A/N: This is my first Sailor Moon fic ever. It's set after Sailor Stars and
during the reign of the Neo Queen Serenity (aka future Sailor Moon) Please
be slightly gentle, since this is my first one ever.. I hope I got
everything right (I should have) but tell me if I didn't.
I don't own Sailor Moon.. because I'm poor. So there. Don't sue. ( Most importantly, Enjoy!
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Neo Queen Serenity sighed, content. She looked at the crystal chapels of her capital city, its broad viewscape glorious against the sun's rays. The way the lights twinkled reminded her of the imperial crystal and what it did for all the inhabitants of Earth.
How she loved this small blue planet. It seemed like ages ago that she'd been that awkward teenager with the 'meatball-headed' hair that had cried in the face of battle. She smiled, holding back a laugh with her hand. How immature she'd been in those days long gone.
It was too bad that Luna, Artemis, and their daughter could not be here. She'd send them on a mission to try and create a trade route between her kingdom and the one where the Starlights lived. She'd have bet anything that Artemis was jealous the whole time they were there, remembering Luna's crush on Yaten when they'd been here last.
A sound from behind her caught the Queen's attention. Turning, she smiled as she beheld her beautiful daughter. Small Chibi-usa had finally grown into her womanhood, her form now supple and her soul as pure as the new fallen snow in winter. Smiling, Serenity opened her mouth to speak.
"What is it, my child? What ails you?"
"Nothing, mother," Usagi said, her light pink waves of hair falling down her back. She smiled. "Actually, I was wondering what you were out here looking at."
The older woman smiled. She turned to face her gorgeous planet once more. "I was just looking at a glorious world and thinking how well it's turned out." She looked into the far distance, the gentle sun's rays starting to fall beneath the plane of the Earth, the moon slowly coming into view. Serenity's eyes sparkled.
"We'd better go inside. We wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting."
"For what, mother?" young Usagi asked, looking at her mother, smiling in anticipation.
"For your debutante, of course. You know perfectly well what night it is," she smiled, then reached out to stroke a strand of her young daughter's pink hair. "Now, shall we get ready, so that you may see the suitors? I know you're very anxious to get into your dress and all."
The pink-haired princess smiled, and glided in front of her mother, her footsteps light and excited. Serenity shook her head. For being a thousand and twenty years old, her daughter still acted as though she were twelve sometimes.
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Down within the confines of a moldy sewer basement, where the glow of daylight never reached, a young woman was smiling also with anticipation. Her dark red eyes were sparkling in the glow of the electric lamps that she used to light her way in the dark underbelly of the city above.
It had been many years since any villains had created any plans, as the Neo Queen Serenity protected her world with a fierce determination. But as of late, the Queen had seemed to have shirked in her duties, leaving small pools of decay to form in unseen parts of cities and towns upon her planet.
Hands made busy work as the woman continued her job. Finally, when all seemed to be complete, she sat back and viewed her work. She'd had to keep all the parts of the newly-formed crystal apart until tonight. Tonight, when the Queen's concentration would be elsewhere, on her daughter, Neo Princess Serenity. The King would also be wrapped up in the festivities.
Fanged teeth formed themselves into a grin. The timing could not be more appropriate. At a festival for celebration, the neo white moon kingdom would fall, and then the neo dark kingdom would rise upon its ashes.
She'd waited years and years for her time to be reborn. But finally, Queen Beryl had found herself back on Earth. It had been some time before she'd become aware of her true identity, but that was all right. If she'd been born earlier or later, she wouldn't have had this opportunity.
Beryl would choke the life out of the new moon kingdom. And once she had control, no one would be able to stop her. Not Sailor Moon, not her daughter, not even the old Tuxedo Mask. Too many years of idleness would teach the Royal Court what could happen if you left your back turned for more than a minute.
And boy, would they learn.
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"Here?"
"No, lower."
"Here?"
"No! Lower! My goodness, Lena! Can't you get it right?"
Rei, also known as the Neo Princess of Mars, and former Sailor Mars, ran up to where Neo Princess Jupiter stood, fixing flowers on a banister. The fire-blessed woman turned a rose a quarter to the left, then stood back, nodding.
"Perfect."
"That's where it was a second ago, Rei!"
The brown haired maiden finally threw her hands up into the air and sat down at a nearby chair. She sighed as she looked up at Rei, who was standing back to inspect her handiwork.
"It looks good, guys!" Minako, the Neo Princess of Venus said, walking into the chambers to inspect the girls' work. "I really like the touch of the pink roses. Whose idea was it?"
"Mine," Lita said, rising once more to smile and give her friend Minako a hug. "Where have you been, stranger?" She looked Mina-chan up and down. She was dressed elegantly, as usual, in her finest. Lena sighed. She could never pull off anything like Minako did.
"I had to make sure that everyone in my household was set before I left." She glanced around the room, seeing the beautiful fruits of Lena's garden adorn the walls in beautiful patterns. She smiled, seeing Rei step down from where she'd been standing.
"Is everyone here yet?" she asked the raven haired woman.
"Not quite. I know that Hotaru is helping young Usagi to get dressed. Michiru and Hakura are somewhere around here. But I don't know where Setsuna and Ami-chan are." Rei turned as she heard footsteps come down the hallway.
"Speak of the devil," Minako smiled, seeing Setsuna, Michiru, and Hakura come into the banquet hall. The couple was dressed appropriately, Michiru in her formal gown, Hakura in a suit. Setsuna walked behind the couple, her steps careful and paced. She smiled when she saw the rest of the former sailor scouts.
"Hello, everyone," she said in her melodic voice. She smiled when she saw the pink flowers outlining the banister. "I can't wait to see how our small lady looks. I know Our Lady said she was looking forward to this day."
"Yes, I can't wait to see how our chibi kitten looks." Hakura said, smiling as she held her love's hand. "I still remember Serena and Mamoru's wedding. It was so beautiful.. and now our small lady is growing up.. It nearly makes me to have little ones of our own, Michiru."
Michiru looked up at her love. "Nearly?"
"I think we should wait another thousand years before we decide, love," she said, and kissed her beloved's hand.
"Ah-hem. If you two lovebirds could focus on the present.." Minako said, shaking her finger at the duo, and then pointing to the decorations. "Did you see the hard work Lita and Rei did? Chibi Usagi is going to have quite a debutante."
Setstuna gave Minako a withering smile, then looked around. "I don't see Ami-chan around here yet- did any of you hear from her?"
Rei shook her head. "No, I haven't heard anything. Did any of you hear from her? I know she was coming.."
"Perhaps she's late."
"Perhaps."
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Ami Mizuno frantically typed away on her computer. Even though she was already fifteen minutes late to young Usagi's debutante, she showed no signs of leaving soon.
About twenty minutes ago, Ami had started getting readings from her age-old darkness detecting equipment. Ami smiled grimly to herself. She'd been thinking about shutting off her old Mercury Computer the other day. Now she was glad she hadn't.
Small wisps of darkness were starting to form in a corner of the city. The patterns of magic seemed familiar, but Ami couldn't put the pattern together. Her fingers flying, she tried to fit it all together. When nothing else showed up, Ami sighed and stopped typing, looking at the clock.
Picking up the computer, she slipped it into her purse and stood up, realizing that she'd kept her transport man waiting for fifteen minutes. Sighing, she stood up, and pushed her blue hair behind her ears. Hopefully she wouldn't need the computer. Hopefully.
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Beryl smiled. The super smart Ami Mizuno had nearly caught onto her. Luckily enough, Beryl knew social pressure well enough to say that she was probably on her way to the Crystal Palace.
The dark crystal glowed with an inner darkness that none could compare to.
"It's time." Beryl smiled with contentment as the dark energy started to pulsate through her body. This mortal form was too weak, anyways. She was done with it now. All she'd had it for was a convenient means to revenge.
Beams of dark light began to break through the mortal woman's skin. Her eyes turned a dark red and a pair of dark red wings started to protrude from her back. A smile took hold of her face. A dark laugh escaped from the newly scaled lips, and Beryl smiled.
