Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Crystal Trials ❯ Chaotic Conclusions ( Chapter 9 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Crystal Trials - Chaotic Conclusions

BlueDolphin

She stood among the plants in the gardens above her palace, looking down on the city she now ruled. The sun shone brightly on the crystal buildings, making them glitter and glint almost too brightly to stare at for long. If she looked carefully among the buildings, she would see her people moving among them on their daily business. They had, more or less, regained some semblance of real life.

After she had awoken her people from the sleep that had spared them from the end of their world, they were understandably dazed and confused. When they saw her striding confidently through the ruins, resplendant in a flowing white dress and with long golden pigtails that brushed the ground she walked upon, they regarded her with astonishment and reverenace. Even awe. But, after she had patiently explained to them that she was not a Goddess on earth, nor was she any sort of religious icon to be worshipped, they were remarkably accepting of all she told them. She would help them rebuild their lives, staying out of them as much as she possibly could. She would protect them from the evil they never knew existed, no matter what would happen. She and a handful of others would serve as their guardians. Where were the others? She couldn't explain that right away. They would come shortly.

She prayed they would. Ami. Rei. Makoto. Minako. Setsuna. Michiru. Haruka. Hotaru. Would she ever see them again? Already, it had been several weeks since they had departed. How many more weeks would it be? The whining cry of an infant nearby broke her from her reverie, and she moved away from the crystal pane she stood staring moodily out of. Not far off, draped in pale pink gauze, was a cradle. Inside the cradle was her daughter. Her namesake, Usagi. Affectionately called Chibiusa.

Neo-Queen Serenity picked up the fussing baby and started gently rocking her, all while thinking about Time and her friends. The daughter of the baby she held at this very moment had been in her court months earlier, to ask their help in fending off an evil force. She had, unwillingly, allowed her senshi to go. And she had not seen them or heard from them since. An icy cold hand of fear gripped her chest tightly as she once again thought of the unthinkable. The idea that her senshi might not return to her had been occurring to her more and more often, and became more and more persistant.

"Usako."

Neo-King Endymion stepped towards her and their daughter from the path. Serenity quickly sized him up, noting with some disapproval that color still had not fully returned to his gaunt face. "You should be in bed," she said sternly. "You're not well yet." After she had awoken her people, Serenity had seen to it that her betrothed was found. Within hours, word spread to her that he had been found, and when she had suspended all the activities she had been busying herself with to occupy her mind to go to him, his state shocked her. Just as she had been Sailormoon prior to the end of the world, he had been her defender and lover Tuxedo Kamen. With the end of the world came the end of that phase of their life, yet the bond between Tuxedo Kamen and the very earth itself remained. As the earth suffered the cataclysmic effects of Sailorsaturn's power unleashed, Tuxedo Kamen lapsed into a catatonic state. Even though Serenity had saved his life just as she had saved the thousands of others by encasing them in crystal, he continued to suffer within these confines. His gaunt, skeleton-like appearance had scared Serenity at first, and she had thought the worst. But, through care and sheer force of will, Serenity brought him around. She wouldn't let Endymion die. Not if it meant leaving her alone.

He ignored her reproachment. "Usako," he said again, coming closer. "I can hear your thoughts. They will return." Serenity looked down at Chibiusa for long moments, before gently settling her back down in her cradle. "What if they don't?" she asked at last, wheeling and looking at him with anguished eyes.

Endymion embraced her, and she pressed up against his chest. "They will," he said soothingly.

"But what if they don't?"

"They will, Usako."

"But what if?"

Endymion sighed. "They will come back, Usako," he said again, then, as Serenity started to speak again, added, "But if they were to not come back, then we will have to make do on our own." He held Serenity as she said nothing in response. "You have a kingdom to rule and people to protect, Usako. Everything is second to your responsibility," he said softly.

Serenity stirred against him. "What if I'm not strong enough to protect everyone on my own?" she asked. "I couldn't save everyone when they truly needed me. What if something happens again?"

"You aren't on your own, Usako. You know that," he chided mildly. When she looked up at him stubbornly, he added, "And if worse comes to worse, the ginzuishou will find new protectors."

Serenity was silent again. "But they'll come back," she said firmly at last.

Endymion hid a smile as he hugged Serenity closer. "They will."

Sailorneptune felt her way along the wall, her one good eye not used to not having the other to aid it. As a result, her perceptions were skewed, and her progress was slowed. She hadn't realized how badly Hotaru had sliced her until she traced the gash with her hand after the blood had stopped flowing. It was a clean slice, to be sure, but Sailorneptune knew that her eye would never heal, not completely. But at this point, she didn't much care. Haruka was alive, and the others were captured. She had to find them before she was discovered.

Grimly, she rounded what was perhaps the hundredth corner. She didn't really know how long she had been searching, or how long the others had been captive. She had blacked out after losing touch with Haruka, and hadn't been able to reach any of the others after she had regained consciousness. This worried her. On top of this, without the guidance of Haruka's presence in her mind, she had no idea in what direction to head. She grimaced; this wasn't turning out well. But damned if she would give up.

Resolutely, she pulled her tired body along the corridor.

Sailorvenus looked around at the senshi hanging on the wall. Some were injured, some weren't. But she felt oddly responsible for their fate, particularly the other inner senshi. In the absence of Usagi, she was their leader. She was the one they looked up to. And now, Sailorjupiter was gravely injured, and Sailormars' throat clearly pained her. Sailormercury was the only one of the inners that was uninjured, and she hadn't spoken in a very long time. She thought back to the promise she made to Sailorneptune about rescuing Haruka and felt even more saddened. She had failed there, too. Dejected, she slumped back against the wall and thought of how distant her dream of being an idol singer seemed. And, she thought of Usagi-no, Serenity.

Beside her, Sailorjupiter faded in and out of consciousness. In her waking moments, she wondered what drove Hotaru to strike at her as she did. Her shoulder pained her considerably and, combined with the injuries she had received slamming into the wall by Sailorsaturn, often drove her to unconsciousnes. She was angry, but she couldn't be angry at one of their own. Usagi's silent plea to not kill Sailorsaturn replayed in her mind. And then her mind would drift off...

Sailormars suffered the same qualms as Sailorjupiter. Her mind screamed revenge in time with the throbbing pain in her throat, but her heart echoed with Serenity's voice. Serenity. Somewhere between stepping through the portal that had carried them all to this hellish world and now, she had ceased to think of that blonde with the odangos as Usagi. She would rather injure herself than go against her wishes, but what if there was no other way? Would she understand? Sailormars surpressed a painful sob and wished with her whole heart that Serenity were here now to tell her what to do and to say all the right things that would make the situation better.

Hotaru thought of nothing. Her mind was empty and her soul was in turmoil. Who was she? What had she done? Sailorneptune was on Haruka's mind. Her entire being was striving to regain contact with her aqua-haired beauty, just in case. In case of what? In case Haruka would never be freed from these bonds. In case she died here, without dignity, without a fight. The thought scared her so much she refused to think of it. Instead, she tried to get around whatever it was that separated her from Sailorneptune. And swore revenge on Sailorsaturn for causing them both pain.

