Mercury and Mars and Jupiter had been imprisoned by the enemy, and Sailor Moon had just been captured. Yet here they all were, staring at her curiously, though the Crystal Guardian had a far more elusive look, and they had been standing….had been standing…
       The euphoria of her change was gone, leaving her almost violently confused and frightened. Why was she missing all of this time? Had she been stricken by sleep? But then why was she here with them, and changed into a sailor soldier's fuku? She hadn't fought beside them, that much she was certain, it was impossible. The change had been brought on by something else, a vague sensation she couldn't pin down.
       …where they had been standing.
       From here, she could see a pair of familiar boots, the molded lavender of a familiar weapon. Long hair black like aged emeralds, with hints of green; but she couldn't see the eyes. They were closed, and they would always remain closed, until the body rotted in the dirt and the lids disintegrated, and perhaps then the eyes would see again until they, too, became food for the worms. Pluto, her understanding, gracious friend. "Puu…?"
       "Chibi-Usa-chan…she can't hear you anymore," Jupiter said gently.
       "But…iie…Pluto can't die, she can't die. She told me she would never die, because she would never leave space-time. She can't be dead!" the pink-haired child responded, hysterical suddenly, her voice cresting on a high, keen note of despair. "Puu, wake up, look at me! Look at me, finally, I've transformed! Pluto, you can't be dead, you said you would never leave me!"
       It was like watching a traffic accident; horrifying, but desperately riveting. Chibi-Usa was pale as a sheet, trembling like a leaf in the weak air, and she sank onto her hands and knees with the effort to continue breathing, to continue screaming desperately for her friend. She could barely even cry.
       Nemesis laughed, and that frightening, gaunt face mimicked the sound. "And so my Black Lady refused my power, and now she remembers how painful her life had been! That is your punishment for falling from grace, my willing disciple; and now you shall fall to ruin as surely as your world!"
       "Iie!" Sailor Moon swung her rod up, pointing what seemed to be an insignificant twig in the direction of the planet. "A life of pain, perhaps, but feeling pain and love and hope is what it means to be human! You offered nothing but evil wishes, Wiseman, Death Phantom, Nemesis! I'll stop you!" The power flowed from the orb in a beam of light, striking the planet full on like a fist. Nemesis actually seemed to rock back from the blow, a howl of unearthly pain shaking them all.
       "Insignificant body! Then I shall simply rip the crystal from your spirit!"
       Tuxedo Kamen reached around his princess, taking hold of the moon rod just above the clasp of her hands. The beam of light intensified, bathing both of them in the white glow as they attacked Nemesis fully, sharing power as they had been denied against Metallia. It was not just her battle to avenge the death of her kingdom, but their fight to protect their future.
       But as they continued to attack, Nemesis, strangely, did nothing to fend them off as they had expected. Instead, the planet's surface began to swirl, and as they watched, formed another vortex at the very point that their shining white light connected. Like two opposing forces, the point where vortex and power met seemed to burst with a blinding light, dazzling them all through the thick fog and sunless sky.
       And yet, the light continued when they were able to open their eyes to see a beautifully cloudless sky, the fog a little less ominous. The air was breathable again, and they sucked it in greedily, their lungs rejoicing; far across the ruins of the city, they could see the monolith cracked and falling to pieces. "Sailor Moon did it….? She banished Nemesis!" Mars gasped, squinting against the wonderful light.
       Then she looked back to congratulate her, only to find her gone.
       As well, Tuxedo Kamen seemed to have disappeared.
       Chibi-Usa was standing alone, looking around desperately. As she realized Mars was doing the same, she said, "They vanished, when the light came. I couldn't hold on to Mamo-chan tight enough…I'm sorry, I'm sorry….!"
       At that, everyone looked into the sky again, seeing no trace of Nemesis of course, and putting two and two together. "Nemesis…could it have pulled them into it?" Jupiter asked quietly, rubbing her rib at a phantom pain.
       Mercury immediately donned her goggles, the numbers and equations scrolling in the same instant across both screens. She stared in the general direction of the palace, though her gaze was intently focused on the diagram springing to life in front of her right eye. "Oxygen levels back to normal for the 30th century," she reported crisply, "and the atmosphere has been reconstructed. Also, the electromagnetic field is in working condition. Everything has been completely fixed…!"
       "Which means nothing if Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were taken up into Nemesis." The Crystal Guardian sounded weary, though it was hardly surprising. By now, Chibi-Usa's key was charged up and hanging from the belt of skeleton keys, no longer matching the very same pattern of time particles that had clung to Sailor Moon, and enabled her to escape. She couldn't attempt the same trick twice, and they had no idea where Nemesis had vanished to.
       Running a hand back through her hair, she was wracking her brain for a viable idea when she felt the air change. The soldiers, all of them turned inward now to loudly argue over their own brilliant ideas for rescue, were oblivious, but she, and Chibi-Usa, sensed the power coming closer. It was a suddenly familiar sensation that pained her, because she had last felt this power on the Moon, from the queen with all of her knowledge and strength. And the woman walking towards them had finally accepted that strength; it was obvious in the way she held herself.
       One of the girls asked her a question, which she ignored; and when they realized she wasn't listening, they turned to look as well. Chibi-Usa cried, "Mama!" and ran past them all towards the woman, who was now alive and radiant and no longer a comatose statue, who held open her arms to accept her child: "Small Lady, oh yes."
       "Neo Queen Serenity," the tall red-head said, dropping to one knee, head bowed in the presence of a sovereign.

       What could she think, staring at them all? Her truest friends still as teenagers, uncertain in many ways about their destinies, standing awkwardly in her presence. And she, the clumsy odango-haired blonde they had just lost to Nemesis, now a slender, stunningly beautiful woman who moved with the languid grace of a true lady. The living, genuine article didn't hold a candle to the comatose body they had all seen beneath the crystal.
       And behind her stood Endymion: not the weak illusion, but the genuine article as well, and smiling softly, indulgently. Ever the gentleman at ease, even in his ridiculous lavender. He waited for Chibi-Usa to finally peel herself away from her mother, to pitch herself at her father, crying "Papa!" just as joyously. And this time, she didn't fall through him, the untouchable ghost, to hurt herself.
       "Oh, Small Lady, what wondrous power you've finally awakened within yourself," Serenity sighed. "I can feel it; and it was your power that called to me, awakening me from my sleep."
       "And so, Chibi-Usa-chan is a sailor soldier now?" Venus asked.
       "Hai; she has inherited my power." The odango-haired blonde knelt now herself, despite the dirty snow into which she sank, staring into the Crystal Guardian's slightly raised face. At the strange position, she lifted her head further, looking eye to eye with Serenity; and slowly, she began to cry.
       She wrapped her arms around the tall red-head's neck, hugging her as tightly as her slender body would allow. "Onee-chan…! For so long we've missed you, and now, here, in this time…Alex onee-chan!"
       "A little undignified for a queen, isn't this?" But the Crystal Guardian hugged her back, lifting her off her feet as she stood; Serenity hadn't grown very much in the intervening years. She gave a girlish laugh, her dangling feet revealed to be bare beneath her skirts and red from the cold snow. "I guess the world really does need me to survive, neh?"
       Serenity was set down carefully, and she smiled blissfully at the rather agape sailor soldiers. "Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus….iie. Ami-chan, Rei-chan, Mako-chan, Minako-chan! All of you, so young still!"
       "And you, Usagi-chan….Neo Queen Serenity. Grown up and lovely," Jupiter said for them all, flushing. "A beautiful lady."
       "Just like you in this time, Mako-chan!"
       Endymion cleared his throat, still holding his daughter in his arms. The impromptu reunion looked his way, slightly annoyed at being interrupted. "My pardon, ladies, but the fight is hardly over. Though my planet is healed, Sailor Moon and my past body are still being held captive by Nemesis."
       "Hai; and there is the matter of destroying that evil world, once and for all," Serenity added. She turned away from her friends, focusing on her daughter. "Is this a task I can give to you, Small Lady? For only the Ginzuishou can purify Nemesis properly, and the power of the past and future crystals should finish this fight." And quite obviously, as queen, she could no longer fight these battles as a sailor soldier.
       Chibi-Usa seemed troubled. She slid from her father's arms, staring up at her mother's oddly impassive face. "I…I can try…"
       "I asked if you could do it, Small Lady. You can't try. Nemesis is a dangerous adversary; 'trying' will accomplish nothing except perhaps your death, and that of Sailor Moon, and that of Tuxedo Kamen. That will, in turn, kill me, and your father, and this world." The queen exhaled slowly. "And so I ask you again; can I give you this task?"
       The pink-haired child was completely cowed by this statement, and she flinched back against the king. There really was no way to turn it down, because to force her mother to fight would be disastrous. "…hai," she whispered, tears in her eyes. "I can do this."
       Serenity stared at her, her brooding expression completely alien to the open happiness her friends were used to seeing on her face. Her husband seemed just as disturbed, though his hand atop Chibi-Usa's head seemed to comfort her. "How does one punish a child who nearly condemned her kingdom to death? I know it was an unintentional error, but ghastly in its consequences, and simply thoughtless. You knew, Small Lady, that the Ginzuishou was encased and protected for a reason, and yet you broke the seal, and you stole it. Like a petty thief, you stole it, and you hid from me."
       All of the soldiers evinced shock behind Serenity. "So…sensei was right? Chibi-Usa-chan…stole…the Ginzuishou?" Venus was dumbfounded. "But why?"
       "Small Lady never revealed any power to us, as was her birthright as the princess of the Silver Millennium. We had feared that Endymion, originally of Earth, had perhaps by his blood prevented her from inheriting my power; she could never wield the Ginzuishou."
       "But it responded to her," the tall red-head added thoughtfully.