"I hope you're ready, Neo Queen Serenity. No longer do you have to deal with Queen Beryl. It's Demon Beryl now."
Her dark laughter ran behind her as she started to fly towards the castle. In approximately half an hour, this world would be hers. In half an hour, Beryl would have her immortal revenge.
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"Are you excited?"
"Yes and no.. I wish I didn't have to get all dressed up just to be introduced to boys like this." Pink haired Usagi looked in the mirror, and smiled. She turned to her friend Hotaru.
"I don't know how you do it, Hotaru.."
"I had some work in there, too, daughter," Serenity said, laughing, and she walked over and hugged her daughter. "I'll be waiting downstairs with the rest of the guests. I know you'll do me proud." With that, the Queen majestically left the room, leaving her daughter and her best friend alone.
"She certainly has a presence, doesn't she?" Usagi said, sighing. "I'll never be able to do that. Thank goodness that won't happen for a long time."
"Don't worry! You're just nervous! Don't let stupid things in the far future get to you now!" Hotaru went behind her friend and hugged her friend's shoulders. "We're going to have fun tonight- you're going to meet some eligible bachelors, and the ones you don't like are all mine!" She winked, and the royal Princess laughed.
"You're right. I'm just nervous, that's all. A debutante doesn't happen every day." She fiddled with her bangs, and then faced her best friend. "They've got to be waiting down there. How about we go down now?"
"Let's." Hotaru said, and the two young women walked down the stairs towards the hall, excitement filling their night.
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"Ami better have a good explanation when she gets here," Lita said, pacing the floor, looking at the hallway. Makato was right behind her, sitting and watching the guardian of Jupiter spout her steam.
Just then, the Mercurian guardian walked in the door in all of her royal blue entirety. She smiled nervously, seeing all her friends and all the royalty standing with slightly impatient airs. Coughing nervously, she sauntered over to where the other planetary guardians stood.
"Well.. was the transport late, or..?" Mars started angrily, but suddenly Neo Queen Serenity appeared from the stairwell. She held Neo Princess Mars back with a hand and smiled at the Princess of Mercury.
"I'm sure Ami has a good explanation. Please, calm down. I'm sure we can find out what that explanation was at the end of the debutante." Ami looked grateful to Serenity, then remembered the odd readings she'd had on the computer earlier that night.
"Serena- I-"
"Hush," Setsuna said, motioning with her finger to her lips. "Here comes our Young Lady."
Surely enough, Princess Usagi was coming down the stairwell, glorious in her white formal princess gown. Mamoru was escorting the young lady on his right side, beaming with pride at his gorgeous daughter. He glanced halfway down the stair at the love of his life, the Neo Queen Serenity.
There were tears in her eyes. All the other guardians held their hands to their mouth, in awe of the young princess's beauty.
Suddenly, Ami's eyes grew in diameter as a certain alarm triggered in her pocket. Afraid to see what it was, Ami opened up the computer in her pocket, and typed a few commands. When she saw what was coming, she panicked.
"Neo Queen Serenity-"
Serena turned and looked at Ami. "Wha.. What's the matter?"
"We've got to transform."
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Beryl's eyes had turned completely blood red, her nostrils flared in anger. She held the jewel before her eyes, its dark rays diffusing all the light that tried to surround the demon.
"I will have my revenge, my sweetling! I will kill you for all that you've done! I will take away all that you love, all that you cherish.. I will take your life!"
The demon's human side was nearly all gone, the skin nearly all peeled away to release a layer of thin fur. She clutched her gem with one hand, the other held itself in a fist, her claws ripping into her flesh. She bled freely, her hands soon covered with the oil of her body.
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"What? Ami, have you gone mad?" Makato asked her friend as Ami pulled out her Mercury transformation wand. Jupiter looked at her friend's eyes. Ami was dead serious. The water senshi kept typing away, then looking at her friends in a dead panic.
"Ami, what's coming?" Serenity asked. The entire ballroom was starting to shift into a mild panic. Usagi even saw it, her eyes darting from side to side of the room. Her father left her side to join the sailor scouts.
"My scanner picked up a major amount of dark energy earlier today. When I scanned, I left the program running in case it got stronger." She pulled out the scanner and showed the others. "If you can't see, it's about fifty thousand times stronger than Nephrenia was in her prime." Ami held her wand in the air.
"Eternal Mercury Power! Make-Up!"
The others looked at each other, their faces panicked. Glancing at young Usagi, they nodded at each other, each knowing their purpose in life. Each clutched their transformation wands, holding them high into the air.
"Eternal Jupiter Power!"
"Eternal Mars Power!"
"Eternal Venus Power!"
"Eternal Saturn Power!"
"Eternal Uranus Power!"
"Eternal Neptune Power!"
"Eternal Pluto Power!"
"MAKE-UP!"
As the transformations continued, Neo Queen Serenity held out the Silver Imperial Crystal and looked at it. Mamoru quickly ran to her side, holding her and quickly transforming into his Kingly outfit. His staff shimmered with its diamond evanescence, and he held his wife dearly, looking deep into her eyes. Tears came to his.
"I don't want to lose you, Usagi," he whispered into her hair, and he stroked her nearly silver hair with his strong but gentle hands.
"I don't want to use it, Mamoru, my love, but I don't want our Usagi to die," she whispered and fell into his arms. He kissed her deeply on the lips, and looked at the crystal, then at her.
"If we do have to, then I hope we are reborn again so that we can find each other all over again," he said, smiling. "Each time we come back, you're more and more beautiful." They held to each other fast, and watched as the outside of the Crystal Palace went dark.
Beryl crashed into the palace, her dark wings enshrouding her now purely demonic form. She looked up at Neo Queen Serenity, her eyes wild with madness. She held out the black jewel in her hand, her claws scratching its sides.
"Protect the Queen and Princess-" Sailor Pluto yelled, running over to make a shield of her and the princess. Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter formed a wall of four around the Queen, Saturn taking Neo Princess Serenity away from the ballroom.
"You took my life, Sailor Moon. You took my life and my plans to dominate this world. Now I will punish you!"
"You will not harm our kitten!" Sailor Uranus yelled, and suddenly the Space Sword was in her hands. Neptune stood next to her, holding out her mirror. The two held out their weapons, and spun together to do their double attack.
"Uranus and Neptune double planet spinning attack!"
"Fools!" Beryl used her gem to kick the pair out of the way, leaving Pluto and the four inners to protect Neo Queen Serenity.
Sailor Pluto yelled, using her strongest attack to thwart Beryl's plot. "Dead Scream!"
Sailor Saturn ran back into the room in time to see Sailor Pluto be thrown to the side as if she were no more than a rag doll. She gasped and ran to where the inners and Neo Sailor Serenity stood.
Mamoru ran in front of Beryl's next attack, as the inner scouts were starting to tire from their purpose of defending the Princess. He held out his hands, calling the Tuxedo Smoker, but to no avail. Young Usagi tried to escape the four walls of her guardians, but with tears in their eyes, they fought her.
Beryl grabbed ahold of the Earth guardian and held him in front of her towards where Neo Queen Serenity stood. The Queen's eyes widened as they beheld Beryl with her claw against her love's throat. Smiling, Queen Beryl sliced his windpipe with her razor sharp nail, leaving the King to fall to the floor, tears streaming from his eyes.
"MAMORU!"
Neo Queen Serenity ran to his side, as his final words escaped from his mouth.
"I.. love.. you, Usagi..." With that, his breath became shallow, and his hand soon went limp within the Queen's. Young Usagi tried to break free of her protectors, her screams now an endless rain of sobs.
"Why?" Serenity looked up at Demon Beryl, the tears falling freely from her eyes. "Why did you..? Why did you?" She started to sob, but just then, Demon Beryl took a clawed finger and lifted up the Queen's chin.
"This is for you and what you did to me, Sailor Moon. This is for all the pain and suffering you caused me.. and for all the hardship and trials!"