Sailorpluto had mastered her own feelings long ago. She had shoved away those feelings of guilt and responsibility, and instead focused her mind on how to get out of this present problem. However, there seemed no way to get out without first freeing herself. It seemed to Sailorpluto that their only hope rested on Sailorneptune, wherever she was. Or Hoshi, but Sailorpluto was willing to trust Sailorneptune a lot further than she would trust the redhead. It was clear to Sailorpluto that Hoshi had been using them as her pawns this entire time, and considered them expendable. Now that they were captured, Hoshi was no doubt considering another plan, and had put them out of her mind. Sailorneptune had been right the entire time, and Sailorpluto had allowed herself to be decieved.

Sailormercury was the only one among them who wasn't consumed by fear, anger, uncertainty, or any other sort of debilitating emotion. A problem had been posed to her, and her analytical mind tackled it with a vengeance. She found that, if she concentrated hard enough, she could call her visor out by sheer force of will. With her arms bound, use of her computer was out of the question, but she was well used to working with what was available.

So, while everyone else entertained dark and grim thoughts, she was caught up in mastering this hands-free way of using her visor. A maze of lines appeared before her eyes and, after studying it for several moments, realized that it was the corridors she had traveled along. According to it, they were far beneath the palace, in the labyrinthine passages the people had fled to in order to escape the attacks. There was the room they were in now, a handful of small blips representing them. Outside of their room, off the map, was another blip. Could this be Sailorneptune? Or was it Sailorsaturn? As she studied this, a larger group of blips appeared at the very edge of what she could detect. What was this now?

Sailormercury considered telling the others, then decided against it. There was no sense in raising their hopes unnecessarily. She continued exploring the capabilities of her visor, and slowly looked around the room. It was then that she noted something worth noting to the others.

"That isn't the ginzuishou," she said into the silent room.

The others stirred, startled out of their thoughts at the sound of someone's voice. "What, Ami?" Sailorvenus asked slowly, unsure of her ears.

"It isn't the ginzuishou," Sailormercury repeated, studying the crystal facets closely. "Well, it is, but at the same time, it isn't," she amended after another examination. "Its like a....an echo of sorts. I can see the power there, but it seems...faded."

"Its because the senshi of this time are dead," Sailorpluto spoke up then. "The ginzuishou uses the senshi as a focus. The only reason it has any power now is because, first and foremost, the Queen is not dead. As long as it has a wielder alive somewhere, the ginzuishou has power. Also, Sailorsaturn is in possession of the tiaras of the dead senshi. This confuses the ginzuishou into thinking the senshi are still alive and prevents it from creating replacements." Sailorpluto sagged after this monologue, as if the words had drained her.

Sailormercury shook her head. "It seems more than that. I can see Chaos' taint, and a vague impression of the crystal underneath, but nothing more." When nobody responded, she let the matter slide. Instead, she asked the question nobody would ask. "Michiru was right, wasn't she? Hoshi isn't going to come."

There was a pause while everyone looked at Sailorpluto. "No. I don't think so," the green-haired senshi replied slowly.

Before anybody could voice the helplessness their faces revealed they felt, Sailormercury did something quite uncharacteristic of her. She took charge. "Haruka?" she asked, looking at the blonde who seemed to be lost in thought.

Haruka blinked at the mention of her name and turned surprised, questioning eyes on Sailormercury. "What?"

"Have you tried breaking free?" she asked simply. "I'd ask Makoto, but she's wounded. You're the strongest of us, right now."

"I've tried. The crystal didn't give," Haruka replied, as if it had been a stupid question.

Sailormercury nodded. "I thought as much."

"Do you have an idea, Ami?" Sailorvenus asked.

"Maybe. I'm going to try lowering the temperature in the room. I'm hoping the crystal will freeze and grow brittle."

Sailorvenus blinked. "You can do that?"

Sailormercury laughed a little. "I remember my mother teaching me a little about my powers when I was young. She explained to me that I could theoretically do anything I wanted with the power given to me. I'm going to see if she was right."

"Your mother was a doctor, Ami," Sailorvenus said slowly. "And she doesn't even know about your powers. None of our parents do. What are you talking about?"

Sailormercury looked startled and vaguely confused, as if this hadn't occurred to her. "I...don't know. I remember being taught my powers at a very young age..." she trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"What you're remembering is your lives during the Silver Millennium," Sailorpluto spoke up then, looking solemnly at Sailormercury. "Nevermind where you learned it, Ami. Go ahead."

They watched as Sailormercury closed her eyes. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but all at once they felt the air around them first turn cool, then downright cold. Sailormercury glowed blue, her palms flat against the crystal wall in an attempt to focus her power into it. Indeed, the shackles attatched to the walls seemed to be growing colder faster than the rest of the room.

When their breath started to show in the chill air, Haruka began straining once again. She worked at it for long moments, almost coming to the grim conclusion that this wasn't going to work, before she felt one give. Only slightly, but she redoubled her efforts. The others split their attention between the straining Haruka and Sailormercury who seemed to be having difficulty maintaining the cold.

And then, a shackle shattered with a crystalline sound that echoed in the room. Her teeth gritted, Haruka shattered the shackles restraining her legs. And then, her last arm shackle. She was free. She wasted no time then, afraid the cold wouldn't last. One by one she swung at shackle after shackle with her fists until they were cut and bleeding. One by one, the senshi were freed.

Sailorvenus caught the exhausted Sailormercury up in a giant hug. "Good going, Ami!" she cheered. Sailormercury managed a weak smile in return.

"We have to go," Sailorpluto said urgently. "If we get away from the city, I can get us home."

Haruka picked up the unconscious Sailorjupiter and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Not without Michiru. She's still alive."

"What about Hotaru?" Sailormars managed around her agonizing throat. She cast a quick glance at the girl who stood apart from the group with a blank look on her face. They all turned to look at Hotaru with varying emotion.

They had almost forgotten what had happened in their joy at being free. Almost.

Usagi's voice ringing in her ears, Sailorvenus took the initiative and approached the girl warily. "Hotaru? Its me. Minako. Do you remember?"

Hotaru stirred and turned violet eyes on the blonde. "Minako...? I...don't know," she said in a small voice. "I remember...a palace...and yellow rings shining in the sky...I remember being someone else that fought for a cup of great power...but then, Sailorsaturn said these weren't true. She told me that I was a bad person, but that if I helped her, I wouldn't be bad. She said that all the things I remembered were dreams, and that the dreams were coming to get me. I had to protect Sailorsaturn from the dreams. She said I was her sister..."

Sailorpluto came forward then, and knelt down by Hotaru. "Everything that she told you was a lie, Hotaru. Everything. Sailorsaturn kidnapped you from us, from our time. You belong with us. You are our Sailorsaturn. The one you called sister is someone who's trying to hurt us. Please, we have to hurry, but we want you to come with us. We're going to save you, Hotaru."

