AN – Well, hello there! I've been on a Senshi/Shittenou kick recently so I decided to start working on this. Eventually, this will be a continuation of Esprit d'Incendie, so it's going to be set in that same universe. I'll probably be working on both of these simultaneously so updates probably won't be too speedy. Sorry about it!

Warnings: Bad language, some angst. Nothing really bad in here this time.

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Fighting Gravity

Awakened

A Sailormoon fanfiction by Flutterby Ashes

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The fire swirled around her, practically consuming her in its fury, but she didn't flinch. Not once. Dark blue eyes watched her intently, wondering if she would finally see what his dreams had shown to him. If she saw it too they could confirm their suspicious.

Chaos was returning. He could feel it.

Mamoru shifted, stepping back slightly as the fire licked closer to him. Idly, he wondered why she rarely burned when the flames stayed just scant centimeters from her face. This had been going on for nearly an hour, and he knew the dangers that came with her being entranced for the fire for that long. The last time, she'd been unconscious for nearly three days before reviving, her exhausted body barely capable of telling them what she had seen.

They didn't have that kind of time.

As if hearing his thoughts, the fire abruptly shot upwards in a thick column, flames snarling at the weathered boards of the ceiling before falling back in its grate, peacefully flickering as though it were nothing more than a mere campfire. She drew in her breath in a sharp gasp, hand reaching up to clutch her chest as she nearly collapsed forward. He squashed down the guilt he was feeling at asking her to do this as he knelt by her side.

"Something is coming," she whispered, her voice weak.

"Did you see the same things that I did?" he asked, pulling her sweating form close to his chest to stabilize her. She nodded, her eyes slipping closed as she rested against him. She was shaking.

"It's coming soon," she murmured, her words slurring slightly. "There's darkness, a lot of it. We were overpowered on our own. Things will start happening in a few days, maybe a week." He tried to ignore how her voice continued to get softer.

"Damnit," he groaned. "We haven't had to fight in four years; why is this happening now?"

"I don't know," she confessed, lifting her head and attempting to pull away from him. He held her strong. "I need some water," she said, pulling away from him again.

He relented. She was weakened, definitely, but if she were going to lose consciousness during this ordeal she would have done so by now. Standing, her grabbed her hand and pulled her up, perhaps a bit too quickly. She stumbled, gripping onto his arm for strength. He knew that he was one of the few people that she ever let see her like this. Weak. He knew it was because of their past relationship, and sometimes he found himself yearning for her company in that way again. At that moment, he almost regretted the ring around his finger.

"Come on," he said, trying to steer his thoughts back on track. He loved his wife. He loved Usagi with most of his heart. He just had to accept that there would always be a part of him that still loved Rei. He wondered if she still loved him as well.

They reached the kitchen, and he directed her towards a chair. Almost immediately her head fell to the accompanying table, resting on her folded arms as she exhaled a shaky breath. He retrieved the glass and set it down in front of her, noticing the shaking in her limbs as she lifted her head and carried the glass to her lips for a drink.

She finished the drink quickly, eventually leaning back in the chair. He resisted the urge to stand behind her and run his hands over her tense, shaking shoulders in a comforting massage. He'd set boundaries for himself; it wouldn't do either of them any good to go breaking them now. She was resting with her eyes closed, the dwindling twilight practically shimmering off her features.

"Yuichirou will be back soon," he said, wondering if he was losing his mind. "He'll be worried."

"I know," she murmured, probably trying to come up with an excuse to provide him with. "Usagi will wonder where you are."

"I called her to say I was called into work," he confessed, feeling almost no guilt about his lie. "I just couldn't stand to have that dream again without knowing what was happening."

She nodded, opening her eyes to look at him sternly. She looked exhausted, and almost haunted. An uncomfortable feeling settled itself in his stomach. She was hiding something.

"What else did you see?" he asked, noting with some satisfaction how she flinched as soon as he asked.

"It's not important." A lie. She'd forgotten that he could see through her.

"It is."