With that, Beryl fed all her anger, greed, and hate into her dark crystal, calling on its apathetic disposition to give her all the evil power the entire galaxy could created. The gem grew so strong that it ran back into her, slamming into her chest and splintering the cells in her body.
"No, I won't let you hurt my kitten!" Uranus cried from where she'd been thrown. Limping, she ran up with her space sword and cut the demon's wrists, Neptune behind her. The ocean senshi poured salt in her wounds by calling up a Deep Submerge.
Demon Beryl smiled. "You think that would honestly hurt me?" The crystal had begun to pulsate in her body, and soon her cuts were healed. Uranus and Neptune stood aghast. Pluto suddenly ran in from the wall she'd been hurled to. Using her staff, she managed to hit the demon directly between the eyes.
Blood started to pour from the demon's sinuses, and she kept her eyes shut, holding her ears against her head. When she opened them, a snarl took shape upon her face. She held one hand to her chest, and used the other to cause a wave of dark power to engulf the three outer sailor scouts. Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto were thrown against a nearby wall, their bodies covered with cuts and bruises.
"Leave this place now! We have no use for demons such as you," Saturn said, her left hand clutching her Silence Glaive. Using her Glaive as a weapon, Saturn cut the demon's face, where the wounds were beginning to mend themselves. She began to gather her energy for a final death, when suddenly the demon's hand came out of no where to hold onto the senshi's neck.
Saturn desperately fought for breath, then fell to the floor when Beryl finally released her to approach the Neo Princess, whose wails of agony were painful to the ear and heartfelt to the mind. The four inner planetary guardians stood rock-still as the horror approached them.
Shutting her still-bleeding eyes, Beryl used the dark crystal's energy within her to shoot a beam of dark power against the Planetary Inners and the Neo Queen Serenity. Saturn watched through closed eyes as the life was drained from Lita, Makato, Rei, and Ami. When they fell to the ground, all that was left was young Usagi and Beryl.
Serenity held her silver crystal in her hands, tears in her eyes from the pain and suffering as she stood up to face the demon that threatened her daughter. Her face was wet from sobbing.
"Silver Imperial Crystal- Activate!"
Suddenly a silver glow engulfed the Neo Queen and the entire court of the Crystal Palace. The symbol of the white moon glowed pure white on Serena's forehead, and light beams flew out of the gem through Serena. Her nearly white hair flew out from around her face, her pony tails flowing about her.
Beryl never had a chance, as the bright white light encompassed her form. Everything beyond her was drowned out by the sheer brilliance of the crystal's power, and the Demon Beryl found herself healed from her demonic self, leaving a mortal human girl to lay in front of the planetary guardians.
Her last dregs of energy spent, Queen Serenity fell face first onto the ground, her beautiful face marred from exhaustion beyond rest. The Imperial Crystal dropped beside her, its brilliance dulled, its vassal gone.
Sailor Saturn watched as the Neo Queen fell, her breath caught in her chest. She ran up to her Queen, and cradled her face in her hands, her tears falling onto Serenity's delicate face. Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune all reached out from their spots on the nearby marble floor. Saturn's tears fell freely, and she looked towards the other Outer System scouts for comfort.
"I must do it," she said aloud to the other scouts, who nodded once they realized what she was going to do. Sailor Saturn stood up, the Silence Glaive in her left hand. She let her right hand play upon the staff, letting it rotate until it was in the position she wanted.
"Saturn Rebirth!" She cried aloud over the bodies of the inners, Serena, and Mamoru. Her power reached out to the souls of the dying bodies, pulling them from eternal death into rebirth. Gentle balls of light escaped each of them, their souls ready for the next step. Once she had done this, she called on her power to have the children reborn in the years to come.
Seeing her labors done, Sailor Saturn collapsed into a dead faint, Sailors Neptune and Uranus catching her before her head hit the floor. Pluto stood, looking at the wreckage that the Crystal Palace had undergone.
"Where is the Princess, I wonder?" she spoke aloud.
"No longer Princess, Pluto," Uranus said bitterly. "Neo Star Queen. Beryl took care of that.. Kitten.." she looked to where the Queen had laid. "Mars.. Mercury.. Jupiter.. Venus.." Her throat tightened, and Neptune's hand enclosed hers.
"Has anyone told our royal highness?" Pluto asked, looking down at Mamoru and the others. She de-transformed, and looked at the others.
"No," Michiru said, after she'd de-transformed. "I don't think I could do it. And Saturn sure can't," she said, holding the young woman's head in her hands.
"Neither can I," Hakura said. "Setsuna, could you..?"
The jade-haired woman wiped a sleeve with her tears, then stood up straight. "I must. For she must take control of this at once.. that is what rulers are made to do."
She walked off, jaw firmly set and locked, her eyes shut so that she would not cry. Even if their friends were gone now.. they'd be back. Perhaps not the same, perhaps not in a way that they would understand, but they'd be back.
Hakura and Michiru sat in silence for a moment, then finally gave into their grief, crying on each others' shoulders. As they held each other, Saturn lost her senshi form, turning back into Hotaru.
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"I can't do it, Pluto, I just.. I can't!" The Neo Star Queen said between sobs, laying on her bed. "I didn't even get to do my debutante in front of the my parents and friends. I didn't even get to make my official debutante for the royalty.. how can I ever think of getting married now?"
She sat up, her eyes turning mad. "Pluto, give me your time key- I can go and save them.." Pluto's eyes appeared downcast. "Pluto, please- let me go save my mother and father- please- let me save everyone! Ami.. Lena, Rei.. Makato! Please!" She looked up at the emerald-haired senshi, and then fell into the old guardian's hands as the tears fell down her face.
"Shh," Setsuna said, tears of her own starting to slip down her face. She reached out and gave the princess, no, now Queen, she had to remind herself, a deep hug. Both of their tears mingled. Pluto pulled away when it seemed the tears had quieted down.
"We couldn't go back and change things as they would be. When you went to the past the first two times.. you didn't do anything that would cause a major change in the course of history, as the senshi either prevented it," Usagi sighed, remembering her parents and friends as young teenagers, "or it didn't happen. In either case, I can't let you go back and prevent their death. If you tried to.. think about it, Usagi.
"They died to save you. If you went back, perhaps you'd die this time, and take them with you as well. Perhaps you'd make no difference at all. But there would still be two of you in that time period, and even if you came back to the present, your parents would not be alive."
"What? But.. but how?" Usagi looked at the senshi of time, searching for an answer.
"They are already on their way to coming back."
"What?" Usagi asked, looking at Pluto with wild wide eyes. "What.. what do you mean? How..?" Suddenly it occurred to her what must have happened.
"Why did you tell Hotaru to do that? Why?" Usagi asked, pulling at Pluto's ribbon on her chest before collapsing onto the bed, her tears wetting the mattress. Pluto de-transformed and sat next to her, stroking the Pink Lady's hair.
"We did it because, young Queen, your mother had spent all her energy to defeat Demon Beryl, and none to let herself and the others exist, even if you had gone back in time. They would have been wiped from all existence if Saturn had not given them her power to be reborn."
She lifted up the Queen's chin, and looked at her with her red eyes. "Don't worry, small lady. You'll see her again someday. Not the same way as you knew her, but perhaps you'll see it in a future someone's step, the way they smile. Our friends will come back, I promise."
"Father too?" Usagi asked.
"Yes, all of them. Your mother, father, Makato-chan, Lena-chan, Ami-chan, and even Rei-chan. They'll be different, but they will come back. And they'll still be the sailor scouts destiny picked them to be," she said, and stroked her young Queen's hair.
Neo Star Queen Serenity stood up and faced Setsuna, her mentor and friend. Her eyes were determined, even though her chest rose and fell with fear.
"Have they cancelled the debutante?" she asked the woman.
"Yes, but we could only move it to later in the month. Despite great losses, most royalty does not seem to understand what grieving is," she said, glancing to where the door opened to reveal Hakura, Michiru, and a very pale Hotaru. Hakura held a child in her arms, looking towards her new Queen.