Hotaru looked like she was considering Sailorpluto's words, then shook her head violently. "But she was so convincing!" she almost wailed. The loud voice made the other senshi wince and look with some apprehension at the doorway. Haruka took a few steps out into the hallway and looked in both directions.

"I know, I know," Sailorpluto said hastily. "But you have to trust us. You'll remember everything, soon." "Chibiusa," Sailorvenus said all at once. "Chibiusa's going to be born soon, Hotaru. Don't you want to be there to see it?"

Hotaru blinked. "Chibiusa..." she all but whispered. She gave her head a brief shake as if clearing unwanted thoughts away, and said more loudly, "I'll go."

Sailorvenus smiled a genuine smile of relief and traded looks with Sailorpluto. They had both heard Hotaru repeat Chibiusa's name, and knew she remembered their friendship. "Alright then, lets go!"

(...they're escaping!...) The hissing-whine of Chaos' mind shrieked through Sailorsaturn, sending her stumbling. Gripping a nearby table for support, she said aloud, "I know." (...they will meet up with the Warrior of Oceans!...) "I know," Sailorsaturn repeated, a trifle annoyed. "They will not meet without resistance." (...a handful of youma will not suffice! What sort of game do you play with them?!...) "This is no game I play," Sailorsaturn replied, a touch insulted. "The youma are not intended to stop them." She lowered herself carefully onto the crystal throne. (...I will not tolerate defeat. You mean nothing to me. Why do you wait? Kill them now!...) Sailorsaturn smiled. Chaos didn't know everything, apparently. "Because they're still bait. Hoshi hasn't given up on them and, even now, draws close to them. She is within the palace. I will have her head, and you will have revenge on the one who has repelled you for so long."

Quiet, delightful laughter filled Sailorsaturn's head as she sat back to wait. In a carefully guarded portion of her mind, she herself laughed at Chaos. The omnipotent opposing force in the galaxy? Sailorsaturn had problems believing it. Chaos was forced to depend on others, forced to work through them. Just as Chaos thought it was working through her, when, in actuality, she felt like she was in control. Chaos was nothing, not really. Nothing but a mad, power-hungry being who, quite often, did nothing more than mumble to itself about all the defeats it had suffered and about how this time things would be different. This time, things were going to be different, but not in the way Chaos expected.

Her right hand reached out and lightly brushed the glowing ginzuishou that appeared in the air beside her, thrilling both in the shock of pain that jolted her and in the knowledge of the pain she was causing the others.

Haruka grunted and almost fell as a bolt of pain shot through her chest. Around her, she heard the other senshi gasp as well. Sailorvenus whimpered. Hotaru fell to her knees. But, all at once, the pain was gone. Haruka looked at the others, who looked back in some trepidation.

"Sailorsaturn has the ginzuishou," Sailormars coughed painfully. Would these wounds never heal?

"Then why doesn't she kill us now? Right here?" Sailorvenus demanded, a ring of hysteria in her voice. "Why?"

"Because we're bait, I think," Sailorpluto spoke up quietly.

"For Michiru?" Haruka asked, almost hopeful. If they were still bait, then she was alive somewhere. It frustrated her that their bond was being blocked.

"Possibly," Sailorpluto replied. "Come, let's keep going."

Sailormercury took the lead again, thinking of the blips on the maps she had found before. Try as she might, she couldn't find it again, but instead used one similar to guide them out. The others slowly followed. Sailorjupiter was being carried by Sailorvenus, Sailormars beside Sailormercury, and Sailorpluto and Haruka bringing up the rear with Hotaru between them.

It wasn't long befor suddenly Sailorpluto let out a strangled cry and was flung aside. Haruka wheeled, but in the darkness she couldn't see anything. "We aren't alone!" she declared for the others then, with her henshin wand in hand, shouted, "Uranus Planet Power, MAKE UP!"

In an instant, Sailoruranus stood there, poised and ready to fight...what? Though her senses had been heightened by the transformation, she could see no one. Beside her, Hotaru moaned low in her throat, but Sailoruranus paid the girl no mind.

"Where is it?" Sailormars asked from the side of the hallway, standing over Sailorpluto as the senshi of Time regained her feet. Sailorjupiter had been propped beside Sailormars, her head lolling on her chest.

They were silent, looking and listening for their assailant. Then, all at once, Sailormercury ducked to one side. "Here!" she called. "Mercury Aqua Rhapsody!" Tendrils of frozen water circled and shot out from the senshi's hand. Not five feet from her, the water slammed hard into something. Sailormercury started to back away, but was flung into the air before she got far. She hit the ground painfully.

Sailoruranus sprang into action immediately. Drawing a shining blade from midair, she lept and swung at the place where Sailormercury had been moments earlier. "Space Sword Blaster!" The blade glowed blindingly as she swung and struck-nothing. With a clang, the sword bounced off the crystal floor and jarred Sailoruranus. "What the..?" she said through clenched teeth. "Nothing can be that fast!" Something tugged at the back of Sailoruranus' mind, but in the heat of the battle, she paid it no attention.

"Venus Love Me Chain!" A strand of glowing yellow hearts snaked out from Sailorvenus' hand and was soon joined by multiple others. They arced along the corridor and, as if with minds of their own, encircled themselves around something. A shadow among shadows, but it gave the others a point to attack.

"Burning Mandala!" Sailormars managed, burning rings of fire lancing out and striking the captive monster. There was a keening whine as it thrashed. Sailorvenus stumbled forward a few steps as the links of hearts jerked her forward.

"World Shaking!" Sailoruranus shouted, slamming an orange globe of energy at the monster. The keening was louder this time. Sailoruranus swore it sounded urgent. But the chains suddenly fell to the floor and dissolved, and silence descended on the corridor.

"It's gone," Sailorvenus said in some relief. She helped Sailormercury to her feet and was just starting to aid Sailorpluto when keening cries rang out all around them. More than one, and they were surrounded. The senshi bunched together in one tight circle.

"How do we fight something we can't see?" Sailormars muttered. She sounded nervous. Sailorvenus said nothing. She was wondering the same.

The keening wails grew closer and closer, and Sailoruranus was just preparing to lash out with her Space Sword when a voice rang out strong through the corridor.

"Submarine Reflection!"

Shimmering waves of light washed over them and illuminated dark, shapeless shadows all about them. As one, the keening cry rang out, almost painful to their ears. The shadows vanished.

A figure, bracing themselves on the wall of the corridor, stumbled towards them. "Michiru!" Sailoruranus shouted, dashing towards the figure.

"She found us..." Sailormars said in some relief mixed with wonder.

Sailoruranus paid her no mind. She could see the aqua hair, the teal senshi fuku, the Aqua Mirror held loosely in one hand. She couldn't see the face of her lover, but she knew she had found Michiru.

"Haruka..." Sailoruranus heard Sailorneptune say, though her face was still to the wall. She made an effort to draw herself upright and stand on her own as Sailoruranus slowed beside her. The other senshi following closely behind. It seemed to take great effort, but Sailorneptune turned her head from the wall. "Haruka..."

