She lay still as she could, silent, feigning sleep; at her side, the small girl clutched to her hand, though both pairs of eyes turned as the door to the bedroom slowly opened. Blue eyes were not surprised at the faces they saw, instead she merely turned her head back, lids sweeping closed against azure irises. Her mother's voice filtered in, distant cheerful words she didn't care to make out. Chibi Chibi's little laugh floated along as she skipped from the room, past the three forms who all still stood in the doorway.

It was no surprise that they found her in such a state. Seiya's mind drifted back to the worried look her mother wore when she spoke of her child; it was obvious that Usagi's family knew nothing of her other life, but the woman clearly could see something was going on. Stepping over the threshold, Yaten softly closed the door, and they stood side by side at her bedside, silent, unsure of what to say, nor what to do. How did one offer the young woman any sort of comfort? She had watched every one of her guardians, her friends, and even her lover, die before her own eyes. She had witnessed Galaxia stealing their Star Seeds, destroying their physical bodies, leaving her alone. "I remember now…" Her soft vocals hardly reached their ears; Seiya started, her heart aching as she watched the young woman tremble upon the bed. Tears were filling her eyes, spilling down the sides of her face as she fell back into silence.

At the airport… Right in front of my own eyes… Usagi reached her hands up, palms coming to rest over her open eyes. I suppressed my own memory because I didn't want it to be true… "She laughed as Mamo-chan… Venus and Mars… Mercury and Jupiter…" Her voice shook, her heart broken as she relived each moment yet again. So many thoughts, so many feelings… Usagi forced herself upright, a hand reaching up to wipe away the remnants of her anguish. She had to be strong. "So that was Galaxia?"

Seiya's face darkened at the name, but she nodded. "Yes, she's probably your strongest enemy yet." She spoke honestly, somewhat surprised by the dark, yet determined look that came to rest upon Usagi's typically soft features. She was full of anger, of hate even, and it made her frightening. Seiya could only imagine her power levels in such an emotionally charged state.

"Where is she? Where is Galaxia?" Usagi found herself asking, hands gripping the covers on either side of her body. "If she's a Senshi, why does she attack us?" If they were all Senshi, why couldn't they work things out? Why couldn't they understand one another? Be friends? How could a true sailor Senshi do the things that Galaxia had done? And more than anything else… Why her… Why her friends?

"It's not just you…" Taiki spoke up next, pinning the young woman with her intense stare. "Galaxia is after all of the Senshi in the galaxy." A sigh, a few beats of silence. "Maybe she wants to rule over all of the Senshi…" All of the Senshi…? Usagi had never known… Had never thought… There were more of them? More soldiers like her own nine?

"Yes, just like us." Seiya spoke once more, her dark eyes finding Usagi's. "Our princess and star was attacked by Galaxia."

Usagi felt chills race down her spine, forcing her arms up, to run up and down her own upper arms. "Tell me… What happened to Mamo-chan and the others?" She took a deep breath, preparing herself for the answer she already knew.

"They're dead as humans," Yaten answered first, always the blunt one, always the harsh one. But she was surprised to see the golden-haired woman did not even flinch. Her eyes grew wide but she did not falter, as if she had already known her friends were gone. "Their flesh may be dead… But life is within a Senshi's sailor crystal. That power will never die!" Usagi began to weaken then, her hands rising up to her mouth, her shoulders curving inward as she closed her eyes. "That's why Galaxia is after the sailor crystal."

"Enough!" Luna jumped down, Artemis beside her. "That's enough, you should go." The cat commanded, her eyes narrowing as they fell upon the Three Lights. Silent, the three turned to go, but as she turned away, the sight of an incense burner caught Seiya's eye. It was warm, it was familiar… It was… Princess? She wondered to herself if it was too good to be true.

"Sailor Moon?" She turned back to the young woman, who lifted her face to him, cheeks tear-stained, blue eyes shining like gems. "This is where Galaxia is," she flung a card across the room, where Usagi caught it, her fingers turning it over and over, eyes widening slightly.

She looked up, but the three had already gone, the door closing in their wake. Returning her gaze to the card she held, she felt her heart twist, her stomach in knots. A large, burning star… A galaxy…? A small gasp and she looked up, tears falling from her eyes as she slowly came to a realization. The cards I received, they never were from Mamo-chan… They were from Seiya…

[ x x x ]

"Come back to our place…"

She had followed behind the three, listening to the cats breathing and the soft murmurs of their voices. They led her to an upscale apartment building, one even grander than those Ami and her mother lived in. She could not help but to admire the beauty of the building upon entering; following the three up a few floors, she found herself hesitant in the doorway which the Three Lights entered. As she peeked into the room, she held a little tighter to the warm bodies of her feline friends. Blue eyes widened at the sight of a young woman, hair brilliantly red with eyes to match. Usagi felt her breath catch, awestruck by both her beauty and the warmth of the aura around her. "Who are you?" Her voice was shaking slightly, her eyes never leaving the redhead's beautiful face.

"My name is Kakyuu," she responded, her voice sweet, her smile radiant as she turned towards her. Kakyuu had felt the shining light of the young woman long before she had set her eyes upon her. This young woman, this girl, there was no mistaking who she was. That warm, shining light… "I am Kakyuu, first princess of the planet Kinmoku." She dropped to her knees before her, head bowed, hands clasped as she offered reverence to the girl who would someday rule them all. "You'll have to excuse their rude behavior," she then said, raising up her head to offer yet another smile. "These three are the guardians of Kinmoku." She explained with a giggle, her expression soft and bright. But then her face sobered and she bowed once more, her voice soft as she spoke yet again. "It's nice to meet you, Sailor Moon… No, the Silver Millennium's next queen, Neo Queen Serenity."