"Young Kitten, I.." Hakura started, swallowing. Usagi looked at her with tears in her eyes, then stood up so that the young girl could be laid out on the bed. She went to where the others were standing and embraced them, all their cheeks now wet.
Just then, Usagi noticed the young girl laid out on the bed. Her face was so peaceful, in contrast with the way her clothing appeared, which was no more than a few ripped ribbons. Setsuna laid a blanket on the young child, then looked at the rest of them standing in the corner.
"She was the one?" Usagi asked the others. Michiru nodded. "I looked into her with her mirror. Beryl convinced the poor child that she was the reincarnation of herself." She reached out to stroke a red lock of hair.
"It's funny. She sort of looks like Chibi Chibi," Hotaru murmured, and the others nodded. Usagi gave them a strange glance, then asked the question that laid deep within her mind.
"How did Beryl survive all these years?"
"We've no idea," Setsuna replied, looking at the others. "I think perhaps she somehow got ahold of a way to make herself into a spirit before she was defeated. Maybe she was imprisoned all these years and simply just became free. We won't know until she appears again. If she does. I'm hoping she doesn't."
Usagi looked at the rest of the women, and held back a sob. So many were missing, most of all, her parents. She glanced at them, then headed out the door, her court behind her.
"Make this an official day of mourning," she told them with a serious voice. "Today shall be a day of mourning not just our loved ones, but all that have fallen in order to protect our livelihood and peace." She walked off, her head held high, but tears in her eyes.
I'll see you again, mother and father, she thought to herself. I'll see you again, and make your lives better for the world I now control. I'll do the best I can, even if it's not as good as the one you created was. But I'll do my best for your sakes.
With that thought, the new Queen walked into the throne room, ready to address her people of this most horrible tragedy and how it would affect them. Her eyes were dry as she went to see her people, her voice firm. The New Queen had arrived.
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NINE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS HENCE..
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Luna stood looking at the stars, her tail slowly falling asleep. She still couldn't believe that they were only twenty years away from the Neo Star Queen's millennium festival. It was hard to believe that small Chibi- Usa, as she'd known the girl once, was already a well-regarded and respected ruler, with a vast kingdom and many treaties made during her rule.
Artemis sidled up next to his wife and rubbed her face with his white one. Luna smiled. As of late, they'd been finding that one of their whiskers might turn gray every now and then. Even though they still felt as if they were newborn kittens when it came to energy, there was no doubt of one thing. She thought, continuing to sit.
We might only have another two or three millennia to find the girls before we need to be reborn. That doesn't give us much time, considering how long it takes girls and boys to grow up now days. They might only be babes by the time we would find them.
"Thinking, my love?" Artemis asked, sitting next to her. He nodded. "I thought so. I don't know if you've heard, but Diana has said that Kastin has proposed to her."
Luna looked at her husband in happy shock. "You're.. you're kidding? Queen Mau and her consort's son?" She rubbed against his face in joy. "I'm so happy for her. I knew she loved him, and he her, but I didn't know if his parents had given the blessing for marriage or not."
"It's a done deal. I've talked to King Callipso, and he said that his Queen and he were overjoyed. He's going to live here so that Diana will not shirk in her duties to our Queen. However, his parents will set up a Mau transport for us so he, as well as us, can go back and forth whenever we desire."
"I'm so happy." Luna said. She cuddled next to her. "I don't think I've ever been this happy since Usagi.." she faltered, and looked to her husband, who licked her ears with tender care.
"They'll come back. The only trick is finding them before any dark force that is still lingering does. Remember, Hotaru said they weren't entirely certain they'd completely vanquished Beryl. And I would hope that they would be pure enough in their hearts not to succumb to that evil."
"I know, I just worry," the raven feline replied. Together they sat in the darkness, the moonlight making their golden crescents glow with a sparkling light.
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"Rhia! Rhiaya Mizuan! Stop typing this instant!" A loud voice rang throughout the Mizuan household, a young blue-eyed girl being the center of the harassment.
Rolling her eyes, the household hacker quit her furious typing and took off her blackbox headgear, then removed her biker netlink gloves. She smiled as she turned off her Delta computer wrist computer, then ran down the stairs to where a furious mother awaited.
"Rhia?"
"Yes mother?"
"I've been calling and calling for you. Dinner's ready. Didn't you hear?"
"No mother. May I still join you?"
"Certainly. By the way, Hideki's here tonight. Be polite."
The young woman said something under her breath about dating parents, then bowed before she entered the dining area. Her mother had really jazzed up the area, putting some of her more delicate crystal work in the center of the table.
Her mother had gotten lucky, receiving that job as official Crystal Palace Architect. It meant that Rhia's mother could afford to help her daughter with her hobbies and still be home on the weeknights to offer help with schoolwork. Although Rhia had finished her graduate degree years ago, she still wasn't the required age of one thousand that was required to be an adult, and that put a hold on things.
So, the woman had gone back to get her doctorate in computer technology, and it was only ten more years before she'd be completely qualified. Rhia couldn't wait.
After sitting down to dinner, Rhia slapped herself on the forehead.
"Mother, pardon me, but I forgot to disengage my monitor. May I please run upstairs so that I may turn it off?"
Rhia's mother shook her head, then smiled. "Certainly, but be quick about it," she replied, looking towards Hideki with a lovesick grin. Rhia tried not to groan as she disentangled herself from her sitting pillow and ran upstairs.
She'd been looking up information from over a thousand years ago, when the old dynasty of the Neo Kingdom had fallen, killing four of the Sailor Senshi, and Neo Queen Serenity, along with her King. Someone in school had told her that it was impossible to find out the exact details of what had occurred, since it had been a thousand years ago, and computers were not as good as they were now.
Taking her friend up on the dare, Rhia had located the files on the former sailor senshi, reflecting on each of them. It was funny how typing and getting codes came so easy to Rhia. She laughed. Her one Buddhist friend would tell her that she'd been a typist in her former life.
Looking at her eyepiece monitor, Rhia smiled. It had been an interesting read on the Queen, her King, and the guardians Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. She had yet to read Mercury's, which was next on her list.
Thinking of the scene which awaited her downstairs, Rhia figured what the hell, she'd get a sneak peak at the file while the two downstairs would make busy without her there.
Opening the file named mercury.exe, she placed her headset back on. Rhia smiled. She'd been the strategist of the group, although it stated that she'd been the weakest senshi. Rhia thought that was rather unfair. The strongest person on a team was always the strategist.
Suddenly, Rhia felt a sharp pain on her forehead. Removing her goggles, she held it with her hand. The pain had yet to go away. She reached over with a mirror to perhaps see what was ailing her, be it bruise or cut.
What she saw made her scream.
A blue symbol, a heart on top of a cross, raised itself from the center of her forehead. It glowed gently, the edges of it unseen and unfelt by human senses. Scared, Rhia sank back into her bed, throwing the mirror away from her. This was far too weird.
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"Artemis! Pink Lady!"
Luna's cry awoke both her husband and the current ruler with a start. Serenity ran over to where the black cat stood on her haunches.
"Luna, whatever is the matter?" she asked as Artemis rubbed his wife, concerned.
"I.. I felt one of them. A sailor scout. One has finally awakened."
In shock, the Neo Star Queen sat down near the cat and looked deep into her eyes. "Do you know where she is?" Luna shook her head in a no.
"All I can say is that she's somewhere nearby. I don't know how we'll find her."
"Hmm.." Usagi said, looking at the two cats. Then, she snapped her fingers.
"I'll send you with this," she said, holding a ball of light in her hands, which she then passed to Luna by touching the crescent on her forehead. "Perhaps you can awaken her fully with it, and bring her home to see me.. God, it's been so long," she whispered to the darkness around her.
"I'll find her," Luna promised, and started off, her mission in mind. Artemis and Usagi watched until she was out of sight.
"May the silver moon guide you, Luna," the Queen whispered as Luna disappeared into the dark of the late night.