The senshi drew in a breath all at once at the sight of Sailorneptune with the exception of Sailormars who looked sad. The blood had dried and flaked off her skin, but the gash and mangled remains of her eye remained caked with blood. Her hair framing the left side of her face was matted with more blood. Beneath the blood, her face was pale and drawn, but remained faintly determined. "I would have been here sooner, but I was delayed..." she said, her tone wry. Though her tone was light, her expression was grim. "Those shadows aren't dead. There isn't any way to kill them that I can find. But I chased them off."

Sailoruranus took two steps forward and wrapped her arms around Sailorneptune. "I saw you die..." she said with a ghost of a smile. Her voice was filled with emotion.

"I saw you dying as well," Sailorneptune said, burying her face against Sailoruranus' shoulder. "I came to find you. The real you."

"Your face...are you alright?"

"Well enough. I can manage; for a while, at least."

Sailorneptune pulled away from Sailoruranus then, and faced the other senshi. She grew grim when she saw the unconscious Sailorjupiter, and the bruises around Sailormars' throat. Sailorpluto was studying her face with a mix of startlement and wariness. "What?" she asked of Sailorpluto.

Sailorpluto blinked. "Oh...nothing. I saw your injury...a while ago. But in a different scenario," she said slowly. "Nothing more."

Sailorneptune wanted to ask more, but right then, Hotaru stepped out from behind the group. Sailorneptune clenched her hands as Hotaru studied her closely. "Why?" Sailorneptune asked of the group while never taking her eyes off Hotaru. "Why is she with us?"

"Sailorsaturn brainwashed her," Sailorvenus spoke up hastily. "She doesn't remember anything. Michiru, she's one of us!"

Sailorneptune stared at the girl for another long moment before turning away. "Watch her," she said shortly. "She did this to me."

There was an uncomfortable silence before Sailormercury said quietly, "Lets go. I want to go home." The others silently took up their positions with Sailorneptune beside Sailoruranus. Hotaru said nothing in her defense.

Hoshi winced at the racket they made tramping through the damp underground passage, debating for the hundredth time the possibility of using her power to quietly sneak in. But she knew Sailorsaturn would feel her the moment she tried (if she didn't already). And she had to save every shred of her power for the enevitable confrontation. "Are you sure this is the right way?" Naoto asked once again. His patient tone was getting strained.

Hoshi spared the man a patient glare. She had met up with Naoto inside the passges beneath Crystal Tokyo. She had been just as startled to see him as he had been to see her, but in the end, they had decided to ban together. Hoshi looked back briefly at the hard-faced men trailing along behind her. All carried weapons and all knew how to use those weapons effectively. They were another reason she allowed Naoto to accompany her. One way or another, Chaos or Sailorsaturn, whatever she was, she would be defeated. She would save her mother and she would reclaim the ginzuishou. Or she would die trying.

Caught up in these thoughts, she stumbled over an uneven patch of ground and nearly fell before she caught herself. "Careful," Naoto said.

"Worry about yourself," she replied caustically. She was glad it was dark in this passage.

Naoto grunted unconcernedly. They walked in silence.

"Why are you here, Naoto?" Hoshi asked at last. "You were told to gather up the people and stay away from this place." She couldn't keep the puzzlement from her voice.

When Naoto didn't respond, Hoshi thought he was ignoring her. She was just drawing in a breath to repeat herself when he responded, "Loyalties."

Hoshi blinked. "Loyalty to who?"

"Haruka."

"But she's dead," Hoshi said bluntly.

To her surprise, Naoto chuckled. Just a little. "You have a lot to learn before you take the throne." Hoshi drew in an outraged breath, but Naoto continued as if he didn't notice. "Some things are more important than your life."

"Duty?" Hoshi asked. "The end of Sailorsaturn's life?"

"Killing her would make us no better than monsters."

At this, Hoshi missed a step. "What? But after all she's done to us! How can you say that?"

"Because its true." He had the patient tone of one speaking to a child.

"Then if that's not why you're here, what's the reason?" Hoshi asked. Almost acidly, she added, "Did you love Haruka?"

"No." Simple, and unemotional. "But I owed her my life and so I mean to help these new senshi."

"You have no chance against Sailorsaturn. This isn't your fight," Hoshi persisted. "You will die."

"Does dying bother you?" Naoto asked blandly. He might have been talking about the weather.

Hoshi glanced over at him, wishing she could see his face in the gloom. "I won't die until I've saved this world," she said lowly.

Naoto was silent for a bit. Finally, though, he said, "Do you want to do this to save everyone, or do you do this out of revenge?" Hoshi refused to respond. They walked on in silence, unaware of how close they were to their objective.

The group of senshi sat in silence against the walls. Water dripped steadily in the distance somewhere, reminding some of how long it had been since they had anything to eat or drink. As senshi, eating and drinking was always far from their minds, but dehenshined as they were, it was all they could think about. Almost. They had decided to dehenshin to conserve their waning energy. With the exception of Haruka, they had been their senshi alter-egos since arriving on this world, and the constant stress and strain of the heightened senses and perceptions was draining their energy. So they were resting.

"How much longer?" Minako asked.

"Just a bit," Setsuna responded. Her head was resting against the wall and her eyes were closed. "Just a bit..."

"It feels so much worse without being henshined..." Michiru murmered. Her head was resting limply on Haruka's shoulder. Her face was pale, even paler than it had been when she was henshined. Her wound seemed to take on an entire spectrum of angry reds, and if it wasn't for the piece of cloth she had ripped from her clothes pressed against it, it would have begun bleeding again.

"It will feel better when we henshin again," Ami said absently, caught up in examining Makoto. The brown-haired girl was awake again, moreso than she had been thus far, but in pain.

"How is she?" Haruka asked Ami.

Ami didn't respond right away as she gently probed the wound in Makoto's shoulder and carefully moving each of her limbs. Makoto winced when Ami touched her right arm, but obligingly moved it. A little. "Can you stand?" Ami asked Makoto briskly.

"Probably," she replied with a smile that was only partially strained. "But I'm not going to do it now. I have to save all my energy if I'm going to help."

Ami frowned. "You've lost a lot of blood, Makoto..." she said warningly. "We aren't going to fight if we don't have to."

"You will," a voice spoke up. Everyone turned to look at Hotaru. "Fight her, I mean. I can feel her still...she's close..." Hotaru dropped her eyes to her clasped hands.

"What is she planning, Hotaru?" Minako asked.

Hotaru shrugged, not looking up.

"You don't know? How can you know she's close and still not know what she's planning?" Michiru asked sharply. She tensed as if she were going to rise, but Haruka placed a hand on the top of her head. She relaxed, but only fractionally.

Hotaru raised her head stiffly. "I don't know. But she's close," she said cooly. The others looked at her warily, hearing in her voice the same person who had fought them. Hotaru looked away.