       "Perhaps in the 21st century, after she exited space-time. Travelling through time has many consequences; detritus from the trip may have triggered the response, tricking the crystal into thinking she was further in development, and knowledgeable of the Ginzuishou," Serenity said calmly, rattling off her response so smoothly she raised eyebrows. "But in this time, it never occurred. And so I had the crystal encased for safety, allowing it to work automatically to protect the city. It powered the shield that prevented the Black Moon from attacking, until that day. Until Small Lady broke the seal and disturbed the lattice, and lowered the shield."
       The queen lifted her hand, holding it just so as a staff appeared for her to take; which, upon closer examination, looked like the lengthier model of Sailor Moon's rod. "My own child created tragedy, unintentional, innocent, but it has happened. Our world was on the brink of fruition, and now, it has been plunged back to the depths. Small Lady, this is your punishment; to defeat Nemesis. Only then will you be absolved of this sin." In her hand, the staff shortened into a replica of the moon rod. "My anger is long gone. All I have left to me is sorrow for this tragedy, and for the pain you will inflict upon yourself for causing it. But, this still cannot go unpunished."
       Apparently, Usagi's forgiving spirit had been worn down over the years.
       Chibi-Usa took the rod, contrite. "Mama, I'm so sorry."
       "You are my precious child, Small Lady. And you've done admirably on your own." Serenity bent to kiss her daughter's head, cupping her cheek. "Now, you are a sailor soldier in my place. Use my power in this rod, and your own strength, to help Sailor Moon. Protect this planet properly."
       "Hai!" Holding the rod, Chibi-Usa closed her eyes. To fight with Sailor Moon, she had to find her first; a particular power in space. In her hands, the moon rod became an antenna, and she could sense all of their solar system as though she had tapped into some primal force. But there…! She could feel the odango-haired blonde as surely as her standing next to her, and she whispered, "To Sailor Moon!"
       This was a power she, nor the rod, had, interspace travel. But the weapon recognized the presence of itself, its duplicate that was in fact merely another interpretation of itself, and without warning she felt herself pulled into another world entirely, a pocket of pan dimensional space. There was no quicker way to travel.
       Serenity took her husband's extended hand lightly as their daughter vanished. "And now we wait here."
       "And how will we know when the battle is done?" Mars asked, slightly imperious.
       "You're always so impatient, Rei-chan," Serenity responded coolly.

       She just wished the world would let her get off now.
       Such a dark and dreary place, wherever this was. Like space-time, with no discernible ending or beginning, no bottom or top, though studded with stars. Floating gently, she felt like a leaf in the warm summer breeze, lazily travelling on the current to wherever she pleased. But it was not a comfortable sensation, knowing that wherever she was, Nemesis had surely brought her.
       And she was still holding the moon rod.
       Turning over and upside down, she could see her dark-haired prince in the same predicament, though his face brightened upon seeing her focus on him. "Usako, are you alright?"
       "Hai, Mamo-chan," she responded, kicking her legs and flapping her arms to turn herself right side up. "Where are we?"
       They floated closer, then into each other's arms, melding into one another. Sailor Moon's slight shiver prompted him to wrap her loosely in his cape - all the more reason for them to stay close - as they watched their new environment pass them by. There wasn't much to see, though they realized soon that they were in fact dropping down through the air, and below them grew what appeared to be solid ground.
       Landing somewhat awkwardly for their two heights, their shoes crunched on broken things, shattered glass and brickwork. The air was stifling and noxious, and both of them immediately began coughing, their lungs, so recently overworked, reminding them that such cruel treatment was unwise. Wherever they had been brought, it was unlivable.
       Holding hands, the two carefully walked through the refuse, the black smears left on her cherry red boots indicative of the burnt nature of the place; ash and soot lifted with each step. So dark was this world that they would have walked into the giant hole in the middle of the ruins, had it not been marked off by broken, collapsed pillars. No more energy spewed out of it, like a column of black light into infinity, for the planet had completely crystallized and had no need of a reactor to release its power. But it was recognizable all the same, and the odango-haired blonde gave a little cry of fear. "Nemesis! We're on Nemesis, Mamo-chan!"
       Here, the air was strangely breathable and cool, as though the shield once protecting the Black Moon's enclave had not entirely been destroyed. Huddling next to a broken column, they gulped in oxygen gratefully, unsure of what to do next. "We were drawn onto Nemesis. But for what purpose? To render us useless?"
       "To retrieve the Ginzuishou for my use, little prince!"
       Standing on the very planet itself and hearing it speak to them was not unlike being alone in an acoustically perfect auditorium. And it was deafening, to say the least. "Nemesis will draw everything to ruin within its body, converting all into negative energy. A continuous resource of power, the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou will intensely amplify this planet. My dreams will be realized! Nothing is beyond my reach now!"
       "The Ginzuishou is a source of hope and inspiration! It would never work to amplify evil deeds!" Sailor Moon retorted, already tired of this argument. Maybe it was simply her personality that inspired her to assume that the crystal was only a work of good instead of evil, and not that the wielder could in fact do what they wanted. "It would fight that spirit of evil in my hands. That is its purpose, to cleanse and create, not destroy!"
       "Iie, Usako; its purpose is to follow the ambition of the wielder. Only you can produce such wondrous results." The dark-haired prince took her hand, kissing her gloved palm. "And I wish nothing but to give you the strength, to make you strong in battle. I love you, Usako, because you believe in the good of people, and the love in their hearts. And you always prove that my love is justified."
       "Mamo-chan…haven't we done this before?" she whispered, smiling. "Our love is eternal. And you do give me strength! The moon rod is proof of it." She touched her breast, where her brooch would be clipped if it had not been so casually tossed aside. The power of the crystal was pumping her heart harder with exertion, and she felt slightly disoriented now, in the calm of the dead reactor. Her naked transformation was catching up with her, and the negative energy seething in the air around them, though she was better prepared for it, was also taking its toll.
       She could see that her prince seemed tired beneath its onslaught as well, sweat beading on his brow; but he was too good-natured to complain. Her hand moved up into his hair, brushing back his sweaty bangs, as she stood up on tiptoes to kiss him. Through their lips flowed her power, refreshing his body, and he responded by holding her closer. Even though there was a tickling warm between them, where the moon rod had been trapped in her free hand against her chest.
       They parted, watching in surprise as a light appeared. Like a firefly expanding in the darkness, it grew large, and a vague shape appeared within it. Chibi-Usa in her sailor soldier fuku, holding a rod identical to Sailor Moon's in both hands, who dropped to the ground as the light vanished. "Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen! I did it! I found you both!"
       "Chibi-Usa-chan, where did you get that weapon?" the odango-haired blonde gasped, looking between her own and her child's with confusion. Surely, if she was no longer able to become a soldier in the future, she couldn't just whip out one of her old weapons to share, and Chibi-Usa shouldn't have been able to summon it.
       "Mama gave it to me. She's woken up, and sent me to help you banish Nemesis." She held it up for Sailor Moon to see, that it was indeed the same rod. "To focus the power of our two crystals together."
       Nemesis rumbled beneath them in irritation, a broken column falling mere yards away from them. "And now I've been given the power of the past and future Ginzuishou. Yet you persist in opposing me! I am Nemesis; I am the Death Phantom! I am one and the same! This is my destiny, and who are you to judge my worth, to continue fighting me in this way?"
       "I am the soldier of justice, Sailor Moon! I have a duty to defend the people of Earth, to right wrongs and triumph over evil! You've created sorrow and death, and that will be punished by the power of the Moon!" She pointed her rod into the yawning hole, watching her daughter do the same. With one hand each, they took Tuxedo Kamen's offered hands, gripping tightly.
       The shield around them fell, and the toxic air rushed in to fill the space.
       "We believe in peace and love and happiness!" Chibi-Usa coughed. "Sailor Moon! Also believe in the Ginzuishou, it's your power and mine too; into Nemesis! Focus!"
       Their clasped hands grew hot as power flowed from Tuxedo Kamen as well into their bodies, and the ornamental orbs were suddenly bright with energy. "Moon Princess Halation!"
       "Moon Princess Halation!"
       Combined, their power was dazzling to look at. Nemesis bellowed as the energy struck its very core, purifying the Jakokusuishou at its root and spreading throughout the planet. Crystal shattered, breaking apart as Death Phantom, nee Nemesis, howled his anger and disbelief wordlessly, unable to stop this disgusting taint. This was impossible, his plans had been perfect, it couldn't end like this so suddenly and utterly!
       Sailor Moon swooned then, her body giving in to the stress as her prince caught her. From her hand, the moon rod dropped into the reactor, disappearing from view, and taking with it Chibi-Usa's future model as both ceased to exist. Now, daughter and father watched miserably as the planet fell to pieces around them, unable to escape.
       Of course, they viewed the sudden appearance of a door in front of them with a mix of relief and surprise. When it opened, and Diana, so small and weighted down by the belt of skeleton keys, cried, "Hurry!" they wasted no time in exiting time.
       "How did you find us, Diana?" Chibi-Usa laughed joyously, picking up her kitten, though she was confused as to why the purring feline was opening doors into space-time.
       "And isn't it against the rules to interfere in such a manner?" Tuxedo Kamen added, watching Nemesis disintegrate through the door before it closed.
       Diana shrugged her little shoulders. "I wasn't told about them, Endymion-sama."

       Venus paced in barely concealed agitation, arms folded stubbornly across her chest. Artemis was draped over her shoulder, taking a deserved catnap, his little feline snores fish-scented and rather fragrant. He and Luna had run up the hill after making sure, at least per the computer's assertions, that the planet had been fully restored. Though Endymion was in such excellent health that it should have been obvious, his arm always cocked at a slight angle, ever ready for his wife to take.