She sighed, a weary expression covering her features, making her look much older than her twenty-one years. She was burdened, he knew. She had been forced to overcome many things in her short life, and he'd always wondered how she managed to maintain so much grace.

"It's not something I can talk about," she said quietly, pulling her gaze away from them. "It changes everything if I do."

He nodded, watching her intently. Something was definitely upsetting her, and he wondered what it was that she might have seen in the flames.

"You should get some rest," he said simply, knowing that she would ignore his suggestion. In the distance, he heard the sound of the main door to the house sliding open.

"Rei-san!" Yuichirou called, and Mamoru didn't miss the fond smile that appeared on her lips. Seconds later, he appeared around the corner, carrying a bag of fruits and vegetables. "Hello there, Chiba-san," he greeted, friendly smile on his face.

"Kumada-san," he returned, wondering why he always insisted on being so formal with the man. He turned his gaze back to her. "Thank you for the advice, Rei. I should be getting home to Usako in time for dinner."

She smiled, moving to stand up to walk him to the door. He winced, wondering if she would stumble and if Yuichirou would notice. She rose elegantly, as if nothing had ever happened. He could have believed that he'd made the whole thing up if her hands weren't still shaking so much. Once they'd reached the door and were away from Yuichirou's potential gaze he pulled her into a nearly crushing embrace.

"I'm serious," he whispered fiercely. "You need to rest." He felt her nod against his chest.

"Don't make me turn Yuichirou loose on you," he teased, please when she genuinely laughed. He released her, watching her face intently, noticing that some of the brightness had returned to her gaze.

"Mamo," she called, her tone serious. "We can't do this alone." She fixed him with a gaze that he was certain could melt steel, and his mind drifted to the four stones sitting in a box in his living room. She didn't know about the Shittenou, did she? He'd kept it a secret from everyone, save for Usagi. He nodded, swallowing heavily.

"Should I tell Usako about what we've seen?" he asked, and was surprised when she nodded.

"I'll call a meeting for tomorrow so we can get everyone up to speed. It could happen any day now," she said, her tone dark.

He nodded, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly before turning into the waning daylight and disappearing down the steps.

.0.o.0.o.0.o.0.

"Are you positive about this?" Ami asked. The woman was always skeptical about her visions in the fire, even though they had proved to be accurate time and time again. She simply nodded, despite the insult she was feeling as one of her most trusted friends questioned her abilities once again.

"Well, what should we do about it then? We haven't had to fight in years; I don't even know if I remember how to anymore," Minako questioned, chewing on her bottom lip worriedly.

"Based on what I've seen, I don't think we can do this on our own," Rei murmured, noticing the darkening gazes on her friends. "We need to call Haruka-san and Michiru-san. Probably Hotaru-chan as well."

Usagi cleared her throat. "Well, based on what Mamo-chan told me and what you've seen, Rei-chan, I think we might need more help than that." She turned a pointed gaze at Mamoru. Rei would have laughed at the flabbergasted expression on his face if the situation weren't so dire.

He sighed, reaching behind himself to pull out a small wooden box. He shot an apologetic look at Rei before lifting the lid and showing the girls what was inside.

She gasped, gripping her chest with her hand as four powerful auras washed over her. Four powerful auras of men that she thought were dead. She felt a hand grip her arm, probably Minako's, and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to adjust to the new beings in the room, hating how sensitive she was to other energies in the world. They were lonely, nearly frantic, and desperately wanting to get out of their prison. Emotions that weren't hers washed over her, and for a moment she struggled to fight through them and find herself once again. A moment later, she had herself under control. She met Minako's concerned eyes, quietly whispering, "I'm fine."

"Are those what I think they are?" Makoto asked, staring at Mamoru intently.

"What are you talking about?" Ami asked, looking at her friends in confusion.

"Their spirits are in those stones, aren't they?" Minako asked, her tone serious.

Mamoru nodded, and realization dawned on Ami's face.