"Henshin everyone. We should get going," Setsuna said at last. Nobody questioned her, for they all knew the real reason she wanted them all transformed. Nobody trusted Hotaru like they used to. With a last wary look, everyone pulled themselves to their feet and henshined themselves in the blink of an eye. With the new power of their senshi selves surrounding them, they all looked worlds better. Even Sailorjupiter could hold herself upright without help, if only for a minute. Sailorpluto gave Sailormercury a nod, and the blue-haired senshi started off down the corridor. The corridor that had once been winding, dark, and uneven began to straighten and smooth. Set into the walls every few paces were large crystals that, while not glowing nearly enough to light the entire area, did cast small pools of radiance. They slowed their pace marginally, Hotaru's warning playing through their minds. As they walked, plaques of marble carved with reliefs of various scenes began appearing on the walls. One, a profile of the palace at the time of the Silver Millennium, caught all of their eyes as they passed.

Just as the silent group was wondering where the end would be, the walls opened up into a vast hall. The lighting crystals glowed brightly here and were placed more frequently, yet the high ceiling was still lost in shadow. Statues lined the walls leading up to one large statue of Neo-Queen Serenity smiling benevolantly and reaching out one hand. As the senshi slowly entered this huge room, they found that the other statues were of the senshi themselves. They looked older and more wise, their uniforms even more changed than the ones they wore now. Looking on themselves as they would (or might) be gave more than a few of them goosebumps, and nobody said anything until Sailoruranus on the far side of the hall suddenly said, "The Starlights."

The others joined her and found themselves looking into the faces of Starfighter, Starhealer, and Starmaker. Next to them, Princess Kakyuu looked solemnly down at them, looking even colder in marble. "But they went back to Kinmoku," Sailorjupiter said. "Why are there statues here?"

"A memorial, maybe," Sailorneptune said, looking to Sailorpluto for confirmation. The senshi of Time looked thoughtful, but said nothing. After a moment, the group moved downt he hall. They passed statues of Endymion and Helios without comment and was just approaching the statue of Serenity when the echoing reverberations of many footfalls caused them all to turn warily.

The footsteps pasued, and a lone figure appeared from a second doorway opposite the one they entered through. The senshi stirred as they recognized the red-haired Hoshi. Hoshi looked equally surprised to see them. They stood looking silently at each other.

"You broke free," Hoshi said at last, as if it weren't obvious. "I'm glad."

Sailorneptune snorted softly. To Sailorpluto, she said, "We're wasting time. Lets go."

Hoshi looked startled. "Go? But what about Sailorsaturn?"

"We've suffered enough," Sailorneptune shot back at once. "Sailorjupiter is gravely injured, as am I. We're exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and concerned about our own Queen. We're going home."

"Who is the coward now, Sailorneptune?" Hoshi demanded harshly. "You're going to run away and lick your wounds while we die!"

"Hoshi!" a new voice said sharply. Hoshi looked irritated as Naoto emerged from behind her. "This isn't their fight." He looked beyond Hoshi at the group of senshi. His eyes tighted briefly as he recognized Hotaru hanging back behind the group before coming to rest on Sailorneptune beside Sailoruranus. "You found your Haruka," he said.

Sailorneptune nodded once. "Yes. I'm sorry."

Hoshi looked from the senshi to Naoto and back again. "But...I need your help," she said at last. "Please." This last was barely audible.

"I'm sorry, but we can't," Sailorpluto said, unmoved. "We will leave now." She began moving forward, the other senshi following her. Sailorjupiter looked troubled, and said something softly to Sailorvenus as the blonde helped her walk. Sailorneptune heard the word 'Serenity' once. Sailorvenus looked first troubled, then dismayed.

"Fine," Hoshi spat. "Run. But if I fail, Sailorsaturn will come after you in your time. And she will be even stronger." This time, Sailorneptune saw Sailormercury look briefly thoughtful. Yet, they all kept walking. Naoto just stood off to one side and watched.

"Cowards," Hoshi sneered one last time. This time, Sailoruranus wheeled just as she was passing and drew a fist back. But just as she was preparing to deliver Hoshi a resounding blow to the face, dark laughter echoed around them and made Sailoruranus pause in the act.

"Yes. Cowards. They fear me, as they should!" Sailorsaturn's voice caused them all to tense and look about them. Hotaru moaned lowly in her throat. They saw nothing at first. After the echo of her words died away, there was silence. Then, with a resounding crack that caused them all to jump, the smiling head of Serenity pitched forward and smashed into a multitude of pieces on the ground. And there was Sailorsaturn, standing on the stump that had been the statue's neck and leering down at them triumphantly. "All in one place! You senshi make it so easy for me!" She leaped nimbly off the statue and regarded the tensed senshi cooly. "This will be easy," she said again, her eyes glinting cruelly.

"I have come to destroy you, Chaos," Hoshi declared before the others could react. Her red ponytail jerked and her eyes snapped angrily. "You'll pay."

Sailorsaturn threw her head back and laughed. "Such the princess. What about your mother? What would Chibiusa say hearing you talk like this?"

"Be quiet!" Hoshi yelled. "You used to be my mother's closest friend, Sailorsaturn! You don't deserve to use her name like that anymore!" She took in a deep, shuddering breath to control her temper then, and continued, "But you really aren't Sailorsaturn anymore. You've done too much, Chaos. You'll regret the suffering you've caused."

Fury twisted Sailorsaturn's features, and when she spoke, she spoke with the voice of another. "Sailorcosmos..." a deep dark voice hissed from Sailorsaturn's throat. "This is the last battle we fight." Darkness welled around Sailorsaturn who began twitching convulsively.

Hoshi was quick to respond. Without a word, without a phrase, without a flash of light, Hoshi changed. Her single ponytail was suddenly twin odangos, her white robes turned into a long, white, divided skirt and a white sleeveless body. A starburst graced her forehead, gleaming faintly silver in the dim room.

"Sailorcosmos..." Sailorpluto said softly. "And Chibichibi. Who else are you?"

Sailorneptune looked uncertainly at Sailorcosmos. "If you are...why are we here? What do you need with us?" she asked lowly.

Sailorcosmos fixed Sailorneptune with a cool look over her shoulder. "Your power."

Just then, a darkness fell on them all, a darkness so cold, that the senshi screamed in agony. Sailorneptune saw nothing, but she felt Sailoruranus collapse somewhere nearby. Her own legs gave way, and still she screamed. The cold was tearing her apart, breaking her down into pieces, unmaking her. She screamed. Chaos laughed. Sailoruranus suddenly vanished from Sailorneptune's mind. Their bond was broken, and only death would break a bond that tight. She howled in despair then, Sailoruranus' passing ripping an unfillable void in her. Time slowed. Her heart beat once. Twice. A third time. And then...nothing. She felt no pain, no cold from the outside. Instead, icy cold reached up from within her chest and seized her throat. She collapsed as well. Her mind, and her heart, was still.

Serenity screamed. Her scream trailed off into ragged breaths as people came running. Endymion shoved through them all and took Serenity in his arms. "Usako...Usako!" he said, shaking her gently.