       Seeing their queen doing the unenviable task of eulogizing the funeral of Pluto had thrown them all into a bit of a funk. It fell to her to find the new Sailor Pluto, a considerable job in itself, as there had been no girl born to take over in millennium, and she seemed crushed by the fact that the Pluto she knew was dead. She had broken down near the end of her speech, refusing to watch as the Crystal Guardian produced a ball of flame to burn Pluto's body.
       The queen was now relaxing on the ground, sitting on the tall red-head's spread cape, basking in the sunlight for the first time in weeks. She seemed rather calm about the battle most assuredly taking place, though the gathered soldiers around her were all but vibrating tension about being left behind, unable to protect their princess. Though it had not stopped Venus and the Crystal Guardian from remaining at Serenity's side, as the other three had wandered off to occupy themselves by scouting the first monolith along with Luna.
       "What will you do to revive the city?" the tall red-head asked, looking out at the destroyed buildings. It was the first question she had voiced in almost half an hour.
       Serenity tiled her head girlishly, staring out at the ruins as well. "Perhaps we'll finally awaken some more of the people. The Black Moon murdered only a fraction that we had awakened, to prepare the land and the resources for everyone else. Many bodies have been contained within one of the palace's buildings."
       "You really do have godlike power," Venus remarked quietly, averting her eyes. "The power to give back life in such a manner…and we'll surely fight more enemies again over this."
       "I only wish for everyone to be happy, Venus." Serenity seemed somber now, nibbling at her thumbnail in a sure sign of nervousness. "This was not a burden I ever wanted, but I learned to accept it. My dream is for everyone to know happiness."
       She held up her hand, and Endymion helped her up graciously. Between their clasped hands appeared a staff, but it was not the one she had given Chibi-Usa; this was an entirely new design. Taking it in hand, she puzzled; why had the old one not returned to her? "They've done it; Nemesis has been defeated," she said with a sigh, holding up her new staff. She could see Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter ascending the hill, Luna at their heels. "I can give you all a new power, to fight with strength next to Sailor Moon, as thanks for your help."
       "Has Sailor Moon won? Where is she?" Jupiter asked as she saw the new staff in Serenity's hand, but no Sailor Moon, nor Chibi-Usa, nor even Tuxedo Kamen.
       "Hai; and we must return to the Crystal Palace, before our past selves arrive. So I will bestow you all with a new power, planet power; Mercury, my wise soldier, Mars, the soldier of war, Jupiter, the strongest, Venus, love's child. Take care of my past body as well as you always have."
       They felt it; the power tingled through their limbs, though it was a quick flash. It woke up Artemis, who looked around blearily, confused as to why Mamoru was dressed in such a ridiculous outfit outside of Ni-chome. Then he woke up all the way, and said, "Did we win yet?"
       "Hai, hai, Artemis," Venus muttered, watching their future king and queen walk down the hill.

       "Iie, mama, I want to sleep in a little more…just a little more…"
       Rolling over to plump her pillow, she opened her eyes to see a familiar, but shocking, sight, and she shrieked in embarrassment. "M-M-Mamo-chan!" She sat up immediately, face red as a tomato, as her prince supported her, looking just as embarrassed. Not that her snuggling into his lap had been a terrible injustice, but Chibi-Usa's somewhat dazed stare made him feel as though he'd just mentally tortured his child.
       They were clustered just outside of the door into space-time, sitting on the floor. Diana watched them from the other side, sitting guard as she promised, and looking mildly ridiculous all wrapped up in the skeleton keys. "Serenity-sama, are you alright?"
        "….Usagi.."
       "…Usagi-sama. Are you alright?"
       Sailor Moon opened her mouth, ready to state what she assumed was obvious, that she was most definitely not all right, but she realized suddenly that it wasn't true. To the contrary, she felt refreshed, no longer overloaded with power and weary from Nemesis. She pressed a hand to her breast, clasping a hard metal object; a brooch, a new brooch from what she could see. Heart-shaped and crossed with gold, a crown lattice topping it, her crescent in its middle and a stone for each guardian soldier around it. "A new brooch…? But where did it come from!"
       "Mama; I felt her use her power." Chibi-Usa smiled, clapping her hands. "Now that you're awake, we can go find the others, and you can go home! Nemesis has been destroyed; Usagi-chan, you've saved my world."
       "I…I guess so." The odango-haired blonde allowed her prince to help her up, marveling at the feeling of her transformation, altered subtly by this new device. "But how did we escape from the planet?"
       Diana did a little hop in place, waving her paw. It was completely adorable.
       "...but isn't that against the rules?"
       "No one told her that," Tuxedo Kamen answered wryly.
       They took off, promising Diana they would be back shortly - after all, she had all the keys now - leaving the palace to find themselves blinded by the sunlight. Unfortunately, it only highlighted the blight of the city, showing off the scars created by Nemesis; foundations empty of its buildings, streets ripped up. They had won the war, but Nemesis had won the battle. It would take years before Crystal Tokyo could even achieve the level of reconstruction it had just lost so cruelly.
       Chibi-Usa was crying before they even passed the palace itself, suffering for what she'd done. Her mother had been right on that score. Pressing close to Sailor Moon, she hid her face in her bodice as they heard the call of the other soldiers, running to meet them. "Sailor Moon!"
       "Usagi-chan! You did it!"
       "Iie, Usagi-chan and Chibi-Usa-chan did it together!"
       "Minna!"
       They were buried in a tangle of arms and bodies, suffocating as the four guardian soldiers tried to hug mother and daughter at once. Then they were caught up in a bear hug by the tall red-head, who swung Sailor Moon and Chibi-Usa both around and away from the melee. "You did it, tsukimidango!"
       "Mochiron! The soldier of justice always wins!" Sailor Moon giggled, truly relieved to be alive. "But where is me…I mean, Serenity?"
       "She took another route to the palace. You know you two can't meet each other. It's bad enough that we came here to begin with," the tall red-head said, lowering both girls to the ground.
       The odango-haired blonde looked sad, though of course, she was right. Endymion, in his fleshly body again, was avoiding Tuxedo Kamen in the same manner. Though they were different interpretations of the same person, able to co-exist in the same time frame, touching one another would most likely have confused the very fabric of time over which body was supposed to exist, and Bad Shit would have happened.
       Or so they theorized. It's possible nothing would happen, but why tempt fate?
       "So now we go home, and resume our lives," Mars sighed, thinking of what excuse she was going to give her principal over the matter of her ruined uniform.
       "Until the next tragedy, anyway," Jupiter added dryly, wondering what she was going to do about her destroyed apartment.
       "And won't you all be prepared as soldiers for it?" Luna asked rather sternly.
       They turned towards the palace, only to see, surprisingly, Serenity standing in their way. She looked appropriately chastened for being there. "I had to meet you. I couldn't resist, even though history could be changed…"
       "I should've known." The Crystal Guardian looked skyward.
       Sailor Moon stared at herself, unsure if she were feeling happy, or sad. People dreamed of meeting their future selves, to tell them what to expect in life, what to avoid to make their future happy. But all she saw was that inevitable loss of her identity as Tsukino Usagi, to the identity of the girl she had been in another lifetime. "Neo Queen Serenity…"
       "Sailor Moon." They didn't dare touch as they wanted so badly to do, to share a hug. Instead, they stared across a safe distance, the adult staring at the teenager. Unconsciously, Sailor Moon touched one of her blonde ponytails, a colour that would fade to radiant silvery white. "I just wanted to come and say, Thank You, in person. Because you did this for us."
       "I had to; you know that. I mean, I know that…I mean, I…you…" She flailed her hands, groping for the right context. "Everything. You know everything."
       "Hai." And did she look sad, now? The queen with the mournful face. She stepped back as a door opened, nodding as though in dismissal. "Everything. And it's our life, Tsukino Usagi, never forget that. Even when you remember that you'll become me, never forget."
       Tuxedo Kamen took her hand, leading her into the door. One by one her guardians followed her, waving in farewell to the queen before they disappeared into space-time. Chibi-Usa, however, hesitated, looking from the doorway to her mother. "Will I stay here, mama?"
       "No, Small Lady; go with them this time, to give them a proper goodbye." The queen knelt to kiss her daughter's forehead, smiling, clasping her hands around her rod. "Like a princess. And then, come home." She nudged her into the door, remaining there as it closed up.
       Ah, she had been so dangerously silly for confronting Sailor Moon as she had, but the damage was done simply from them coming to this time. Sighing, she looked up towards the palace and the sunlight striking its crystal façade, seeing its multitudes of floors and the environments contained within. And here now, out of the gate, came her friends, stretching their limbs, stiff from disuse, though the five of them had not slept nearly as long as she. It was going to be a beautiful day.

       No one noticed the sudden flashing light in the park, merely five minutes after the first flash. Or if they had, they ignored it, accustomed now, perhaps, to these strange events.
       "Back home…ara, even the air smells different!" Makoto sighed, stretching languidly.
       "Yeah, the stench of eau de pollution." Alex jingled her car keys in her pocket, her other arm full of Chibi-Usa, whom she had carried through space-time only to have her simply fall asleep. Becoming a villain, changing back, and coming into her power finally tuckered her out. And, as the tall red-head was finding out, she had a tendency to drool in her sleep.
       Usagi and Mamoru, snuggled into each other's arms, refused the offer for a car ride. It was an easy walk to her home from the park, and from her home a single bus ride to his apartment. And they had a lot to talk about; not the least of which was the little girl transferred into Mamoru's arm, still deep asleep.
       Rei waved off the ride as well, needing the time to think as to what she was going to tell her grandfather. After all, it had been days since she had been captured, and her father, as well, was probably wondering where she had gone, neither in the hospital nor at the shrine. But her grandfather, she was sure, would be understanding and patient with whatever excuse she came up with; her father, on the other hand, would be hell in a business suit.