Usagi felt chills race down her spine at the sight of the woman down before her, as if she were truly a reigning queen. "How do you know about me?" She asked, surprised that one from another planet knew of her existence, especially when she herself had never known of any other Senshi in the galaxy.

Rising back to her feet, Kakyuu offered the shocked young woman an encouraging smile. "This solar system's strong and beautiful soldiers are admired across all of the galaxy." When you took Prince Endymion's hand and showed the glory of a new Silver Millennium… That power was felt all across the universe, traveling through time. "Such a wonderful feeling of love, peace, and justice…" Kakyuu reached out her hand, to gently touch Usagi's, her warmth spreading at even the slightest of touches. "I've wanted to meet you for a long time."

She could not help but to blush at the Princess' words, her cheeks growing warm with the crimson flush. "Thank goodness they're still alive," Kakyuu then expressed, her attention turning to the three guardian cats that had been placed atop the grand bed across the room. "Their star seeds have powers similar to your sailor crystals. I'm glad that they're okay." Relief spread through all of Usagi's being at her words; that meant… that meant Luna and the others would be okay! They would live.

"Princess," both women turned to Seiya, who dropped to her knee before them, head bowed and eyes closed. "The enemy retreated without completing her mission. Her mind must not be under complete control."

At her words, Kakyuu's eyes darkened, her expression turning stony as her head bowed. But then she looked up and over to Usagi, pinning her with that same gaze; those were eyes that had seen destruction. Those were eyes that had witnessed death. And Usagi had no idea that her own eyes reflected the very same feelings. "You must help us. The galaxy is in grave danger. Galaxia started attacking planets where Senshi resided. Their sailor crystals were stolen, their planets destroyed. She began to collect those with ambition for power and she created an empire called Shadow Galactica." A soft sigh escaped and Kakyuu turned away, her lids sweeping closed over her brilliantly colored eyes. "Those who attacked you before were not true Senshi, but only controlled by the power of Galaxia's bracelets. Their spirits have been bent to fulfill Galaxia's dark ambitions."

Her heart was thumping hard within her chest; blue orbs watched as the princess took a few steps across the room, to sink down upon an ornate bench, her head slightly bowed. "Galaxia attacked your home planet… and it was destroyed?" The words tumbled from her lips before she could stop them, but Kakyuu's expression did not change, did not falter. Instead, she merely looked up at her, silent for several long moments.

"Sailor Galaxia is a warrior of destruction. When she attacks a planet, she does not stop until every living thing is destroyed." Kakyuu fell silent once again, flashes of the memories hitting her all at once. Her hands rose up, covering her face, her anguish evident as she fought the memories away. To see your home destroyed… She couldn't bring herself to voice such a thing, to face the memories. No, she couldn't. not right then. Standing back up, she faced the golden-haired girl, their eyes meeting. "But all of that… It was all just a warm-up. Galaxia's final target is… You."

"Why… Me…?"

"Because you hold the most powerful sailor crystal: the ginzuishou."

It's always my fault… My crystal is always the heart of so much destruction, I'm always dragging people into my problems… This was far from the first time someone had tried to acquire her crystal. This was hardly the first time she'd witnessed her friends dying for her to live. At her sides, her hands clenched into fists, fingernails digging into her palms. "Where is Galaxia?" She asked, her tone flat, hands still at her sides. "She has my friends' crystals! I have to get them back!" One fist unfurled, reaching up instead to clutch at her compact, the cool steel calming against her racing pulse. "I must face Galaxia!"

For several seconds, Kakyuu studied the Senshi before her; gone was the fear, the anguish, replaced instead with a passionate determination. This girl would do as she claimed. "Then I will lead the way," she said simply, ignoring the exclamation from her own guardians. "Sailor Moon is the only one who can save us." Kakyuu reached for the girl, taking her hands and squeezing them gently. "Galaxia is at the center of the galaxy."

The center of the galaxy!?

[ x x x ]

She could not help but to cry as Yaten spoke, the pain of losing her friends all the more real with her new understanding of the sailor crystal. Her hands slid over her face as she quietly sobbed, hating herself all the while. This was the time to be strong, to be brave… But in truth, she was scared and weak. She was nothing without her friends, without Mamoru. Their bodies gone, their souls stolen… But she would gain them back. She heard the door open and then close and then felt the tentative touch of a hand as Seiya slid her arm around her shoulders. "I'm alright, I won't cry anymore." Her hands fell away, her blue eyes swollen, red rimmed, but empty. "The battle with Galaxia awaits."

Have you… Always carried a burden on your wing? Seiya wondered as the young woman's pain turned to courage. "Princess Kakyuu…" She began softly, speaking on when she felt eyes upon her. "Also lost her love to Galaxia," Seiya heard her soft gasp and she slid off the bench and onto the floor at her feet. Reaching out, she took Usagi by the hand, lifting it to her lips. "Sailor Moon… No matter what danger awaits us, we will stay by your side and protect you."

Tears flooded her eyes as did relief and a smile wobbled on her lips. "Thank you…" If I wasn't a sailor Senshi, then I'd never have met my friends, she thought as Yaten's words came back to her. A Senshi's power comes from the sailor crystal and that power will live on forever. "I wish our bodies could live forever too," she spoke softly, eyes down turned, her thoughts still racing. if the ginzuishou didn't exist, then I'd never have been born…

Seiya remained silent, heart beating wildly as she looked upon the sad, lonely young woman. For all her courage and strength, it was evident that she was hurting. Unable to stop herself, Seiya leaned in, briefly touching her lips to Usagi's; several moments later and she pulled back, a small smile appearing. "Just reborn again," she said again, amused by the shocked look that had fixed itself upon Usagi's pretty features. Rising up, she tossed a smile over her shoulder as she reached for the door. "Come on, it's late. I'll take you home."