"Zoisite is in there?" she whispered, her disbelief evident in her voice.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Makoto asked angrily. "How long have you had those?"

Mamoru sighed. "A long time," he confessed. "I had them before the Galaxia ordeal. They give me advice when I need it. Beryl trapped them in these stones when they died so that we wouldn't be able to revive them and use them against her."

"Why would we even want to?" Makoto asked, practically yelling. "Don't you remember what they did? Don't you remember how the betrayed us? How they killed us?"

"That wasn't them," Mamoru and Rei said at the same time, causing everyone to look up at her in surprise.

"What are you talking about, Rei-chan? I saw him. He came to my rooms, slept with me, and snapped my neck," Makoto said, her voice shaking and tears shimmering in her eyes. "I know it was him."

Rei sighed heavily, looking up at Mamoru for guidance. "I'm not entirely sure how, Mako-chan, but I know it wasn't them. When Jadeite came for me I could feel that something was different. He wasn't himself, and something in his eyes was off. I couldn't figure out what it was. I was just so relieved to see him after everything that had happened on Earth; I was sure he was dead." She sighed again, fighting the tightness in her voice. "I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. It was his body, but it wasn't his spirit. There was some demon or something inside of him instead. I didn't understand it for a long time, not until I had gotten all of my memories back. I just know that it wasn't him."

"She's right," Mamoru confirmed, drawing the attention back to him. "They died on the battlefield. I saw their bodies. I had gone to retrieve them to bring them back to the Moon Kingdom for a proper burial, but Beryl got their first. She stole their bodies, and I figure that she placed her own monsters inside of them. I tried to get back to the Moon in time to warn you, but I was too late. Mars had already been murdered and so had Jupiter," he said, shuddering at the terrible images formed in his head. "They'd gone to awaken Mercury and Venus, but when they did they found you were dead as well. Everything fell apart later that day. That's all I remember."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ami asked, her voice soft and disbelieving. "Why would you let us think for so long that they betrayed us?"

"I didn't know how to explain it," Mamoru said glumly, feeling guilty for keeping secrets from them.

"It was easier to fight thinking that they'd betrayed us," Rei murmured, not looking at her fellow soldiers in the eyes. "I didn't believe it for a long time."

Minako's arm slid around her, pulling her into a lose embrace. "It's alright, Rei-chan. I understand." Ami nodded, and after a moment, Makoto sighed and nodded too.

"So why are you telling us about this now?" Makoto asked, sounding tired.

Mamoru took a deep breath, wondering how to word his proposal. "Rei-chan said that we couldn't do this alone." He reached over and took Usagi's hand for support. "If we use the crystals from all of our planets in conjunction with the Silver Crystal, we'll be able to revive them."

"Absolutely not!" Makoto shouted, jumping to her feet. "I don't care if there was some stupid demon inside of them; they should have fought harder! They never should have let Beryl defeat them. They were supposed to protect Earth. They were supposed to protect us!"

"Mako-chan, please," Usagi begged, tears forming in her eyes.

"How dare you!" she shouted again. "How dare you think that we could just let them back into our lives? No, absolutely one-hundred percent no, I will not help you with this." Without another word, she stormed out of the room, slamming the sliding door shut behind her and nearly ripping it off of its hinges.

After a moment of stunned silence, Minako finally spoke. "I know that they loved us," she said, almost sagely. "I know in my heart that they would never have willingly betrayed us. I'll help you."

Usagi smiled her thanks, shifting her gaze to Rei, where her head still rested on Minako's shoulder.

"Are you alright, Rei-chan?" she asked, looking at her intently. The raven haired girl nodded, sighing deeply before standing up from her position on the floor.

"I should talk to Mako-chan," she murmured. Mamoru knew it was because she wanted to get away from the auras of his old generals.

As she turned to leave, Ami called out to her. "Are you sure that it wasn't them?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. The miko nodded, and Ami sighed heavily, slumping her shoulders. "Then I'll help, too."

Usagi broke into a full grin. "And Rei-chan, you'll help us, won't you?" The hopeful expression on her face was almost too much to handle.