       Ami chose to walk also, though she lived perhaps furthest of all from the park. But she waved off concerns about her mother worrying over her; she said, simply, that they were on such different schedules and so used to not seeing one another for days that she was likely not missed. She wanted to find her father most of all, and make sure he was all right after Berthier's assault on his body.
       But Minako and Makoto accepted the offer, and argued over who would get the front seat. Luna and Artemis, also coming with, won the fight by crawling in while the girls were still in the middle of rock paper scissors; staking out their claim fiercely, they forced the two to climb in the back.
       Revving the engine, Alex took off down the street, passing the loving couple as she accelerated and did a U turn, cutting off an aging Toyota. "You have anything at my place you need to get before I drop you off, Minako?" she asked, two fingers on the wheel as she dug in the glove compartment. The road had almost emptied in the five-minute interval between their trips, and she easily dug out the CD she was looking for.
       Makoto was holding onto the passenger seat with a white-knuckled grip, unused to such fast, reckless driving, though she seemed to be enjoying it. Next to her, Minako was sprawled across the rest of the back seat, having more room without Mamoru and Usagi and Chibi-Usa taking up space. "Just my case, and my pajamas."
       "I guess we're making a stop then." The light turned red ahead of them, and she tapped the brake. Only two other vehicles stopped with them, the aging Toyota and a motorcycle, sleek and expensive. The driver turned his head idly, looking at the surroundings as an idle motorist tends to do, and Alex caught his eye. Even though the shield of his helmet, his smile was unmistakable, accented with a bang of sandy blonde hair. Alex smiled back, all but matching the 'come hither' so obvious in the man's smile, blowing a kiss as she hit the gas a second before him and peeled off across the intersection.
       The motorcycle driver matched her, pulling up alongside and making a show of slowing down to keep up with her speed. "Sensei, what are you doing?!" Minako yelped as Alex pushed down on the gas, the needle going mad.
       "Speeding like a maniac, what does it look like?" she laughed, grinning as the needle continued to climb.
       "You'll get pulled over!"
       "I'd like to see them try!"
       Their turn was coming up, one she would have to cross the street to get to. But instead of slowing down, to let the motorcycle pass them by, she pushed the peddle down to the floor and spun the wheel, crossing the street with a little room to spare before the motorcycle would have slammed right into them. He never slowed down, and in fact waved in farewell as he continued on down the street, most likely having enjoyed the madcap race.
       Luna, however, along with Artemis, was now clinging to the seat with paws and claws, hair standing on end. Their frantic, scared shitless attitude was in complete contrast to the two girls in the back seat, who were cheering. "That was so awesome!" Makoto laughed, watching the motorcycle disappear.
       "'Awesome'…?! That was completely reckless and irresponsible!" Luna stammered, unsure if her limbs would ever unlock. Minako, behind her, laughed.
       "Yare yare, Luna, can't you enjoy life? After all, we have to enjoy everything we possibly can!"
       "I enjoy life, not thoughtless endangerment!"
       The car slowed as Alex pulled into the underground garage, heading for the very rear. Her parking space encompassed three slots, and she pulled into the last empty space. A personalized black and blue Harley sat in one, and a Ford Expedition XLT 4x4 in the last, for the roomy capacity. Or at least that was what she said when Minako had asked her, since the long-haired blonde wouldn't know a car from a van.
       As the car stopped, Minako bounded out the door, heading right for the elevator, not even waiting. Since the door was unlocked, Alex remained in the car, letting it idle as she pushed buttons on her CD player, rifling through some songs. Luna and Artemis slowly extracted themselves from the seat, though the leather was somewhat destroyed by their claws. Their fur went right back up on end, however, as a guitar wailed, slow and mournful, out of the speakers.
       In the back, Makoto blinked at the strange music. "What is this?"
       "Mixed music. Right now it's Tones on Tail." Alex rested her arms on the steering wheel, humming under her breath as she waited for Minako. "Probably nothing you like listening to."
       "It's kind of pretty….though I can't understand what they're singing," the tall brunette sighed, rueful for the first time over her ignorance of English.
       "Hmm, first time anyone's called my music 'pretty'," Alex chuckled. She cleared her throat, nodding her head as she sang, softly, "'…and the air was alive, with piercing sound and burning skies…the horror did me good, though magic was on my side…' Rather standard Goth stylings for the eighties, but I like it."
       "You mean like the kids bleaching their hair white and painting their faces strangely?"
        "White?" Alex arched an eyebrow, looking at Makoto in the rear view mirror. "I guess so; most of the confused little wannabe Goth kids I knew would dye their hair ink black. I suppose if your hair's already black, the only thing to do is the opposite."
       The next song came on, with a slightly harder beat that had Alex tapping her foot. It was nearly half done by the time they heard Minako's rapid footsteps, taking the stairs two at a time. Swinging her case merrily, she crooned, "I'm back!" as she yanked the door open rather hard.
       "Did the elevator break down?" Artemis snorted, cleaning his ribs.
       "No, why?"
       Minako threw herself back into the seat as Alex put the car in reverse, driving out of the garage and back onto the street, heading back past the park. Now the streets were finally empty, everyone either firmly ensconced at the bar or club for the next few hours, or at home and snoring until work. Her speeding, again, went unnoticed, as she tore through Tokyo, eliciting more whimpers of fear from the two felines next to her.
       She parked on the street in front of Minako's house, idling as the long-haired blonde crawled out. "I wonder if mama and papa are awake," she mused, bending down for Artemis to leap onto her shoulder. "I don't see any lights on."
       "If you have a key, it shouldn't matter." Minako produced it from her case, jingling the lone key on a plastic key ring with a SD Sailor V.
       "Of course I do! How else would I get in when mama locks me out?" she huffed, hands on her hips. Artemis made a face, eyes rolling.
       "Oyasumi, Minako, Artemis," the tall red-head sighed.
       "Oyasumi, Mako-chan, sensei, Luna!" Minako sang in return, closing the door.
       Makoto leaned across to wave in the window. "Oyasumi!"
       As they drove off, however, the tall brunette leaned back with a heavy sigh. She looked out her window as the city passed them by, frowning as she felt the lightning in the far distance, coming close to Tokyo. "A storm is coming," she remarked quietly.
       Alex looked into the rear view mirror, frowning at Makoto's pensive expression. She flicked her eyes back to the road for a second to turn into Juuban, then looked back up to catch Makoto's wandering gaze. "Makoto, what's wrong?"
       "I'm wondering what to do. Surely my apartment is destroyed. An apartment I wasn't even legally old enough to rent in the first place, that I obtained through deceitful means." The tall brunette pressed her forehead against the cool glass, watching the cloudy sky.
       "Oh, Mako-chan, we never thought…but that's true. Your home was surely destroyed by that creature," Luna said, frowning.
       They stopped at a light, a few drunken businessmen in suits rambling across the street in front of them. One leered through the windshield, grabbing his crotch and shaking his hips before laughing and stumbling off. His partner draped himself over the hood, red-faced from drink, and waggled his tongue. Whatever they had been guzzling, it was most likely a night that would haunt them come tomorrow.
       Alex stared through the windshield angrily. She lifted a finger from the hand gripping the wheel, pointing at the man draped on her hood. The look of concentration on her face was fierce as the man slid backward, lifted right off his feet, and flipped upside down. Luna gaped as a pair of expensive loafers appeared in her view, and she leapt up onto the dashboard to stare as the man was escorted without his consent onto a light pole. Draped there like a rug, he flapped his arm as if he would fly, laughing madly as Alex hit the gas and drove off.
       "I'm sorry, Makoto," she said after another kilometer. Makoto looked at her in the mirror, frowning at her words.
       "Sorry for what, Alex-san? Are you sorry you left that man out for the rain to soak?"
       "No, he was being a dick, and he deserves it. His wife and child never see him; he spends all his time after work at the hostess bars. He never has sex with his wife anymore because he dislikes her half heritage. He needed a lesson." Rain began splattering the windows as she spoke coolly, flicking on her turn signal. "But I doubt he'll learn." She turned to park in front of Makoto's apartment complex; such places were relatively cheap on the rent scale for the city, and most in the building didn't even own cars, so no real garage existed to park them. Those that did own them had permits to park on the street.
       She turned off the engine, and the rain was very loud in the absence. Jingling the keys in her hand, she said, "I'm sorry that I didn't think of this. I should have come here immediately to fix things, to make sure you could still come home." Thunder boomed, and Alex turned her head to see Makoto. "I've only been at this task in this lifetime now for perhaps a week, and I've already made a major fuck up."
       "Alex-san…" Makoto frowned, unsure of what to say. "This wasn't your fault….and what could you have done? Such wanton destruction is careless of the enemy."
       "What could I have done? Merde…a lot of things, Makoto. I have my ways, even as a simple human. The place could have been fixed, your valuables stored. But I never even thought of it."
       Luna shook her head. "Ways? In the manner of how you lifted that man? No sailor soldier has ever exhibited such power."
       "I'm not a sailor soldier, Luna, you know that." Alex sounded irritated as she stowed her keys in her coat pocket. "But you still don't remember that, do you? And these islands seem strangely empty of people like me…as though it were planned." She folded her hands atop the wheel, watching the rain fall. "I was never a sailor soldier. I'm not even human by the consideration of most of the human race, which dwindles each day."
       "But it isn't your responsibility, Alex-san," Makoto persisted, reaching to open the door. "And I can do these things on my own. I have to. I have no one else."