Serenity looked at him as if looking at a stranger, then started shaking. "The senshi..." she said brokenly. "Ami...Rei...Minako...Makoto...Hotaru...Michiru...Haruka...Setsuna...dead! All dead...!"

Endymion rocked her, motioning the small crowd to leave them alone. He had been waiting for this. The senshi had been gone nearly a year, too long for everything to have gone according to plan. And now, somehow, he had to console a woman who had loved each and every one of the senshi just as fiercely as she loved him. And felt them die.

Haruka floated. She floated curled up. She thought about nothing at all. She had died, she knew this. Died, perhaps, for the last time. Maybe a new, different Sailoruranus would be chosen. Maybe.

"Do you know how your Trial came into play?"

Haruka heard the voice and started, but her eyes wouldn't open. "No. Tell me," she said instead. Or thought, rather. She found that she had no mouth to speak with.

"Hotaru turned against you in your Trial. You trusted her, and she decieved you."

Haruka accepted this. "And Michiru betraying me?"

"That wasn't true. That was a manifestation of your own doubts. Doubts you got from listening to Michiru and Setsuna talk that night."

Haruka was quiet. This was true. "I failed because I trusted the wrong person."

"Correct, ruler of Uranus. You have earned your title back, and are ready to proceed to the New Age, Eternal Sailoruranus."

"How do you know all this about me?"

"Because I am Sailorcosmos. I am a part of every senshi, and within me I know every senshi's own mind."

"Hoshi?"

"Yes?"

"Who are you?"

Haruka fell.

Setsuna waited patiently. She knew where she was and what had happened. She would be sent for, eventually. Curled up, she waited.

"You have passed your Trial, ruler of Pluto. You have earned the right to be reborn into the New Age, Eternal Sailorpluto."

"This entire ordeal? Was this my Trial?"

"Yes. It had to be, to properly test you."

"But it isn't over yet."

"Enough has ended. You have led the senshi successfully."

"Hoshi?"

"Yes?"

"When you Tested me before...who was the second voice?"

"Me. My Sailorcosmos self. I am two people, two souls, all in one. Hoshi isn't fully aware of me."

"Only two?"

Silence.

"Hoshi, who else are you?"

"I...."

Setsuna fell.

Curled up, Michiru was vaguely aware of an aching pain in her chest. She felt incomplete, yet she didn't care. She was dead. Peace at last.

"Ruler of Neptune, you've already passed your Trial. Do you know what it meant?"

"No."

"In your Trial, you shrugged aside personal feelings in favor of your duty."

"I had to kill Haruka. That was hardly fair."

"Yet, didn't it happen in a sense?"

"This Time's Haruka died at Sailorsaturn's hand. Not mine."

"Believe what you will, Eternal Sailorneptune."

"Hoshi?"

"Yes?"

"Who are you?"

"I am..."

Michiru fell.

Hotaru hung suspended. She didn't float calmly like the others, but rather waited fearfully. She was not sure who she was, but every now and then, brief flashes of memories surfaced in her mind. Hwo could she trust them though? They could be lies too.

"Ruler of Saturn."

"Yes?"

"You have failed your Trial, and are on the verge of failing your second chance. What do you have to say?"

"Who am I?"

"Hotaru. Sailorsaturn from the time the other senshi come from. They speak the truth."

Hotaru found that, now that Sailorcosmos had told her the truth, all of her false memories vanished. She knew who she was. What she was. What she had done. And she felt like weeping. "I see. So my Trial...that forshadowed this?"

"It warned you. You could have changed the outcome, knowing what was going to happen. You didn't have to accept the evil."

"What happens to me now?"

"I can stop Chaos with your help, Ruler of Saturn. But you cannot be afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Do you accept? I cannot tell you until you accept."

"Who are you, Hoshi? I recognize your voice from long ago..."

"I am...or was...Queen Serenity, ruler of the Moon. I was the first, so many thousands of years ago. Chaos had just emerged, and I was chosen to fight it."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Hoshi doesn't know, not the full story. She knows she knew you in a past life, but doesn't know from where. The carrier of Sailorcosmos rarely knows my past."

Hotaru paused then, to think, but she found she had already made her decision. "I accept. I'll do what you ask of me."

Hotaru listened long and listened carefully. She was afraid at first, but realized there was no other way. "I understand," she said at last.

Hotaru fell.

Sailorsaturn stood over the body of the senshi. Inside her, Chaos writhed and whined gleefully. She, however, was angry. They were dead, and their tiaras were lost to her. "Where is Hoshi?" she demanded of Chaos. It was suddenly still in her mind. (...she is not there?...) "No. The coward ran."

Chaos howled with mad rage in her mind. Sailorsaturn felt like doing the same. She turned away from the bodies. She would find her, find her and kill her, find her and-

"Michiru?" a voice croaked behind her. She wheeled and beheld an impossible sight

The senshi were alive. Resplendant in ruffled uniforms and tall white boots, they were picking themselves up off the floor. "How...?" she whispered. Then, Sailorcosmos stepped out of thin air, and she forgot all else but her rage.

"Haruka..." Sailorneptune murmered. Her hand went to her face, and found a healed scar. Her left eye was useless now, but somehow it didn't seem to matter. She looked down at herself, at a uniform that was alien to her, yet after its strangeness registered, it felt like she had been wearing it all her life. She was a senshi above all else, and the ruler of a planet next. A life without either seemed distant, a dream fading upon waking. "I remember everything. Everything from Neptune..." She drew in a shuddering sigh.

The senshi exchanged poleaxed looks. The inners in particular looked uncomprehending. Sailorneptune thought this might be because they hadn't had Trials. Or preparations. There would be explanations later, but not now.

"You revived the senshi so I could take their tiaras, Sailorcosmos. I should thank you," Sailorsaturn said, striding forward. Looking at her, Sailorneptune felt none of the fear and apprehension she had before. She looked at the other senshi, and saw that they looked as determined as she did. Together, they stared down Sailorsaturn.

Sailorsaturn paused upon seeing their resistance, and then laughed. "You'll be screaming soon enough," she said. She held out a hand. With a bloody flash of red light, the tainted ginzuishou appeared. Sailorsaturn flinched as it seized her chest, but then smiled in grim satisfaction as the senshi faltered. "You'll die. Here and now." Chaos' power flooded the ginzuishou, bursting outward at the senshi even as it seized and stabbed her own chest.

Sailorneptune went flying and came down hard, her heart beating so fast, she thought it might burst. But she picked herself up and retaliated. From her hand, tendrils of water spiralled out and entwined around Sailorsaturn and the ginzuishou, all without an attack phrase of any kind. It was almost second nature. Constricting tightly, they suddenly exploded in a flash of teal light, and Sailorsaturn howled. The other senshi soon followed suit as they picked themselves up and fought through the pain thudding in their chests. Varying attacks of varying colors slammed into Sailorsaturn alone, in pairs, until the senshi was on her knees still clutching the ginzuishou.

Panting, both from the torment her body had undergone and the rage filling her veins, Sailorsaturn breathed, "I won't lose...not here..." The ginzuishou glowed again, more brightly. This time, the senshi were floored.