"Of course I will. But, it doesn't matter unless Mako-chan is here too."

.0.o.0.o.0.

She hadn't gone far. Rei found her sitting near the koi pond near the back of the shrine, idly skimming her fingers over the water with tears slipping from her eyes.

"This was my mother's favorite place," she said quietly, coming to sit next to her. She welcomed the fresh air, and the distance from the Shittenou; it gave her the opportunity to finally breathe. "Ojii-san said that she always came here when she was upset or when she needed guidance."

"It certainly is calming," Makoto whispered, not taking her eyes off the water. Rei moved to sit next to her, staying silent for a while. She understood Makoto's anger. She had harbored her own for quite some time.

"Ever since I got that memory back I tried to figure out why he would have betrayed me like that," she said, her voice shaking in a way that was very much unlike her. "I couldn't come up with anything that made sense, so I just convinced myself that everything had been fake, that he'd come to Jupiter with the sole intention of gaining my trust so he could use it later on for his own gain. It was the only thing that seemed logical. Dying, having some demonic being put inside his body, being controlled by Beryl, none of that makes any sense."

"Maybe you just can't accept the fact that he died trying to protect you. We all thought it was certain they would win." She sighed, fighting back painful memories. "Everyone thought that Mars being destroyed was just a fluke. We were a bunch of war-hungry nomads; everyone else in the solar system thought we were too backwards to survive as long as we did. There were a million good reasons as to why she could have destroyed Mars so easily, but very few good ones existed as to why the Earth would fall. We all thought Beryl sought to make it into her own base, her new kingdom. It didn't make any sense that she would seek to destroy it."

Makoto sighed, blinking back tears. "I think you're right," she murmured finally. "Do you think it is right to bring them back?"

Rei sighed, glancing back toward the house where she was sure everyone was awaiting her return. "In my vision I saw what would happen if we didn't have any help. I know that we can't do this alone. They were powerful; if anyone would be able to help us it would be them."

"How do you know they won't betray us?" Makoto asked, and she knew that the taller girl's decision would rest on her next words.

"I don't."

.0.o.0.o.0.

All of their heads snapped up as the door slid back open. Rei came in, not meeting any of their gazes. A few seconds later, Makoto followed.

"Okay, I'm in," she said, doubt still lingering on her face, "but if they kill us I'm going to haunt each and every one of you." Laughter sounded in the room.

Mamoru finally met Rei's eyes, mouthing a silent 'thank you.' She faintly smiled and nodded.

"So, when do we do this?" Minako asked as Makoto took a seat back down on the floor.

"The sooner the better," Rei said, her eyes darkening. "I don't know how long until the darkness starts coming back in, but it's going to be soon."

Mamoru nodded. "We need to do it now. We have no idea where they're going to appear and how long it will take us to find them. We might need to restore their memories too, and we're going to have to give them some of our memories of life in this time frame. If their memories intact, the last thing they'll remember is dying on the Earth thousands of years ago. We need some time to get them prepared."

"Well, can we do it now?" Ami asked.

"Now would be the most opportune time," a melodic voice murmured from the corner of the room, causing its occupants to jump in surprise.

"Setsuna-san!" Usagi squealed, excited to see the time guardian once again.

"My lady," she greeted, refined as ever. "You are correct in thinking that you need the assistance of the Shittenou. They will be very valuable in protecting Crystal Tokyo in the future."

"How do we do this, then?" Makoto asked, reaching into her pocket to retrieve a locket containing the crystal of Jupiter.

"You must gather the crystals together, with the Silver Crystal in the middle," she instructed, and the girls produced their lockets. Mamoru reached into his pocket and retrieved a pocket watch, flipping it open to reveal the golden crystal of Earth.

"Now," she said, "activate your planet powers. Link hands with one another and focus. Mamoru-sama, you need to place the stones with their respective crystals." They all did as she said, and Mamoru came to stand by her side.