       As she stepped out, fully expecting to be soaked, she was rather surprised to feel not a drop hit her skin. The driver's door opened, and as Alex stepped out, she looked up to see a curious sight; that of the rain hitting something invisible above her head, sliding away harmless around her, though she could feel nothing there - no, that wasn't right. She could feel something, like a wall of resistance. "Masaka…"
       "I suppose this is the same effect Serenity claimed Chibi-Usa must have carried with her into our time, because I couldn't have done this even an hour ago," Alex sighed, holding Luna in the crook of her arm. "Time debris making my body think as it used to, or will, knowing my power again…I didn't realize how much I really missed it." She walked off towards the front doors, Makoto quickly to follow, watching curiously as the rain, heavy and pounding, seemed to part like a curtain for them.

       No one was awake on her floor. The quiet, broken only by the shush-ing of the air vents, seemed to amplify the rather disturbing sight of her door marked off by yellow caution tape, though the door itself was completely off the hinges. Splinted in the middle as though a giant fist had punched it, it had been set next to the door itself. Makoto felt sick seeing it.
       Completely ignoring the tape, they stepped under it and into her destroyed apartment, seeing a perfect example of Jupiter's power used in a confined space. What hadn't been broken was streaked with black, surfaces charred. The plants in her living room were nothing but broken pots and dirt, her furniture smashed to bits. She bit back a sob, walking slowly through the wreckage like a sleepwalker, more in grief over her poor plants than anything else. The furniture had been cheap scrounged junk from the Salvation Army near her parent's old church, and the appliances had come with the apartment.
       She opened her bedroom door - or rather, what remained of it - to find her futon partially charred, but everything else otherwise safe. Her treasures were so little, valuables even more so, that no one would have bothered to steal them. And her plants in here were still alive, if looking a bit put out at being unwatered for days.
       "Is anything salvageable?" Alex asked from the kitchen, scuffing her toe at a charred schoolbook on the floor. She could just imagine Makoto explaining this one to the teacher.
       "Hai; everything precious to me." She slid open her closet door, revealing her meager amount of clothes on hangar, and some worn cardboard boxes stacked on the floor. Pulling them out as the tall red-head appeared in the doorway, she said, "My clothes, and my plants, and a few things of my parents. Everything else I'll have to buy again."
       "How did you buy those things?" Alex thumbed back out at the heaps of furniture.
       Makoto pulled some clothes down, beginning to fold them neatly atop her futon. Without asking, Alex reached in to do the same, as Luna, lacking opposable thumbs and all, sat down to watch them. "An old friend of my father's took me in after my last foster parents kicked me out into the street. She put the apartments in my name, saying that I was her cousin, named after her, and we both lived here, but that she was usually overseas on business. My father had a stash of yen and American dollars hidden in our house, which she found before everything was liquidated; and she gave it to me to buy what I needed. She takes care of my rent."
       "Interesting arrangement. And is she the one who helps you transfer between schools?"
       "Hai; she lives in Funabashi now. When I need her, I call. But she was married six months ago, and I believe her husband dislikes what she does for me. He thinks poorly of me, living alone in this manner." They filled the first box with clothes, and she got up to open her dresser - more cheap furniture - to lift out her underwear and socks and other items. "Until I'm sixteen, I have no real money; my trust fund will be mine then."
       They continued packing briskly, as there really wasn't much at all. Most of her clothing was mix and match, providing many outfits with simple switching of a pair of pants or a skirt. Her old school never provided her with a summer uniform - she had left before they could give her one - and so she had merely one, which had been left in a crumpled heap on the floor. From the cramped bathroom she retrieved her hairbrush and comb, her small assortment of hair adornments, toothbrush and paste, soaps and shampoos and towels. Tampons, shaver, a few bottles of nail polish and remover also went into the boxes.
       Her mother's Bible and crucifix were set neatly between folds of clothes for security, her cheap plastic jewelry box going into a different box, along with her surviving cookbooks. Filling the boxes to the brim, they stacked them in the living room, a sadly depressing pile that barely reached Alex's ribs. The plants they would have to take separately, as well as the small trunk Makoto pulled out of the empty closet, a piece of wood and engraving and inlaid that was obviously expensive. "It was my father's gift to my mother," she said softly, tracing the carving on the side. "A birthday present…"
       Carrying everything down, it was even more depressing to see that the whole of her valuables - in effect, her life - didn't even fill the trunk of Alex's car. Using the emergency blankets, they carefully packed the plants in with the boxes, cushioning each one securely. This was everything; this was the physical sum of her life; four cardboard boxes and a few plants and one small trunk. She had left her house key on top of the stove, because she wouldn't need it anymore.
       The rain had not stopped, though it had gotten lighter. Everything had taken on that certain sheen from the lights reflecting off the water, and as Makoto huddled now in front seat, with Luna on her lap trying to give her comfort, she felt like crying. Alex made a U turn again, driving a little slower for the rain, or maybe just to put both of her passengers at ease, watching the road as Makoto did indeed start crying.
       It seemed as though the rain had driven even the most reckless drunk indoors, and they had the streets almost entirely to themselves. Makoto whispered, "Where are we going?"
       "My place. Until we find you a new apartment." The windshield wipers worked furiously to clear the glass, only to start all over again; they hoped everyone had gotten home before the rain. They didn't see Usagi and Mamoru, or Rei, or Ami, and most presumably they had made it indoors long ago.
       Alex fiddled with the CD again, turning it to a song that sounded just like the rain outside as it started, and she tapped her fingers on the wheel in beat. It was another inoffensive, interesting song, but Makoto resolutely stared out the window, watching the world go by yet again. They did finally pass a few people, who huddled under their umbrellas and stared up into the sky as though the rain were a personal offense; an annoyance they shouldn't have had to deal with.
       Unseasonably warm weather, that's what this all was, Metallia's virus still infecting the world. And how many times had she marveled at these rainy days, sunny mild days, before she had known of that creature, how Japan was so beautiful this time of year! T-shirt weather, and everyone still confined to the thick warmth of their winter uniforms. And with the end of the school year coming - what was the date today? - perhaps now the weather seemed a bit more natural.
       Everything was happening so fast; it seemed as though she had barely taken a breath between these two cataclysms, two destructive organisms in the span of perhaps three months. And now she had lost her apartment, if not also the means of securing another one, for surely they had contacted her friend and told her of the wreckage, and the seemingly endless halls of another orphanage, another series of loveless foster families, danced in front of her eyes. Could she still be a sailor soldier in those conditions? And Sommers-san, ah, another problem to take care of, she couldn't possibly take classes from him now in this time of instability.
       Makoto blinked as she realized they had stopped moving.
       She tilted her head to see Alex staring out the windshield with the most curious expression. They were parked in the garage; most likely had been so for some time. Luna had fallen asleep, miraculously lulled by the rain and Makoto's breathing and heart, not to mention the smoother ride. But as the tall brunette opened her mouth to wake the feline up, Alex turned towards her. "Do you really think that I would kick you out like that, without helping you find another place to live? That I'd let you be hauled off in that manner to those homes?"
       "…I…" Makoto stared at the tall red-head in shock.
       But Alex continued, low, her voice full of some emotion Makoto couldn't fathom: "I didn't ever ask for this responsibility, to be a teacher and a parent to a gaggle of girls, to be some kingdom's protector like in the storybooks. But I agreed anyway because I thought it was the noble thing to do, because she asked me and I could be myself in that world, not hiding what I was. And I knew what it was like to be alone in the world, to have to fend for yourself and trust no one and smile like it didn't hurt when people asked where my parents were. Love, that's all I ever wanted, and respect, and I lost all of it all over again when Beryl stormed the kingdom."
       Those lapis eyes were burning in her face, focused down at the floor, off to the right, anywhere but Makoto's face. "And still, death didn't relieve me of this burden. But it doesn't matter, because I would do it again, I would be here in this car telling you this, and telling you to not be such an idiot to think no one would help you, because I'm here. I'm always going to be here. And even if I had not entered your lives again, those girls would build an extra room by hand for you to live in."
       She opened the door and stepped out, reaching back to pop the trunk. The noise woke Luna, who stretched, pliant in Makoto's arms as she got out of the car. Alex had removed the boxes, balancing them all in one arm as she picked up a plant, mentioning, "I hope you don't expect service like this all the time," wandering towards the elevator.
       Makoto realized she was smiling as she bent to retrieve her last plants, wondering if Alex would mind terribly if she made breakfast tomorrow.

       Across the city, Ami snapped open her clear umbrella and jogged down the sidewalk, carrying her shoes in the crook of her arm. Her booted feet splashed through the puddles carelessly, keeping her dry until she ran beneath the front awning of the hospital, breathing a sigh of relief. She should have been in bed, though the thought of going to school tomorrow was faintly nauseating to her. The hospital her mother was still laboring at was close to the bus line, and she had been lucky to get on the last ride of the night.
       Of course, her mother had not been home, and all signs indicated she had not been home in perhaps an entire day. So she had come here, though she knew she had not been missed, it was entirely possible for them to spend days neither seeing hide nor hair of one another. But she wanted to make sure her mother was at least eating properly - she had a tendency to forget these past few years, with violence escalating in the city - and to visit with the patients, many of whom were transferred to this hospital same as her mother.
       No one knew when the hospital in Juuban would be opened, so her mother was making herself comfortable here. Though the youma had only ravaged a single floor, the subsequent rumours of bad-luck and paranoia among the workers that it would happen again had cleared out the entire building. Everyone had slowly transferred to the other hospitals in the city, emptying out the building steadily until now, merely posting a polite note on the double glass doors to direct people elsewhere. It had been effectively abandoned.
       She shook the water off of her rain slicker, closing her umbrella. Even at this hour, the hospital seemed alive, with nurses and doctors and patients moving in constant motion from room to room, new patients checking in. Most of the language around her was English, and though her own ability to speak it was hopelessly retarded, her mother had acquired it as an intern from one of her longest patients, and she spoke it almost perfectly. Her mother couldn't even understand Ami when she spoke English.