Sailorcosmos came forward then. She took steps forward until she was close enough to touch the senshi crouched defensively on the floor. Sailorcosmos looked back once, her eyes resting on Hotaru who had remained untransformed through all this. "Hotaru," she said softly, her eyes grim. Then, she returned her attention to Sailorsaturn and, almost disdainfully, whipped her staff forward. Sailorsaturn went flying into the air, striking the body of the statue of Neo-Queen Serenity and crashing roughly to the floor.

Pain wracked her body. Licking her lips, Sailorsaturn tried to rise and found the pain too great. One by one, she felt the subtle walls she had built around Chaos to stop it from taking her over crumble. And she embraced the entity within her mind, looking for a release. Her last thought before Chaos annihilated her consciousness was, absurdly, Chibiusa.

Sailorsaturn lay still. They watched for long moments, before Sailoruranus started forward with her Space Sword drawn. The murderous look in her eyes told everyone what she intended. But, before she could act on her intention, inky blackness began leaking from Sailorsaturn's body once again, this time forming into something vaguely human. "Sailorcosmos..." it rasped.

Sailorcosmos whipped her staff once again, but this time it flew out of her hands and clattered beside Chaos. Sailorcosmos looked surprised, but her hands came together, and a sphere of energy slammed into Chaos. It laughed. Behind Sailorcosmos, the senshi exchanged looks. Their auras flared, and as they released their attacks, they combined into one giant beam of white energy. As it slammed into the inky blackness that was Chaos, a keening whine had them holding their ears as it cried in pain. "It's calling those shadow things!" Sailormercury said. They bunched together, with the exception of Hotaru. She stood looking at Sailorcosmos, even as a hundred answering cries echoed throughout the room.

"Hotaru!" Sailorvenus called. "Hotaru!" She didn't seem to listen.

Sailorcosmos advanced steadily on Chaos. Wave after wave, sphere after sphere slammed into the shifting black shape, until she was close enough to touch it. Snarling, an arm of blackness whipped out and grabbed her by the waist. She threw her head back and screamed, "Hotaru!"

The senshi fought against the unseen demons that had come after hearing Chaos' call, knowing that it was futile. The demons couldn't be killed, couldn't be stopped, and it seemed like none of their attacks were slowing them in the least. With unseen claws, they slashed gashes in the senshi's arms and legs, with invisible arms they struck blows that had the senshi almost to their knees. Yet none attacked Hotaru, and the only one who saw Hotaru's last look at them was Sailorneptune. Instinctively, she knew what she was going to do.

Hotaru yelled, "Eternal Saturn, MAKE UP!" Before the tainted feeling of her transformation had fully worn off, she was dashing at Chaos. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts and emotions, and she only vaguely recognized the sharp pain in her chest. The Timestream knew there were two Sailorsaturns here in this one time, and though one was almost certainly dead, it was working fast to eliminate the problem. Sailorcosmos' scream grew ragged as Chaos drew her closer. Hotaru knew that Sailorcosmos would be gone forever if Chaos swallowed her into that deep darkness, and it would be all over for all of them. For the universe.

The glaive in her hand grew warm as she began readying her attack. The only way this would work was if Sailorcosmos was still strong enough. She had said to have faith, but the consequences of failure were too great to ignore. Hotaru prayed everything would go as planned. Behind her, the senshi fought. They would die soon if she was not quick, die without rebirth at Chaos' hand.

Then, she was close enough, and she stopped thinking. Drawing her glaive back, she embedded it in Chaos' side. An arm snaked out to grab her, but she hurriedly yelled, "Death Ribbon Revolution!" And braced herself. The power consumed her and enveloped her body. She was dead before she knew if everything had succeeded.

The words rang out strong over the sounds of battle, and everything fell silent. The demons had vanished. Weakly, the senshi looked up just in time to see Hotaru's body vanish and violet black power rip apart Chaos. The ground shook alarmingly as the power raced out, but a silver dome sprung up on all sides. The power collided with the shield, and it flickered alarmingly. Once. Twice. And again. The senshi watched fearfully. Sailorneptune held Sailoruranus' hand.

The end never came. With a final bright pulse, the shield and the power that could tear apart worlds both vanished. Last remnants of what had been Chaos vanished in small clouds of greasy black smoke. There was silence. The senshi helped each other to their feet, saying nothing to break the silence. Sailorsaturn, and Chaos, had been defeated. But Hotaru had died, and so had Sailorcosmos. It seemed almost empty. They looked at each other sadly, unsure of what to say.

"What now?" Sailormars asked finally. "I...want to go back, but we can't just leave...Queen Usagi is mad, and with Hoshi dead-"

"I'm...not dead..." a weary voice interrupted her. Sailorcosmos appeared then, the ginzuishou nestled in one hand. "Or, rather, Hoshi isn't. As for me...it is time I find a new carrier. I need to regain strength for the time when Chaos returns."

"Is Hotaru dead?" Sailorjupiter asked. She seemed to be almost completely healed, though she held the arm that had been wounded carefully. "If you're alive, is she?"

"No. This was her atonement. She failed her Trial and nearly killed everyone, and this was the only way."

Sailorvenus sagged. "Serenity will be heartbroken..." she whispered. They had all known deep inside that the girl had been lost, but to hear it spoken aloud only made things worse. Sailormars' head bowed, and Sailormercury was openly crying against Sailorjupiter's chest.

"Is the ginzuishou alright?" Sailorpluto spoke up then. Her voice was emotionless, her face expressionless. The other two remaining outers betrayed no more emotion than she did.

Sailorcosmos held it out. It sat quietly in her palm, all silvery crystal and no trace of the reddish taint. "It is. The tiaras have returned to the ginzuishou as well. New senshi will be reborn to replace the old," she said. "Everything will be as it should be, given a few years."

They looked at Sailorcosmos. Sailorcosmos looked back at them. "I must go back to Hoshi," Sailorcosmos said at last. "She won't remember all of what has happened here, but she will know we have won."

"Wait," Sailorpluto said sharply. "You never did answer my question. Who are you?" The other two outers stiffened and stared expectantly at her.

Sailorcosmos looked at them for long moments before saying finally, "It wouldn't be wise to tell you. The one who knows died." Here, she stared at Sailorpluto and said abruptly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not having the energy to send you too. I've been waiting to say that."

Sailorpluto frowned in puzzlement, but then, all at once, her eyes widened. "It isn't possible..." she said, awed. She made as if to bow, but Sailorcosmos interrupted her sharply, "No. Not anymore." Sailorpluto straightened reluctantly, her eyes shining almost as if she were on the brink of tears. The other senshi looked between Sailorpluto and Sailorcosmos in some confusion, but were wise enough not to demand answers. Sailorcosmos turned away then, but her eyes fell on a limp form on the ground. She knelt down next to it. "Naoto. The least I can do for Hoshi is revive him," she said, almost to herself. With one hand on the dead man's forehead and the other pressed against her chest, her eyes closed, and both hands glowed brightly. Naoto's chest heaved once, and with a cough and a great intake of air, he lay limply on the floor and breathed shallowly. Sailorcosmos rose, and with a last look at the gathered senshi, simply vanished.