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(To be continued..)
Please R/R. I hope you enjoy this! :D
I don't own Sailor Moon.. because I'm poor. So there. Don't sue. ( Most importantly, Enjoy!
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Neo Queen Serenity sighed, content. She looked at the crystal chapels of her capital city, its broad viewscape glorious against the sun's rays. The way the lights twinkled reminded her of the imperial crystal and what it did for all the inhabitants of Earth.
How she loved this small blue planet. It seemed like ages ago that she'd been that awkward teenager with the 'meatball-headed' hair that had cried in the face of battle. She smiled, holding back a laugh with her hand. How immature she'd been in those days long gone.
It was too bad that Luna, Artemis, and their daughter could not be here. She'd send them on a mission to try and create a trade route between her kingdom and the one where the Starlights lived. She'd have bet anything that Artemis was jealous the whole time they were there, remembering Luna's crush on Yaten when they'd been here last.
A sound from behind her caught the Queen's attention. Turning, she smiled as she beheld her beautiful daughter. Small Chibi-usa had finally grown into her womanhood, her form now supple and her soul as pure as the new fallen snow in winter. Smiling, Serenity opened her mouth to speak.
"What is it, my child? What ails you?"
"Nothing, mother," Usagi said, her light pink waves of hair falling down her back. She smiled. "Actually, I was wondering what you were out here looking at."
The older woman smiled. She turned to face her gorgeous planet once more. "I was just looking at a glorious world and thinking how well it's turned out." She looked into the far distance, the gentle sun's rays starting to fall beneath the plane of the Earth, the moon slowly coming into view. Serenity's eyes sparkled.
"We'd better go inside. We wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting."
"For what, mother?" young Usagi asked, looking at her mother, smiling in anticipation.
"For your debutante, of course. You know perfectly well what night it is," she smiled, then reached out to stroke a strand of her young daughter's pink hair. "Now, shall we get ready, so that you may see the suitors? I know you're very anxious to get into your dress and all."
The pink-haired princess smiled, and glided in front of her mother, her footsteps light and excited. Serenity shook her head. For being a thousand and twenty years old, her daughter still acted as though she were twelve sometimes.
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Down within the confines of a moldy sewer basement, where the glow of daylight never reached, a young woman was smiling also with anticipation. Her dark red eyes were sparkling in the glow of the electric lamps that she used to light her way in the dark underbelly of the city above.
It had been many years since any villains had created any plans, as the Neo Queen Serenity protected her world with a fierce determination. But as of late, the Queen had seemed to have shirked in her duties, leaving small pools of decay to form in unseen parts of cities and towns upon her planet.
Hands made busy work as the woman continued her job. Finally, when all seemed to be complete, she sat back and viewed her work. She'd had to keep all the parts of the newly-formed crystal apart until tonight. Tonight, when the Queen's concentration would be elsewhere, on her daughter, Neo Princess Serenity. The King would also be wrapped up in the festivities.
Fanged teeth formed themselves into a grin. The timing could not be more appropriate. At a festival for celebration, the neo white moon kingdom would fall, and then the neo dark kingdom would rise upon its ashes.
She'd waited years and years for her time to be reborn. But finally, Queen Beryl had found herself back on Earth. It had been some time before she'd become aware of her true identity, but that was all right. If she'd been born earlier or later, she wouldn't have had this opportunity.
Beryl would choke the life out of the new moon kingdom. And once she had control, no one would be able to stop her. Not Sailor Moon, not her daughter, not even the old Tuxedo Mask. Too many years of idleness would teach the Royal Court what could happen if you left your back turned for more than a minute.
And boy, would they learn.
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"Here?"
"No, lower."
"Here?"
"No! Lower! My goodness, Lena! Can't you get it right?"
Rei, also known as the Neo Princess of Mars, and former Sailor Mars, ran up to where Neo Princess Jupiter stood, fixing flowers on a banister. The fire-blessed woman turned a rose a quarter to the left, then stood back, nodding.
"Perfect."
"That's where it was a second ago, Rei!"
The brown haired maiden finally threw her hands up into the air and sat down at a nearby chair. She sighed as she looked up at Rei, who was standing back to inspect her handiwork.
"It looks good, guys!" Minako, the Neo Princess of Venus said, walking into the chambers to inspect the girls' work. "I really like the touch of the pink roses. Whose idea was it?"
"Mine," Lita said, rising once more to smile and give her friend Minako a hug. "Where have you been, stranger?" She looked Mina-chan up and down. She was dressed elegantly, as usual, in her finest. Lena sighed. She could never pull off anything like Minako did.
"I had to make sure that everyone in my household was set before I left." She glanced around the room, seeing the beautiful fruits of Lena's garden adorn the walls in beautiful patterns. She smiled, seeing Rei step down from where she'd been standing.
"Is everyone here yet?" she asked the raven haired woman.
"Not quite. I know that Hotaru is helping young Usagi to get dressed. Michiru and Hakura are somewhere around here. But I don't know where Setsuna and Ami-chan are." Rei turned as she heard footsteps come down the hallway.
"Speak of the devil," Minako smiled, seeing Setsuna, Michiru, and Hakura come into the banquet hall. The couple was dressed appropriately, Michiru in her formal gown, Hakura in a suit. Setsuna walked behind the couple, her steps careful and paced. She smiled when she saw the rest of the former sailor scouts.
"Hello, everyone," she said in her melodic voice. She smiled when she saw the pink flowers outlining the banister. "I can't wait to see how our small lady looks. I know Our Lady said she was looking forward to this day."
"Yes, I can't wait to see how our chibi kitten looks." Hakura said, smiling as she held her love's hand. "I still remember Serena and Mamoru's wedding. It was so beautiful.. and now our small lady is growing up.. It nearly makes me to have little ones of our own, Michiru."
Michiru looked up at her love. "Nearly?"
"I think we should wait another thousand years before we decide, love," she said, and kissed her beloved's hand.
"Ah-hem. If you two lovebirds could focus on the present.." Minako said, shaking her finger at the duo, and then pointing to the decorations. "Did you see the hard work Lita and Rei did? Chibi Usagi is going to have quite a debutante."
Setstuna gave Minako a withering smile, then looked around. "I don't see Ami-chan around here yet- did any of you hear from her?"
Rei shook her head. "No, I haven't heard anything. Did any of you hear from her? I know she was coming.."
"Perhaps she's late."
"Perhaps."
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Ami Mizuno frantically typed away on her computer. Even though she was already fifteen minutes late to young Usagi's debutante, she showed no signs of leaving soon.
About twenty minutes ago, Ami had started getting readings from her age-old darkness detecting equipment. Ami smiled grimly to herself. She'd been thinking about shutting off her old Mercury Computer the other day. Now she was glad she hadn't.
Small wisps of darkness were starting to form in a corner of the city. The patterns of magic seemed familiar, but Ami couldn't put the pattern together. Her fingers flying, she tried to fit it all together. When nothing else showed up, Ami sighed and stopped typing, looking at the clock.
Picking up the computer, she slipped it into her purse and stood up, realizing that she'd kept her transport man waiting for fifteen minutes. Sighing, she stood up, and pushed her blue hair behind her ears. Hopefully she wouldn't need the computer. Hopefully.
**********************************************************************
Beryl smiled. The super smart Ami Mizuno had nearly caught onto her. Luckily enough, Beryl knew social pressure well enough to say that she was probably on her way to the Crystal Palace.
The dark crystal glowed with an inner darkness that none could compare to.
"It's time." Beryl smiled with contentment as the dark energy started to pulsate through her body. This mortal form was too weak, anyways. She was done with it now. All she'd had it for was a convenient means to revenge.
Beams of dark light began to break through the mortal woman's skin. Her eyes turned a dark red and a pair of dark red wings started to protrude from her back. A smile took hold of her face. A dark laugh escaped from the newly scaled lips, and Beryl smiled.
"I hope you're ready, Neo Queen Serenity. No longer do you have to deal with Queen Beryl. It's Demon Beryl now."