       And of course the signs were in English, with Japanese subtitles, because while the workers here could speak English, they usually couldn't read or write it. And no one expected a foreign tourist to bother learning Japanese. Most couldn't understand a single word past "Konnichi wa," and "Domo arigatou," and "Sayonara."
       Hopping on one foot and then the other, she pulled off her wet boots and slipped on her shoes, removing her slicker as well. To be wearing her own clothing was wonderful, though the rather obvious leer a portly American gentleman gave her made her reconsider her choice. Surely a calf-length skirt and sweater was proper attire, wasn't it? She had no idea that the black skirt, snug at the hips and flaring at the bottom emphasized the shape of her legs, and the sweater with its soft, bulky neck gave her face a perfect frame for its shape, colours in the weave matching her eyes. Her mother, on a rare shopping spree, had bought her these clothes. On her own, Ami tended to buy shapeless, neutral-colored outfits.
       One of the receptionists offered to take her wet boots and slicker, putting them and her umbrella in their little closet for their own personal use. Bowing gratefully, Ami also inquired about her mother, who, she found out, was taking a nap in the doctor's lounge, and no, she hadn't seemed particularly worried about anything. How was school by the way, was she excited about ninth grade soon?
       Of course she was, and what would she be doing? What she did every year, Kouhaku-san; study to interpret the world.
       Waving as she took her leave, Ami frowned once she encountered a blissfully empty hallway. She couldn't wake her mother up, not if she was taking a nap; it meant she was so over-tired she couldn't even make it home, and it would be cruel to interrupt her. Reaching the elevator, she pressed the up button, turning her face away as another American stared outright at her, rudely enough that his wife howled at him. Ami all but ran into the elevator when the doors opened, its one passenger relinquishing the lift to her. The doors closed on the couple arguing loudly, attracting attention as they gestured at one another crudely. She touched her burning cheeks as the floors passed, leaving her in solitude until the sixth; then with a gentle bump and a ding, the doors re-opened.
       The floor looked as typical and unremarkable as the ones below, all blinding white walls and featureless doors. She gave up the elevator to a pair of doctors, one male one female, and walked down the hall, her flats clicking softly on the tile. Through various open doors she could see a mix of foreigners and Japanese, the latter usually with one or two family members giving what comfort they could to their ailing brethren. This floor was designated for the terminally ill or long-term sickness patients, and many had their rooms almost entirely personalized by the time they vacated. One even had hentai doujinshi pages stapled to her walls in a rather intricate collage that arranged the light and dark and shaded into a 3-D illusion of a nude woman. Ami turned red as a tomato and fled down the hall as the girl smiled at her.
       At the very end was the room she wanted, and the door was open. Inside sat a teenage girl - slumped, perhaps, was more accurate - next to a comfortable feather bed, a rather wizened man so deeply lost in the mattress and quilts he looked like a child.
       The girl looked up as Ami approached, staring at her with what the blue-haired genius had first taken as a sullen expression. But as time passed, she realized that it was more indifference, not necessarily bad or good. Perhaps it was an American attitude, though Ami had to admit, most she'd met usually showed some fantastic emotion constantly, either anger or happiness or joy or sadness. This girl hardly ever even broke more than a careless twitch of a smile.
       "O-ha-yo, Chiteiko-san," Ami sang quietly, clasping her hands as she stood in the door. It wasn't yet morning, the sun had not risen, but it was too early to call it evening.
       "Ohayo, Ami-san," the girl replied, her words not quite as fluid. Though she had been raised for a few years in her childhood in Tokyo, and had acquired Japanese as her second language early on, it was rusty from disuse.
       She stood, a few centimeters taller than Ami, short, she often growled, in America for her age, which was 17. A combination of genetics had given her high cheekbones and slightly tilted dark brown eyes, her jaw set back at an angle to effectively deny her a chin. Naturally tan brown skin and her dark brown hair, mixed with gold and red highlights; she would pass for a native or perhaps one generation removed in many countries of the world. She had mentioned to Ami once that indeed, many back home couldn't guess her real heritage, of a white father with Japanese ancestry on his father's side, and a Mexican mother.
       That was why she was here now, with the wizened mummy that was now all that remained of her father; though he was only a quarter Japanese, the country had fascinated him, and he had joined the Marines after dropping out of high school to make his way there. He had no money to make such a trip on his own, and when they offered to pay for college, he stayed in Tokyo. That was where he had met her mother, a visiting tourist from Wisconsin, who ended up extending her trip for five years for him.
       They moved to Wisconsin when Chiteiko was four, and her mother died in a drunk driving accident three years ago. Almost to the day was her father diagnosed with cancer, and once he realized it was terminal five months ago, he packed them both up and moved them back to Tokyo to die. To Ami, it was a fascinating story, and a fascinating life; in comparison to her own, which was almost ridiculously dull, or had been, until that day; and only she never realized that it was that very day that had loosened her up to make this alliance. Before then, she would chat only customarily with the American, never getting quite involved, never bold enough to think of herself as a friend.
       "Where have you been all this time?" Chiteiko asked, waving the paperback book in her hand at the blue-haired genius. "It's been weeks since you visited. Usually you're here every two days like clockwork; I can set my watch by you."
       Ami smiled. "I've been busy preparing for high school, of course."
       The brown-haired American snorted, glancing over as her father made a similar sound in his sleep. To an unknowledgeable person, the two didn't even look like father and daughter; Chiteiko resembled her dark mother, while her father, with enough Swedish and Scandinavian blood mixed in his veins, was an overweight, blond-haired and blue eyed, typical American. Ami herself had made the mistake when her mother had introduced them. "You don't have high school for another year, and your exams aren't until next February, and yet you're studying. Overdosing yourself on education is bad for your health."
       "Isn't your American school system poorly funded and equipped, and an elevator system that advances many students who are unworthy of their grades?"
       Chiteiko coughed, rolling her eyes. "That's beside the point."
       Laughing quietly, Ami moved to the other chair in the room, having broken herself of the habit of having to constantly ask first. It was a comfortable armchair, set back by a set of bookshelves that held Chiteiko's father's novels - he liked Louis L'Amour, whoever that was - and her own preferred reading material. She also kept some drawing materials, though she considered most of her work complete trash. There was also a TV, as there was in every room, hanging from the ceiling; right now it was on, showing a muted late night movie. "Has anything exciting happened since I visited last?" the blue-haired genius asked, feeling herself sink into the cushions almost sinfully.
       "Dad's been given another week to live; I guess he's too stubborn to die when the doctors keep saying he will. He's breathing on his own again, too, and keeps bitching about the food. I had to run to the KFC to get him some extra crispy five times this week." She smacked her paperback against her leg in what Ami had noted as a sign of thoughtfulness; the brown-haired American was indifferent no matter if she were worried, angry, depressed, or happy, and it was often her fidgeting that told her emotion. "And the TV has been going crazy about some super heroines that saved that politician, Hino. You'd think the news about the idiots running around in America wasn't enough."
       "…super heroines?" Ami hoped to the kami and all of their shades that her face was still curious, and not showing how utterly terrified she felt. "What super heroines?"'
       Chiteiko glanced at her, an eyebrow on its way up. "You need to stop studying for a while and join the rest of us stupid saps out in the real world, Ami-san. How could you not hear about these girls? They made some announcement today about these girls, teenagers at the very least, dressed in short little skirts and heels and calling themselves sailor soldiers. Hino says they saved his life, when some crazy chick attacked him and his little political clique. And a bunch of people were interviewed who said the sailor soldiers rescued them at some auction weeks ago."
       Ami had to sit for a moment and absorb the meaning of the words out of the ramble; just like Alex, Chiteiko had a habit of speaking in such a direct and oftentimes confusing, rambling manner that it gave Ami a headache to interpret. She finally just said, weakly, "Sailor soldiers? Did anyone see who they were?"
       "No; only Hino and whoever lived to tell the tale. There weren't any cameras to take pictures of them. But your mother said she's seen two of them. They were on the floor that was attacked at the hospital. And some idol who was at the auction said she'd seen them too at the hospital, she'd been there for a check-up."
       Oh, kami-sama, it was worse than she thought. Ami was definitely fighting now to keep herself steady. Though Luna had never mentioned hiding their existence from the world, and they had revealed themselves at some time, obviously in the future, she doubted now was a good time to hold a press conference to show themselves off. And she definitely assumed that telling anyone she was Sailor Mercury was a major faux pas. She sank into the chair and hoped it looked as though she were merely relaxing. "I guess I did miss a lot. My mother never told me anything like that."
       "Really? It was the hot topic on the floor for weeks. Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury." Chiteiko glanced up at the television, making a disgusted face. Reaching across by memory, she picked up the remote and thumbed the buttons, switching channels. "A lot of people are saying they're probably just kids imitating Sailor V. One of the rescued politicians drew their pictures, though, and I saw some T-shirts for sale in Shibuya with their faces on it already; it's become a major marketing sensation, and no one knows who they are."
       Ami nearly shuddered to think of her face being sold on the streets. Her likeness, probably rendered crudely, all of them, being peddled like candy; but hadn't Minako dealt with this once already? As Sailor V, she had been mass marketed onto pins, posters, manga, the video game at the Crown. Surely she managed to laugh it all off, and couldn't Ami do the same?
       Iie. Laughing at the idea of herself as a valuable commodity was impossible. Hadn't she seen that very manga that last, blissful day of innocence? It had been cheap pulp fiction, a terrible way to market Sailor V's heroics without paying the girl a dime, or even asking her permission. Was she going to walk into a store one day and see herself in such a manner? Turn on the television and watch herself badly animated, vanquishing silly enemies? And, kami-sama, how many shows and idols had been reduced to disgusting hentai doujin fantasies? Now she did shudder, violently disturbed at the realization that, though her identity was safe from the world, her image was free for the taking.
       "Ami-san?"