Where Sailorcosmos had been only moments before, Hoshi sank to the ground beside Naoto. The senshi rushed to her side, and with Sailormercury supporting her, Hoshi's eyes fluttered open. "We won," she said weakly with a small half-smile. "Thanks to you. I'm...sorry for everything. Please, believe me..."

Sailorneptune and Sailorpluto exchanged looks as the inner senshi reassured Hoshi that everything was forgiven. They held each other's gaze for a long moment before looking off in different directions. So many things had been thrown in their face, that they weren't sure what to believe anymore. Sailoruranus squeezed Sailorneptune's hand reassuringly, and the aqua-haired woman smiled faintly. At least one thing was still sure.

Hoshi's head turned in the direction of where Naoto lay, and she found the energy to say scornfully, "So...he made it through too. I give him credit. Obstinate as he is." Sailorcosmos' words about owing it to Hoshi to keep this man alive suddenly made sense in the senshi's minds, and more than a few of them had to hide smiles.

They stayed just long enough to ensure that both Hoshi and Naoto were alright. Though the palace was broken and the sky outside still a threatening, if slightly lighter, shade of black, Hoshi assured the senshi that everything would be fine.

"Mother just needs some time, I think," Hoshi said to them the day after. The ruler of Crystal Tokyo had been found where Sailorneptune, Sailorjupiter, and Sailormars had discovered her last, crying softly to herself. Upon seeing Hoshi, she had very nearly gone into hysterics, but eventually she had cried herself into an exhausted sleep. "When she realizes that there's still hope, she'll come around."

The senshi didn't argue. They wanted to go back to their own time too badly to put up much resistance. So, on a day almost a month since first arriving in the world on the edge of disaster, without fanfare or fond farewells, Sailorpluto opened up a gate back to the past. Without looking back, one by one, the senshi entered. Just as Sailorpluto herself was about to pass through, Hoshi touched her arm. "Thank you," she said again. Sailorpluto smiled what she hoped was a comforting smile and made an obligatory response before pulling away and stepping through the gate. She let it close behind her.

Neo-Queen Serenity watched with a fond smile as King Endymion dandled the two-year-old Usagi on one knee. The girl could toddle around, albeit unsteadily, and was able to speak small phrases and words. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Serenity could already see some of the Chibiusa she knew in the small child.

The kingdom-her kingdom-was practically running itself. After their intial fear and awe had worn off, her people worked long and hard at whatever task they were given. They had witnessed the end of the world, and were determined to live this second chance they had been given the best they could. She was the ruler of a prosperous kingdom in a nearly dead world. Not totally dead, for she was in regular contact with those that had survived in China via people chosen to travel between the two. The amount of people she had saved was much larger than she had originally thought, but when compared to the amount lost...

Serenity banished that thought. It wasn't worth thinking about. There were other worries, like why new senshi hadn't been reborn again yet. She knew they hadn't, for she would be able to feel them growing and maturing. "Don't think too hard, Usako," Endymion said mildly, still bouncing the child on his knee. Usagi grinned a crooked grin and laughed every time he bounced her especially high. "You're frowning."

Serenity smiled faintly. "Am I?" she said absently. "There's much to think about."

"Not so much that it has to intrude on our private time together," he said. He lifted Usagi off his leg and set her carefully down on her feet. "Down you go. Go see your mother."

Obediantly, the two year old began the long trek across the room to her mother, stopping only occasionally to balance herself. She had gotten no more than halfway when a bright line opened up into a gateway just in front of the child. The suddeness of the appearance made Usagi stumble back and fall on her bottom in surprise. Endymion was on his feet and just catching the girl up in his arms when people began coming through. Serenity stood slowly on shaky legs, staring down at the ones she had thought dead.

The senshi stared up at their Queen standing on the dais before, with a muffled sob, Sailorvenus flung herself at Serenity. The other inners followed, embracing Serenity tightly. Serenity hugged back, only partially aware of what was going on, even as the inners were all crying and talking at once. "Back off!" Sailorjupiter demanded. "Give her some room!" She could see Serenity beginning to crack at the shock of seeing them, and she would rather die than see Serenity reduced to the half-coherant Queen of the future. The senshi obligingly backed off then, tears shining in their eyes.

"You're alive...!" Serenity finally managed. Relief and sublime joy filled her face, and she held her arms out. The senshi, laughing, piled into the Queen's arms. The outer senshi hung back. They smiled faintly at the inner senshi's exhuberance, but didn't take part themselves. Too much had happened, and they were tired.

"We thought you were dead," Endymion said from behind the three and made them all turn. His eyes widened at the sight of Sailorneptune's face, and he asked, "What happened to you all this time?"

They hesitated. Sailorneptune looked away, a hand unconsciously rubbing her scar. Sailoruranus looked down at the floor. Sailorpluto came forward and fingered Usagi's sugar-pink hair. At her touch, Usagi reached out her chubby hands and said in the urgency of all two-year-olds: "Up!"

Sailorpluto complied with a small smile. "She's so large," she said, holding Usagi as the girl played with the star adorning the body of her uniform. "How long have we been gone?"

"About two and a half years," Endymion replied grimly. "Was this planned?"

Sailorpluto watched the girl she held. In the background, she heard the inner senshi still talking with Serenity. "No. We were only gone a month, according to our time," she replied absently. "Travelling in time is tricky even under the best of circumstances."

"Neptune. Uranus. Pluto." Serenity's voice rang out strong, and the three turned. Sailorneptune tried to shield her scar, but in the end just let her hand fall to her side. Serenity looked sad. "Where's Hotaru?" she asked quietly.

Silence. The four inners quietly retreated back to where Sailorneptune, Sailoruranus, and Sailorpluto stood. If the outers were to be judged, they would be as well. "Gone," Sailorneptune said at last. "She died...to win the battle."

Serenity's expression never changed. "You won then? What of Sailorsaturn? Is she...?"

"Chaos inhabited her," Sailorpluto responded. "She was too far gone to save. I'm...sorry, my Queen."

Serenity's eyes closed, and she seemed to be trying to compose herself. "Did you try?" she asked, still with her eyes closed.

"Yes," Sailoruranus said at once. "There was no choice."

Serenity's response was long in coming. As the seconds ticked by, the senshi exchanged uncertain looks. Was Serenity truly going to judge them? Finally, though, her blue eyes opened and she smiled down at them. "I'd like to know what happened, but...not now. For now, I'm grateful you returned. Welcome home."

The senshi looked relieved, and Sailorvenus went so far as to laugh. In Sailorpluto's arms, Usagi turned and looked up into her face. When she was sure that she had the older woman's full attention, she said, "Puu?"

That was all it took. The senshi, the Queen, and the King all burst out laughing, while Usagi stared in some bafflement at them all. They laughed until they cried, and when they finally stopped, they knew they truly were home.