Her dark laughter ran behind her as she started to fly towards the castle. In approximately half an hour, this world would be hers. In half an hour, Beryl would have her immortal revenge.
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"Are you excited?"
"Yes and no.. I wish I didn't have to get all dressed up just to be introduced to boys like this." Pink haired Usagi looked in the mirror, and smiled. She turned to her friend Hotaru.
"I don't know how you do it, Hotaru.."
"I had some work in there, too, daughter," Serenity said, laughing, and she walked over and hugged her daughter. "I'll be waiting downstairs with the rest of the guests. I know you'll do me proud." With that, the Queen majestically left the room, leaving her daughter and her best friend alone.
"She certainly has a presence, doesn't she?" Usagi said, sighing. "I'll never be able to do that. Thank goodness that won't happen for a long time."
"Don't worry! You're just nervous! Don't let stupid things in the far future get to you now!" Hotaru went behind her friend and hugged her friend's shoulders. "We're going to have fun tonight- you're going to meet some eligible bachelors, and the ones you don't like are all mine!" She winked, and the royal Princess laughed.
"You're right. I'm just nervous, that's all. A debutante doesn't happen every day." She fiddled with her bangs, and then faced her best friend. "They've got to be waiting down there. How about we go down now?"
"Let's." Hotaru said, and the two young women walked down the stairs towards the hall, excitement filling their night.
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"Ami better have a good explanation when she gets here," Lita said, pacing the floor, looking at the hallway. Makato was right behind her, sitting and watching the guardian of Jupiter spout her steam.
Just then, the Mercurian guardian walked in the door in all of her royal blue entirety. She smiled nervously, seeing all her friends and all the royalty standing with slightly impatient airs. Coughing nervously, she sauntered over to where the other planetary guardians stood.
"Well.. was the transport late, or..?" Mars started angrily, but suddenly Neo Queen Serenity appeared from the stairwell. She held Neo Princess Mars back with a hand and smiled at the Princess of Mercury.
"I'm sure Ami has a good explanation. Please, calm down. I'm sure we can find out what that explanation was at the end of the debutante." Ami looked grateful to Serenity, then remembered the odd readings she'd had on the computer earlier that night.
"Serena- I-"
"Hush," Setsuna said, motioning with her finger to her lips. "Here comes our Young Lady."
Surely enough, Princess Usagi was coming down the stairwell, glorious in her white formal princess gown. Mamoru was escorting the young lady on his right side, beaming with pride at his gorgeous daughter. He glanced halfway down the stair at the love of his life, the Neo Queen Serenity.
There were tears in her eyes. All the other guardians held their hands to their mouth, in awe of the young princess's beauty.
Suddenly, Ami's eyes grew in diameter as a certain alarm triggered in her pocket. Afraid to see what it was, Ami opened up the computer in her pocket, and typed a few commands. When she saw what was coming, she panicked.
"Neo Queen Serenity-"
Serena turned and looked at Ami. "Wha.. What's the matter?"
"We've got to transform."
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Beryl's eyes had turned completely blood red, her nostrils flared in anger. She held the jewel before her eyes, its dark rays diffusing all the light that tried to surround the demon.
"I will have my revenge, my sweetling! I will kill you for all that you've done! I will take away all that you love, all that you cherish.. I will take your life!"
The demon's human side was nearly all gone, the skin nearly all peeled away to release a layer of thin fur. She clutched her gem with one hand, the other held itself in a fist, her claws ripping into her flesh. She bled freely, her hands soon covered with the oil of her body.
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"What? Ami, have you gone mad?" Makato asked her friend as Ami pulled out her Mercury transformation wand. Jupiter looked at her friend's eyes. Ami was dead serious. The water senshi kept typing away, then looking at her friends in a dead panic.
"Ami, what's coming?" Serenity asked. The entire ballroom was starting to shift into a mild panic. Usagi even saw it, her eyes darting from side to side of the room. Her father left her side to join the sailor scouts.
"My scanner picked up a major amount of dark energy earlier today. When I scanned, I left the program running in case it got stronger." She pulled out the scanner and showed the others. "If you can't see, it's about fifty thousand times stronger than Nephrenia was in her prime." Ami held her wand in the air.
"Eternal Mercury Power! Make-Up!"
The others looked at each other, their faces panicked. Glancing at young Usagi, they nodded at each other, each knowing their purpose in life. Each clutched their transformation wands, holding them high into the air.
"Eternal Jupiter Power!"
"Eternal Mars Power!"
"Eternal Venus Power!"
"Eternal Saturn Power!"
"Eternal Uranus Power!"
"Eternal Neptune Power!"
"Eternal Pluto Power!"
"MAKE-UP!"
As the transformations continued, Neo Queen Serenity held out the Silver Imperial Crystal and looked at it. Mamoru quickly ran to her side, holding her and quickly transforming into his Kingly outfit. His staff shimmered with its diamond evanescence, and he held his wife dearly, looking deep into her eyes. Tears came to his.
"I don't want to lose you, Usagi," he whispered into her hair, and he stroked her nearly silver hair with his strong but gentle hands.
"I don't want to use it, Mamoru, my love, but I don't want our Usagi to die," she whispered and fell into his arms. He kissed her deeply on the lips, and looked at the crystal, then at her.
"If we do have to, then I hope we are reborn again so that we can find each other all over again," he said, smiling. "Each time we come back, you're more and more beautiful." They held to each other fast, and watched as the outside of the Crystal Palace went dark.
Beryl crashed into the palace, her dark wings enshrouding her now purely demonic form. She looked up at Neo Queen Serenity, her eyes wild with madness. She held out the black jewel in her hand, her claws scratching its sides.
"Protect the Queen and Princess-" Sailor Pluto yelled, running over to make a shield of her and the princess. Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter formed a wall of four around the Queen, Saturn taking Neo Princess Serenity away from the ballroom.
"You took my life, Sailor Moon. You took my life and my plans to dominate this world. Now I will punish you!"
"You will not harm our kitten!" Sailor Uranus yelled, and suddenly the Space Sword was in her hands. Neptune stood next to her, holding out her mirror. The two held out their weapons, and spun together to do their double attack.
"Uranus and Neptune double planet spinning attack!"
"Fools!" Beryl used her gem to kick the pair out of the way, leaving Pluto and the four inners to protect Neo Queen Serenity.
Sailor Pluto yelled, using her strongest attack to thwart Beryl's plot. "Dead Scream!"
Sailor Saturn ran back into the room in time to see Sailor Pluto be thrown to the side as if she were no more than a rag doll. She gasped and ran to where the inners and Neo Sailor Serenity stood.
Mamoru ran in front of Beryl's next attack, as the inner scouts were starting to tire from their purpose of defending the Princess. He held out his hands, calling the Tuxedo Smoker, but to no avail. Young Usagi tried to escape the four walls of her guardians, but with tears in their eyes, they fought her.
Beryl grabbed ahold of the Earth guardian and held him in front of her towards where Neo Queen Serenity stood. The Queen's eyes widened as they beheld Beryl with her claw against her love's throat. Smiling, Queen Beryl sliced his windpipe with her razor sharp nail, leaving the King to fall to the floor, tears streaming from his eyes.
"MAMORU!"
Neo Queen Serenity ran to his side, as his final words escaped from his mouth.
"I.. love.. you, Usagi..." With that, his breath became shallow, and his hand soon went limp within the Queen's. Young Usagi tried to break free of her protectors, her screams now an endless rain of sobs.
"Why?" Serenity looked up at Demon Beryl, the tears falling freely from her eyes. "Why did you..? Why did you?" She started to sob, but just then, Demon Beryl took a clawed finger and lifted up the Queen's chin.
"This is for you and what you did to me, Sailor Moon. This is for all the pain and suffering you caused me.. and for all the hardship and trials!"
With that, Beryl fed all her anger, greed, and hate into her dark crystal, calling on its apathetic disposition to give her all the evil power the entire galaxy could created. The gem grew so strong that it ran back into her, slamming into her chest and splintering the cells in her body.