       Could she even have a career? Would someone turn to her one day, and remark, "Ara ara, Mizuno-san, you look so much like Sailor Mercury!" She wouldn't be able to cope with her profession with people telling her of the resemblance, thinking it was a compliment and never realizing it was the truth. Expecting her to laugh, perhaps joke with them that yes, she'd been told that before, perhaps she did….
       "Ami?"
       Perhaps it was her inability to cope that drove them into the open in their future, inspiring them to tell the world who they were. Or maybe she had done it on accident, transforming to prove the people right, out of anger or loathing. Would they hate her if it were her fault?
       "Moshi moshi, Mizuno Ami!"
       "…nani?" She blinked sleepily, looking up to find Chiteiko standing over her, hands on her shoulders to shake her. The hands withdrew when she saw Ami finally respond, and she moved back into her seat. "Gomen nasai, I was…I was thinking. I have a mock test coming up tomorrow."
       The brown-haired American stared at her for a long minute, as though Ami were transparent and all her lies were simply there for her to read. Then she settled back, and shrugged, turning her face away to look again at the TV. "Well, tell me next time you decide to cut out on the world. Had me worried for a minute."
       Flushing lightly, Ami nodded, looking up at the screen as well - she had to crane her neck around and back, from her angle. "What are you watching?"
       "BBC is having a special on those two scientists who died, as some sort of memorial I think. You know, those two that won the Nobel in genetics."
       "You mean the lady who died recently in that explosion, and her rival, who died years ago in a shooting incident, Thibodeaux?" Ami could never twist her tongue around the one name to save her life, but the other, being French, was reasonably easier. Though she wanted to be a doctor, their works had always interested her, along with the books and theories of that big American man, the one who tended to actually scare her a bit. Not that he didn't seem like a teddy bear of a man, but his size…!
       "Yeah, them. The only reason I remember them is because that Thibodeaux lady was married to that rock star, and his fan was the one who shot them out of jealousy. Crazy stuff. Their one kid was never found; they think she's alive still, and man, if she was, she's rich as all hell."
       "A child?"
       "You never heard about that?" Chiteiko eyed her again, then snorted. "I forget; you don't like gossip. You're more interested in the lady's theories than her married life."
       "Of course," Ami replied prudently.
       "That's what I like about the story: there's lots of juicy gossip," the brown-haired American said breezily, turning up the volume slightly. "The two women were always at each other's throats in the world of science, but still acknowledged each other's work. Thibodeaux had an interesting personal life though; she got married at nineteen to this guy, and he became a big rock star while she became a big name scientist. But they never told anyone publicly they were hitched, and everyone thought they were single."
       Ami rested her cheeks in the cup of her palms, nodding.
       "No one knew the rock star had two kids with her either, a boy and a girl. So he was acting like a cool single guy on stage, king of the world, and she was making miracles. Genetics. You know all about that." Chiteiko brushed it away. "But they had the kids raised by nannies, so neither of them was around when their son died. Plunged off a cliff into a gaggle of crocodiles, if you can believe it. Probably playing too close to the edge."
       "That's terrible!"
       "Well, yeah. And his sister saw the whole thing, going on nine years old. So mommy and daddy quit their careers, basically, to come home and watch her, keeping her confined at home because they thought she'd gone nuts. The abrupt departure of Mr. Rock Star prompted a fan to hunt him down, and when she found him to be a married man, she shot them both in the kitchen, then killed herself." Shrugging. "They never found the daughter, or her body. I guess the government kept the estate and its wealth - the guy was from a rich family even before he became famous - in case she ever did show up. Someone claimed it years ago, but as the money then promptly vanished, they think they were duped, and she's really been dead for thirteen years."
       The blue-haired genius shivered, rubbing her arms. "That's hideous. To think, that poor girl could have escaped and been picked up, or raped, or killed…!"
       "Interesting though, isn't it? The other lady's got a pretty boring life next to that." Both girls glanced, in unison, at the windows then, seeing the weak sunlight filter through the clouds. It was later than Ami realized. "But I suppose you don't want to hear it, not if you plan on going to school today."
       School. For the second time in her life, she considered the advantage of simply skipping the day. And hadn't she missed perhaps a week already, captured and kept like a bug in a jar for the Black Moon to torment? What was one more day? Indeed, what would any of these days count, if she were to miss more for her life as a sailor soldier?
       That would account for the open surprise on Chiteiko's face as Ami said, "No, please, Chiteiko-san; continue. What was her life like?"
       The brown-haired American smiled, continuing: "Well, she didn't marry a rock star, she was married to some boring politician until he died of mysterious circumstances before we were even born…."

       Morning, and the birds weren't singing in the rain.
       Usagi was awake, early even despite the late hour at which she'd gone to sleep, watching the feeble light dance across her prince's back. She saw no reason to stop the rosy, content feeling she still had, and so she lay still to not disturb him. Though she had to smile at the innocence of his face in sleep, relaxed like that of a child, even with his mouth skewed against the pillow as he lay on his stomach.
       To sleep chastely in bed like this with him was heaven, even though his body, against his will, made it often known to her just how much he enjoyed it. Like now, she noticed with a deeper smile. Someday, when they were both ready, they were prove how much they meant to one another, but that day wasn't this one.
       Finally she slid as noiselessly as possible from beneath the covers, tiptoeing over to where his robe hung on the door, wrapping it around her body. It reached almost to her ankles, it swallowed her in terry cloth like a baby in its bassinet, but she couldn't walk around naked. Chibi-Usa was still asleep on the couch, or perhaps awake already and getting ready for school as well. She didn't dare risk the embarrassment or bad judgement.
       She snuck out of the room and headed for the bathroom, noting two balls of pink hair roaming the kitchen. Both of them had gotten their uniforms from the Tsukino household while her parents slept, though Usagi was realizing now why Minako had brought hers to Alex's condo that last night instead of regular clothes; going from battles straight to class spared little time to exchange garments.
       In the bathroom she brushed her teeth with the extra toothbrush she had brought for the purpose of leaving it, a pink thing with Hello Kitty at the end. She bared her teeth, inspecting them for signs of plaque, then vigorously scrubbed all over again until she had enough foam to pass for rabid. Spitting, repeating, and then finishing the process, she then washed her face, inspected her armpits and upper lip - recently waxed - and examined her body in the mirror, pleased as ever to see her figure still in excellent shape. Brushing her hair out, she parted it down the middle and, picking up the pins she had set on the sink last night, wound her hair up into their odango.
       Pleased again with the result, she pranced out of the bathroom, almost happy to see Chibi-Usa still roaming around. The pink-haired child was setting out a dish, it sounded like, the fridge door opening as she scooted back into the bedroom. Mamoru was waking up, and he eyed her unusual morning cheer with a decided lack of his own. "Ohayo, Mamo-chan!" she chirped, dropping the robe into a puddle at her feet.
       Hmm, very happy indeed. The dark-haired prince averted his eyes as a gentleman, though he could still see her in peripheral as she danced in her little white cotton bikini panties over to the pile of her uniform on his chair. She twisted her hips into her skirt, though it wasn't until she had her bra secured that he finally turned around; she didn't qualify for completely naked anymore. "Ohayo, Usako. Why are you so happy?"
       Her head momentarily disappeared as she pulled her top on. "Because we saved the world again!" she said through the polyester weave, pulling it down proper and whipping her red bandanna around to tie it into a bow. "And because we're home again, safe and sound."
       "Sounds like an excellent reason." He reached over to a similar chair next to the bed, picking up his trousers. Putting them on completely while sitting was a hell of a task, but he managed, and he stood up safely, all majors covered. "Even though we still have school to look forward to."
       She laughed, disappearing into the living room with her socks. Smiling, Mamoru quickly dressed in his white shirt and tie, wriggling his toes into his socks before following her. "Ohayo, Mamo-chan!" Chibi-Usa called from the kitchen.
       "What, not 'papa'?" he teased - though it really wasn't so much of a tease, on second thought - as he passed through, heading for the bathroom.
       "You're not my papa yet, you're still Mamo-chan," she said firmly, rattling glassware. "Just like Usagi isn't my mama yet, not while she's such a child."
       "N-Nani!?"
       Uh oh. He hurried to close the door, turning on the sink to drown out their sniping. Apparently, even such revelations of blood wouldn't stop them from acting…well, acting their age, he admitted silently, ruefully. And he was such an old man to think that too, wasn't he? Snorting, he picked up his black toothbrush, scrubbing gently at his teeth and gums and tongue, flossing each tooth afterwards. He washed his face and sniffed his armpits, applying a light amount of deodorant, and rubbed his chin and upper lip to find it still hairless. Oh, joy to genetics that had given him this lack of whiskers. In the mirror he flexed, pleased with his developed muscles and lack of fat, his figure athletically supple. Combing his hair with two swipes, he relieved himself in the toilet and then exited.
       And they were still at it.
       Sighing, he moved towards the couch, pushing aside Chibi-Usa's backpack and Usagi's case to sit. But at the strange lump in the backpack, he pressed his hand against the rayon, fingers finding the edges and shaping it… "Chibi-Usa, they're not going to let you talk this into class!" he called over their arguing. She had carried the strange rod with her, refusing to even let them see it fully, but he recognized the basic shape of it.
       "I'm not going to class. I'm going home to the future."
       The words stopped Usagi cold; he could hear the actual halt of her breath, even from the living room. "You're…going home?"
       "Hai; mama said to properly say goodbye, and come home. That rod is yours, Usagi-chan, your new rod to use as Sailor Moon. I have to give it to you before I leave." Chibi-Usa's head appeared as she hopped up onto a chair, munching on cereal, haute cuisine for her to prepare.