"What do I need to do?" he asked, feeling a bit useless.

"When they are revived, you will be able to see where they are. They'll be revived in the past, so they will have lived lives in this century, but they won't have their memories of the Silver Millennium. You'll need to move quickly to find them and restore those memories. The girls will be able to revive them without your energy."

He nodded, watching the girls as they linked their hands together and arranged themselves in a circle around the crystal. He caught Makoto's eyes, and she shot him a look that clearly said 'this had better not be a fucking mistake, Mamoru-san,' and he managed a weak smile in return. He turned to ask Setsuna how long it would take, but he found that she was no longer standing next to him. He sighed. She probably had to go back into the past to revive them.

He thought of his generals with fondness, and wondered who they would be in this life. He couldn't imagine them being anyone other than themselves. They had all had such strong personalities; would those carry over in their new lives? Most of the girls were relatively the same, although Rei had lost much of her confidence and trust and Makoto seemed to be lacking in her feminine wiles and grace that she had possessed in the past. He knew that this was because of the hardships they had faced in these new lives.

A soft glow began to surround them, one by one, starting with Rei and Ami. He smirked slightly; they were the best at being able to control their thoughts. Usagi was the last to become completely focused, and her silver glow seemed to illuminate the entire room. He studied their faces, watching them intently. Bringing back the Shittenou would change everything for them, and he knew it well. He remembered the great plan his father, the King of Earth had, to marry off all of the princes to the inner planetary princesses. It had been a brilliant plan, and he was lucky that his generals were blessed with charm and good looks. Mars had been the easiest to convince. The war-torn planet had been so desperate to improve its relations with its neighbors that the Ares had practically leaped at the opportunity, promising his only daughter to whichever young prince the King saw fit. Jupiter had been the worst; their secretive people had been reluctant to even let the Earthlings on the surface of their home.

He sighed, past memories mixing with pleasant ones. Not for the first time, he wished that they had been able to protect the Earth better so long ago. He wished he had never trusted Beryl in the first place.

Suddenly, the gems also began to glow, drawing Mamoru out of his thoughts.

"This is it," he murmured.

Beams of light shot up from the stones, and as they did, strange visions overtook Mamoru's sight.

He saw Kunzite and Jadeite as small boys, laughing and playing with one another as a blond woman looked on, smiling.

He saw Zoisite as a child with his hands clutched over his ears, trying to drown out the sound of his parents fighting in the next room.

He saw a youthful Nephrite, grinning from ear to ear while standing at his father's side as the older man delivered a rousing campaign speech.

More flashes of their lives appeared. Kunzite punching Jadeite in the face, yelling at him for something or other. Zoisite winning awards for his stellar grades. Nephrite becoming a tennis champion. Kunzite consoling a broken-hearted Jadeite as they stood by their mother's grave. Zoisite's early graduation from high school as his proud mother. Nephrite getting dumped hours before his senior prom.

Kunzite, lecturing a class of college students in a room he recognized at Tokyo University.

Jadeite, leading a class of first graders wearing Juuban's uniforms through the local zoo.

Zoisite, conducting research in the oncology wing of the hospital he worked at.

Nephrite, hanging a sign over the door of his new publishing company.

As suddenly as they'd come, the visions faded, leaving him standing in the darkening room as the girls returned to themselves. Rushing over, he checked to see if the stones were still there.

They weren't.

Ami came back to her senses first. "Do you know where they are?"

He nodded. "Well, I suppose I know. I saw flashes of their lives here, and I think I saw where all of them are working now. It's just a matter of finding him."

"Do they remember anything from the Silver Millennium?" Rei's voice inquired; he was met with Usagi's inquisitive gaze as well.

He shook his head. "It doesn't seem like it."

Makoto sighed heavily, which earned her a warm pat on the back from Minako.

"I guess there's no turning back now," the tall warrior murmured, finding great interest in the beds on her fingernails.

"No," Mamoru confirmed. "No, there certainly isn't."

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Hope you all enjoyed this! Please read and review.