"No, I won't let you hurt my kitten!" Uranus cried from where she'd been thrown. Limping, she ran up with her space sword and cut the demon's wrists, Neptune behind her. The ocean senshi poured salt in her wounds by calling up a Deep Submerge.
Demon Beryl smiled. "You think that would honestly hurt me?" The crystal had begun to pulsate in her body, and soon her cuts were healed. Uranus and Neptune stood aghast. Pluto suddenly ran in from the wall she'd been hurled to. Using her staff, she managed to hit the demon directly between the eyes.
Blood started to pour from the demon's sinuses, and she kept her eyes shut, holding her ears against her head. When she opened them, a snarl took shape upon her face. She held one hand to her chest, and used the other to cause a wave of dark power to engulf the three outer sailor scouts. Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto were thrown against a nearby wall, their bodies covered with cuts and bruises.
"Leave this place now! We have no use for demons such as you," Saturn said, her left hand clutching her Silence Glaive. Using her Glaive as a weapon, Saturn cut the demon's face, where the wounds were beginning to mend themselves. She began to gather her energy for a final death, when suddenly the demon's hand came out of no where to hold onto the senshi's neck.
Saturn desperately fought for breath, then fell to the floor when Beryl finally released her to approach the Neo Princess, whose wails of agony were painful to the ear and heartfelt to the mind. The four inner planetary guardians stood rock-still as the horror approached them.
Shutting her still-bleeding eyes, Beryl used the dark crystal's energy within her to shoot a beam of dark power against the Planetary Inners and the Neo Queen Serenity. Saturn watched through closed eyes as the life was drained from Lita, Makato, Rei, and Ami. When they fell to the ground, all that was left was young Usagi and Beryl.
Serenity held her silver crystal in her hands, tears in her eyes from the pain and suffering as she stood up to face the demon that threatened her daughter. Her face was wet from sobbing.
"Silver Imperial Crystal- Activate!"
Suddenly a silver glow engulfed the Neo Queen and the entire court of the Crystal Palace. The symbol of the white moon glowed pure white on Serena's forehead, and light beams flew out of the gem through Serena. Her nearly white hair flew out from around her face, her pony tails flowing about her.
Beryl never had a chance, as the bright white light encompassed her form. Everything beyond her was drowned out by the sheer brilliance of the crystal's power, and the Demon Beryl found herself healed from her demonic self, leaving a mortal human girl to lay in front of the planetary guardians.
Her last dregs of energy spent, Queen Serenity fell face first onto the ground, her beautiful face marred from exhaustion beyond rest. The Imperial Crystal dropped beside her, its brilliance dulled, its vassal gone.
Sailor Saturn watched as the Neo Queen fell, her breath caught in her chest. She ran up to her Queen, and cradled her face in her hands, her tears falling onto Serenity's delicate face. Pluto, Uranus, and Neptune all reached out from their spots on the nearby marble floor. Saturn's tears fell freely, and she looked towards the other Outer System scouts for comfort.
"I must do it," she said aloud to the other scouts, who nodded once they realized what she was going to do. Sailor Saturn stood up, the Silence Glaive in her left hand. She let her right hand play upon the staff, letting it rotate until it was in the position she wanted.
"Saturn Rebirth!" She cried aloud over the bodies of the inners, Serena, and Mamoru. Her power reached out to the souls of the dying bodies, pulling them from eternal death into rebirth. Gentle balls of light escaped each of them, their souls ready for the next step. Once she had done this, she called on her power to have the children reborn in the years to come.
Seeing her labors done, Sailor Saturn collapsed into a dead faint, Sailors Neptune and Uranus catching her before her head hit the floor. Pluto stood, looking at the wreckage that the Crystal Palace had undergone.
"Where is the Princess, I wonder?" she spoke aloud.
"No longer Princess, Pluto," Uranus said bitterly. "Neo Star Queen. Beryl took care of that.. Kitten.." she looked to where the Queen had laid. "Mars.. Mercury.. Jupiter.. Venus.." Her throat tightened, and Neptune's hand enclosed hers.
"Has anyone told our royal highness?" Pluto asked, looking down at Mamoru and the others. She de-transformed, and looked at the others.
"No," Michiru said, after she'd de-transformed. "I don't think I could do it. And Saturn sure can't," she said, holding the young woman's head in her hands.
"Neither can I," Hakura said. "Setsuna, could you..?"
The jade-haired woman wiped a sleeve with her tears, then stood up straight. "I must. For she must take control of this at once.. that is what rulers are made to do."
She walked off, jaw firmly set and locked, her eyes shut so that she would not cry. Even if their friends were gone now.. they'd be back. Perhaps not the same, perhaps not in a way that they would understand, but they'd be back.
Hakura and Michiru sat in silence for a moment, then finally gave into their grief, crying on each others' shoulders. As they held each other, Saturn lost her senshi form, turning back into Hotaru.
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"I can't do it, Pluto, I just.. I can't!" The Neo Star Queen said between sobs, laying on her bed. "I didn't even get to do my debutante in front of the my parents and friends. I didn't even get to make my official debutante for the royalty.. how can I ever think of getting married now?"
She sat up, her eyes turning mad. "Pluto, give me your time key- I can go and save them.." Pluto's eyes appeared downcast. "Pluto, please- let me go save my mother and father- please- let me save everyone! Ami.. Lena, Rei.. Makato! Please!" She looked up at the emerald-haired senshi, and then fell into the old guardian's hands as the tears fell down her face.
"Shh," Setsuna said, tears of her own starting to slip down her face. She reached out and gave the princess, no, now Queen, she had to remind herself, a deep hug. Both of their tears mingled. Pluto pulled away when it seemed the tears had quieted down.
"We couldn't go back and change things as they would be. When you went to the past the first two times.. you didn't do anything that would cause a major change in the course of history, as the senshi either prevented it," Usagi sighed, remembering her parents and friends as young teenagers, "or it didn't happen. In either case, I can't let you go back and prevent their death. If you tried to.. think about it, Usagi.
"They died to save you. If you went back, perhaps you'd die this time, and take them with you as well. Perhaps you'd make no difference at all. But there would still be two of you in that time period, and even if you came back to the present, your parents would not be alive."
"What? But.. but how?" Usagi looked at the senshi of time, searching for an answer.
"They are already on their way to coming back."
"What?" Usagi asked, looking at Pluto with wild wide eyes. "What.. what do you mean? How..?" Suddenly it occurred to her what must have happened.
"Why did you tell Hotaru to do that? Why?" Usagi asked, pulling at Pluto's ribbon on her chest before collapsing onto the bed, her tears wetting the mattress. Pluto de-transformed and sat next to her, stroking the Pink Lady's hair.
"We did it because, young Queen, your mother had spent all her energy to defeat Demon Beryl, and none to let herself and the others exist, even if you had gone back in time. They would have been wiped from all existence if Saturn had not given them her power to be reborn."
She lifted up the Queen's chin, and looked at her with her red eyes. "Don't worry, small lady. You'll see her again someday. Not the same way as you knew her, but perhaps you'll see it in a future someone's step, the way they smile. Our friends will come back, I promise."
"Father too?" Usagi asked.
"Yes, all of them. Your mother, father, Makato-chan, Lena-chan, Ami-chan, and even Rei-chan. They'll be different, but they will come back. And they'll still be the sailor scouts destiny picked them to be," she said, and stroked her young Queen's hair.
Neo Star Queen Serenity stood up and faced Setsuna, her mentor and friend. Her eyes were determined, even though her chest rose and fell with fear.
"Have they cancelled the debutante?" she asked the woman.
"Yes, but we could only move it to later in the month. Despite great losses, most royalty does not seem to understand what grieving is," she said, glancing to where the door opened to reveal Hakura, Michiru, and a very pale Hotaru. Hakura held a child in her arms, looking towards her new Queen.