       His princess stepped away, her face closing down as surely as it had been opened. All this time, she had wished the girl away; and now, she was leaving, and she didn't want to, couldn't let her go. Her face was unreadable as she came over to Mamoru, snuggling onto the couch with him, wrapping her arms around his chest. "Usako, you know she can't stay," he whispered to comfort her, hugging her to his side.
       "I know, I know," she moaned, curling up her knees like a little bug.
       It was this way. She was her daughter of their twenties, she wasn't even born yet. All the way out the door, in the elevator, down the wet street, he puzzled over it. They had done good in their future by being involved, and yet they had most likely ensured they would never see that time. To know all of this…ara, to privy to such secrets…! Yes, it was better for all that she went home, for who knew what she could tell them about the world they had yet to see?
       Tokyo in the morning was busy, the streets flooded with children going to class, commuters running to work. Mamoru waved at an underclassman when he waved first, explaining to Usagi and Chibi-Usa that Ittou was a sweet kid, if a little childish. And he, of course, had never been so immature; it was his duty to be an example. Having two pretty girls agreeing with everything he said was certainly inspiring him to keep up the good work.
       They waited at the crosswalk with a nurse, dressed in her white uniform, a Buddhist monk recently shaved who was pleasantly debunking a rabid Christian's beliefs at every angle, two schoolgirls, and a staggering drunk still on a bender. "My buddy's still up there!" he hiccuped to the general world, hugging his bottle of cheap plum wine. "Dumb bastard can't climb down…heh! He always wanted to fly!"
       Mamoru interposed himself between the drunk and his girls, frowning.
       When the light turned, the drunk was left standing there, cursing out the poor driver of a foreign Mini, a rich businessman who proceeded to roundly curse him back. Everyone rushed to get across, glad when the traffic rumbled again and drowned the men out amidst a flurry of horns. "Is this city always in such a hurry?" Chibi-Usa observed out loud, the whole dazzling system still surprising her. She had gotten as comfortable as she could with the crowded city, jam-packed with people in a way her Tokyo was not, but the constant urge to move here to there, to go faster, still puzzled her.
       "Only when everyone's late," Mamoru sighed, following the child as she led them. She was, after all, in need of a perfect place to leave from.
       The park's entrance, still cordoned off, was stopping no one; though Alex had picked the lock with finesse, leaving no sign of their break in, someone else had bludgeoned it with a sledgehammer from the look of it. Most likely not to get in to the park - why would a vandal want to go through the trouble? - but just to wreak something. The gates swung half-open, and it was through them the trio slipped, seeing no police around. Passing cars couldn't care less.
       Chibi-Usa rang ahead, arms flung wide open as though she were a plane. Enjoying this last glimpse of healthy green, however scarred. Usagi and Mamoru were not quite as happy, and they walked behind her slowly, following her to the fountain, its spouts dry from lack of flowing water, the jets turned off when the gates had been locked. They opted to sit on the edge as Chibi-Usa spun around, the birds chirping curiously at the pink-haired thing in their midst. But when she stopped, she had a solemn face. "Usagi, Mamo-chan…I wish I could stay! I like the 21st century…even if it's crowded and smelly and you call me Chibi-Usa."
       "Then stay!" Usagi cried. "Stay here, Chibi-Usa-chan; you're so selfish to leave me alone, not thinking of anyone but yourself!"
       "Usako, she can't stay! We're not her parents yet; we're teenagers. And her parents, our future bodies, miss her, and need her to be with them," Mamoru admonished her, taking her hand. She responded by breaking out into a sob, turning her head away resolutely.
       The pink-haired child came up to them, her face now unmistakably sad. She slung her backpack onto the concrete, opening the drawstring top to withdraw the rod she had hidden from them, holding it up into the light. Its top piece matched Usagi's brooch, heart-shaped and crowned; though instead of the crescent and four gems in the middle, it had an oval hole through which the light shined. It was set into a crown molding which was thusly set into a hand guard shaped like a big ribbon in a bow, the crescent its knot, the handle itself pink and slender and rounded into a knob at the bottom, with two stars like buttons beneath the guard.
       Mamoru briefly wondered how many enemies were silently laughing at the utterly ridiculous weapons his princess kept vanquishing them with. Even heroines on those terrible children's shojo anime shows didn't have such gaudy - well, maybe that Card Captor girl.
       Usagi turned her head at the sound of the drawstring, staring in utter thrall at the rod. Unconsciously, she touched her brooch, marveling at how they matched, like accessories on those shojo anime shows she watched. "Chibi-Usa-chan…is that mine…?" she breathed, running her fingers along the handle.
       "Mochiron! I'm only a baby sailor soldier now; I have to be properly trained. It wouldn't be mine." She held it out for Usagi to take, and she lifted it so gingerly it was as if she considered it fine porcelain that could easily break. "Maybe Venus will be my teacher, and I'll be able to come back and visit as a true soldier."
       She was smiling, though she was inwardly as miserable as Usagi. Holding out her arms for a hug, she was lifted into Mamoru's lap for a bear hug instead, snuggling her cheek against his. "You'll always be my knight in shining armor," she whispered, giggling.
       "In any lifetime," he replied, digging into his pocket. "Hold out your hand."
       Both girls gasped as he set his pocket watch into her palm, still ticking away smoothly. "But, Mamo-chan…!" Usagi protested.
       "It was my father's watch; Usagi made it tick again. I want you to have it, Chibi-Usa, to remember us." He closed her chubby fingers over it, setting her on her feet as she, dazed, listened to it tick.
       "Papa-you always told me that you lost this, and that it was precious to you," Chibi-Usa whispered, astonished.
       He couldn't help it; the knowledge made him laugh, and he cupped his forehead. "So perhaps I'm destined to give it to you."
       Usagi stood with him as their daughter put the watch in her backpack, pulling the strings tightly shut. They could see the skeleton key Diana had given to them - though 'give' was the wrong word; 'allowed them to take' was a better interpretation - in the outer pocket, beginning to glow as a beam of light punctured the sky, resembling a mere shaft of sunlight breaking free of the clouds. "Mama is calling me home," Chibi-Usa explained, shouldering the backpack. "Use your new heart moon rod and remember me, Usagi!"
       "Chibi-Usa-chan!"
       And their daughter was running before her nerve broke, into that shaft of golden pure light to disappear like an illusion, drawn into the sky and space-time. The light expanded to dazzle their eyes in a split second before dissipating as well, leaving the two alone with the song of the birds, apparently undisturbed by the scene. "Chibi-Usa…" Usagi whispered, sagging down onto the fountain again.
       He settled beside her, drawing her into his arms. "Don't despair, Usako; someday, after all of the tears and happiness, we'll hold her in our arms and be thankful. And she'll smile at us, and we'll have the joy of raising her properly, as we're meant to."
       "I know, Mamo-chan," she sighed, leaning against him, her neck gently bent to place her head on his shoulder. "But it all seems so unreal…from Metallia to the Black Moon, it all went so fast. Will we be able to enjoy life now, without any enemies? Is it possible?"
       "Perhaps they'll take a break with us." His fingers moved up to stroke that bared skin before he could help it, and he delighted in her shiver. "After all, spring break is coming up."
       "Hai…let's do something for Chibi-Usa-chan, to remember her in our hearts. For the upcoming holiday, we can set out the dolls to wish for her happiness!"
       "And who is going to buy all of these dolls? And would you display the entire court, or just the emperor and the empress?" he teased her.
       "Mamo-chan! This is our daughter! We have to go all out for her joy!"
       She held the rod up for inspection, a finger tracing the round curve of the heart. Though she felt pleased to have such a new, pretty weapon, and a new stronger brooch to go with it, she dearly hoped she wouldn't have to use it for a long time. Surely these were the last enemies, because there certainly hadn't been any before Metallia. Perhaps they would live into their older years in peace.
       Mamoru stroked her cheek, smiling as she looked back at him. Though they could hear the bells ringing for school, they were in no hurry as they came closer, lips meeting with strength and surety. Clumsiness no longer dictated their actions. They managed to stand up in this fashion, arms holding the other fast, the rod pressing into the dark-haired prince's back as she gripped him tightly. There was simply them in this world in this moment.
       So a black ball dropped out of the sky and clonked Mamoru on the head-
       -and hadn't they gone through this already?
       Usagi screamed as something smashed into her shoulders, dropping her like a rock, and Mamoru found himself kissed with a familiar set of tiny lips; two, in fact. He fell backwards as the kid laughed, falling onto his ass square on the wet grass, blinking in a moment of pure stunned shock at what he was holding. "Tadaima!" she laughed, clutching his shirt.
       "…you…going home…why are you back?" he finally sputtered.
       "You're back?!" Usagi shrieked from the ground.
       Diana leapt down from the pink-haired child's arms, a white envelope in her mouth with their names on the front. The fact that she wasn't guarding the gate was another sight to make them pause. But Mamoru extracted the envelope carefully, breathing again as his daughter rolled off, and he slit the top to pull out an unevenly folded piece of paper written with rather poor handwriting and almost all of it entirely in hiragana and katakana.
       The odango-haired blonde peered over his shoulder as he read, slowly: "Greetings, past Mamo-chan and past Usagi. Would you train Small Lady for us? The future is in bad shape and needs us to fix it. Please watch our daughter as we make repairs. Thank you! Neo Queen Serenity and King Endymion." A little scrawl of Serenity in SD mode, giving them a wink and a peace sign, was at the bottom.
       Chibi-Usa was beaming a million-watt smile at them, obviously expecting to be received with open arms much in the manner she had left. "You get to take care of me again! Isn't this great, Usagi?"
       "We just got rid of you!"
       "Usako, are you really that poor with kanji?"
       "There's too many of them, it isn't my fault!"
       "But I thought you missed me, Usagi!"
       "Not anymore!"
       Well, maybe he wouldn't have to spend his money on those dolls after all.