"Young Kitten, I.." Hakura started, swallowing. Usagi looked at her with tears in her eyes, then stood up so that the young girl could be laid out on the bed. She went to where the others were standing and embraced them, all their cheeks now wet.
Just then, Usagi noticed the young girl laid out on the bed. Her face was so peaceful, in contrast with the way her clothing appeared, which was no more than a few ripped ribbons. Setsuna laid a blanket on the young child, then looked at the rest of them standing in the corner.
"She was the one?" Usagi asked the others. Michiru nodded. "I looked into her with her mirror. Beryl convinced the poor child that she was the reincarnation of herself." She reached out to stroke a red lock of hair.
"It's funny. She sort of looks like Chibi Chibi," Hotaru murmured, and the others nodded. Usagi gave them a strange glance, then asked the question that laid deep within her mind.
"How did Beryl survive all these years?"
"We've no idea," Setsuna replied, looking at the others. "I think perhaps she somehow got ahold of a way to make herself into a spirit before she was defeated. Maybe she was imprisoned all these years and simply just became free. We won't know until she appears again. If she does. I'm hoping she doesn't."
Usagi looked at the rest of the women, and held back a sob. So many were missing, most of all, her parents. She glanced at them, then headed out the door, her court behind her.
"Make this an official day of mourning," she told them with a serious voice. "Today shall be a day of mourning not just our loved ones, but all that have fallen in order to protect our livelihood and peace." She walked off, her head held high, but tears in her eyes.
I'll see you again, mother and father, she thought to herself. I'll see you again, and make your lives better for the world I now control. I'll do the best I can, even if it's not as good as the one you created was. But I'll do my best for your sakes.
With that thought, the new Queen walked into the throne room, ready to address her people of this most horrible tragedy and how it would affect them. Her eyes were dry as she went to see her people, her voice firm. The New Queen had arrived.
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NINE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS HENCE..
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Luna stood looking at the stars, her tail slowly falling asleep. She still couldn't believe that they were only twenty years away from the Neo Star Queen's millennium festival. It was hard to believe that small Chibi- Usa, as she'd known the girl once, was already a well-regarded and respected ruler, with a vast kingdom and many treaties made during her rule.
Artemis sidled up next to his wife and rubbed her face with his white one. Luna smiled. As of late, they'd been finding that one of their whiskers might turn gray every now and then. Even though they still felt as if they were newborn kittens when it came to energy, there was no doubt of one thing. She thought, continuing to sit.
We might only have another two or three millennia to find the girls before we need to be reborn. That doesn't give us much time, considering how long it takes girls and boys to grow up now days. They might only be babes by the time we would find them.
"Thinking, my love?" Artemis asked, sitting next to her. He nodded. "I thought so. I don't know if you've heard, but Diana has said that Kastin has proposed to her."
Luna looked at her husband in happy shock. "You're.. you're kidding? Queen Mau and her consort's son?" She rubbed against his face in joy. "I'm so happy for her. I knew she loved him, and he her, but I didn't know if his parents had given the blessing for marriage or not."
"It's a done deal. I've talked to King Callipso, and he said that his Queen and he were overjoyed. He's going to live here so that Diana will not shirk in her duties to our Queen. However, his parents will set up a Mau transport for us so he, as well as us, can go back and forth whenever we desire."
"I'm so happy." Luna said. She cuddled next to her. "I don't think I've ever been this happy since Usagi.." she faltered, and looked to her husband, who licked her ears with tender care.
"They'll come back. The only trick is finding them before any dark force that is still lingering does. Remember, Hotaru said they weren't entirely certain they'd completely vanquished Beryl. And I would hope that they would be pure enough in their hearts not to succumb to that evil."
"I know, I just worry," the raven feline replied. Together they sat in the darkness, the moonlight making their golden crescents glow with a sparkling light.
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"Rhia! Rhiaya Mizuan! Stop typing this instant!" A loud voice rang throughout the Mizuan household, a young blue-eyed girl being the center of the harassment.
Rolling her eyes, the household hacker quit her furious typing and took off her blackbox headgear, then removed her biker netlink gloves. She smiled as she turned off her Delta computer wrist computer, then ran down the stairs to where a furious mother awaited.
"Rhia?"
"Yes mother?"
"I've been calling and calling for you. Dinner's ready. Didn't you hear?"
"No mother. May I still join you?"
"Certainly. By the way, Hideki's here tonight. Be polite."
The young woman said something under her breath about dating parents, then bowed before she entered the dining area. Her mother had really jazzed up the area, putting some of her more delicate crystal work in the center of the table.
Her mother had gotten lucky, receiving that job as official Crystal Palace Architect. It meant that Rhia's mother could afford to help her daughter with her hobbies and still be home on the weeknights to offer help with schoolwork. Although Rhia had finished her graduate degree years ago, she still wasn't the required age of one thousand that was required to be an adult, and that put a hold on things.
So, the woman had gone back to get her doctorate in computer technology, and it was only ten more years before she'd be completely qualified. Rhia couldn't wait.
After sitting down to dinner, Rhia slapped herself on the forehead.
"Mother, pardon me, but I forgot to disengage my monitor. May I please run upstairs so that I may turn it off?"
Rhia's mother shook her head, then smiled. "Certainly, but be quick about it," she replied, looking towards Hideki with a lovesick grin. Rhia tried not to groan as she disentangled herself from her sitting pillow and ran upstairs.
She'd been looking up information from over a thousand years ago, when the old dynasty of the Neo Kingdom had fallen, killing four of the Sailor Senshi, and Neo Queen Serenity, along with her King. Someone in school had told her that it was impossible to find out the exact details of what had occurred, since it had been a thousand years ago, and computers were not as good as they were now.
Taking her friend up on the dare, Rhia had located the files on the former sailor senshi, reflecting on each of them. It was funny how typing and getting codes came so easy to Rhia. She laughed. Her one Buddhist friend would tell her that she'd been a typist in her former life.
Looking at her eyepiece monitor, Rhia smiled. It had been an interesting read on the Queen, her King, and the guardians Mars, Venus, and Jupiter. She had yet to read Mercury's, which was next on her list.
Thinking of the scene which awaited her downstairs, Rhia figured what the hell, she'd get a sneak peak at the file while the two downstairs would make busy without her there.
Opening the file named mercury.exe, she placed her headset back on. Rhia smiled. She'd been the strategist of the group, although it stated that she'd been the weakest senshi. Rhia thought that was rather unfair. The strongest person on a team was always the strategist.
Suddenly, Rhia felt a sharp pain on her forehead. Removing her goggles, she held it with her hand. The pain had yet to go away. She reached over with a mirror to perhaps see what was ailing her, be it bruise or cut.
What she saw made her scream.
A blue symbol, a heart on top of a cross, raised itself from the center of her forehead. It glowed gently, the edges of it unseen and unfelt by human senses. Scared, Rhia sank back into her bed, throwing the mirror away from her. This was far too weird.
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"Artemis! Pink Lady!"
Luna's cry awoke both her husband and the current ruler with a start. Serenity ran over to where the black cat stood on her haunches.
"Luna, whatever is the matter?" she asked as Artemis rubbed his wife, concerned.
"I.. I felt one of them. A sailor scout. One has finally awakened."
In shock, the Neo Star Queen sat down near the cat and looked deep into her eyes. "Do you know where she is?" Luna shook her head in a no.
"All I can say is that she's somewhere nearby. I don't know how we'll find her."
"Hmm.." Usagi said, looking at the two cats. Then, she snapped her fingers.
"I'll send you with this," she said, holding a ball of light in her hands, which she then passed to Luna by touching the crescent on her forehead. "Perhaps you can awaken her fully with it, and bring her home to see me.. God, it's been so long," she whispered to the darkness around her.
"I'll find her," Luna promised, and started off, her mission in mind. Artemis and Usagi watched until she was out of sight.
"May the silver moon guide you, Luna," the Queen whispered as Luna disappeared into the dark of the late night.
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(To be continued..)
Please R/R. I hope you enjoy this! :D