ESCAPE FROM THE MOON

Book Three of Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon CosmicStars

by Nashie (aka ShadowSamurai)

October 2000 – February 2001

Revised - Winter 2001


Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and her friends belong to Naoko Takeuchi. The author takes no credit for any of the original storyline. However, all the new characters belong to me and I'd appreciate it if you didn't take any without requesting permission.


"What is decreed must be"

Twelfth Night, I.5 Sc.5


Episode 236: Wavering thoughts. Dark thoughts in a new day.


Strips of pale early morning rays shot down onto the pale blue covers of a queen-size bed, briefly turning them gold. The covers weren't even crumpled from the person who had been sleeping under them, who was now beginning to be irritated with the brightness of the morning star. Carefully, she turned her back to the cheery sunshine and buried herself in her pillow. She was getting as bad as Usagi.

Well, a voice in her head told her, you're not as bad as Haruka, who's worse than Usagi-chan. She probably won't get up for another hour, no matter what the commotion.

, a voice in her head told her, . .

Smiling at that thought, the girl pulled the covers up over her head so she wouldn't see the golden beams of light. She would sleep for five more minutes and then get up. Fortunately, she had just got out of school for a weekend break and was planning to sleep in.

No, the voice said again. You should wake up. You can't get back to sleep after that dreams of yours. No one can. So just get your lazy self up and get ready. Remember, you have plans today.

, the voice said again. .

"Oh, let me just sleep," the girl whispered to her mind. She wasn't really a girl anymore. She was eighteen years old and more of a lady in mind and body than anything. She groaned as the voice in her head kept prodding her to wake up.

Finally, after five more minutes, which she was supposed to have been sleeping, Keioh Michiru dragged herself from under the covers.

"About time you're awake!" Michiru precisely jumped a foot in the air and then glared at the blonde in her room, sending her death threats with her eyes. Haruka. Since when did she get up early? More importantly, when did she get up early and end up in her room?

"Thanks for the wake up call, Haruka," Michiru muttered. The taller girl grinned. She wasn't much of a girl either. Taller and more developed in body than Michiru, Haruka was, of course, a very beautiful lady. Except Haruka didn't see it like that. She often hid her figure in men's clothing, which Michiru didn't object much. If Haruka was happy like that, then it wasn't her place to tell her she was wrong.

Either way, Michiru went over to Haruka and gave her a sweet morning kiss. Then she pulled away and put on a playful crossed face. "Now what are you doing in my room at this hour?" Haruka smiled sarcastically.

"What hour?" she asked. "Michiru, it's ten thirty. Even I'm usually up by now." Michiru glared at her.

"Ten thirty?" she asked. Haruka briefly nodded and pointed to a digital clock by Michiru's bed. Michiru groaned. "Now we're going to be late. We meet at eleven fifteen!" Haruka smiled.

"It's not like we were never late before," she said. "Besides, Usagi-chan will probably save us the embarrassment by showing up an hour late like she usually does."

"Hmmph," Michiru responded. "I guess she will. Now, you go get ready or wake up Hotaru or something…" Haruka groaned.

"Wake up Hotaru?" she asked cynically. "She was mad at me the whole week when I woke her up to go the airport a few weeks ago."

"Well, it's summer now and we all have a trip to a resort next weekend," Michiru replied. "Maybe she'll be in a happier mood now." Haruka rolled her eyes and plopped down on the bed. Michiru smiled and sat next to her.

"Or not," she said, resting her head on Haruka's shoulder. "Okay, so what's wrong? You're still not thinking about Hogoshi-chan, are you?" Haruka glared at her.

"No," she snapped. Michiru looked startled. Haruka's expression softened and she smiled a bit. "No, I'm not. She's kept her half of the promise and we've kept ours." Michiru looked up at Haruka.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Well, there's something clearly bothering you and I would just like to know what that thing is." Haruka sighed.

"I had this weird dream last night," she said, her aqua-green eyes hazy and deep in thought. "It was creepy. Someone was calling me. A girl in sailor fuku who looked unmistakably like Sailor Moon. Behind her, the Silver Millennium was getting crushed into oblivion. She was calling for help. The other senshi were there, but they couldn't do anything about it. It was far more powerful then anything we've ever dealt with." She laughed a little. "The dream shouldn't really worry me since we can't transform anymore. But that's what is worrying me." Michiru was quiet.

"Haruka?"

"Yeah?"

"I had the same dream," Michiru said softly. Haruka looked at her in disbelief. "I know it seems hard to believe, but I did have that dream. I saw everybody else from my body. It was so weird, because everyone was saying something." Haruka frowned.

"Did I say something about having that oblivion remind me of the Silence?" she asked. Michiru paled a little.

"Yeah. You did."

"Okay, now this is weird," Haruka groaned. "Because in my heart, I was saying that. Our dreams were connected into one."

"Weird."

"I'll say."

The two young women remained silent for a second before Michiru got up. "Well, I better get ready. We'll talk to Rei-chan about it when we get over to her temple." Haruka laughed.

"I can't believe we agreed to go rollerblading with them," she said. "I don't think I've ever seen Setsuna-chan looked so shocked in my life." Michiru laughed also as she looked through her closest. She had amazed (and probably scared) Tomoe by spending so much money on stylish clothes.

"Haruka, it's going to be very hot today," Michiru said, taking a glance at the blonde tomboy. A tricky grin found its way to her face. "I suggest you might wear something feminine for once." Haruka pretended to pass out on the bed.

"You've shoved the sword through my heart," she said in an atrocious British accent. Michiru giggled, walked over to the bed, and hit her with a pillow.

"I wonder if a kiss will wake her," she said, leaning over Haruka. "Or maybe a kick will get better results." Haruka opened one eye eagerly and sat up.

"Can I still claim a kiss?" she asked. Michiru nodded and kissed her passionately on the lips. She kneeled in Haruka's lap, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck. Haruka gently embraced the girl around her waist as the kiss deepened and they fell onto the bed.

"Hey, what's taking you so long!" a girl shouted, slamming the door opened. "I was up…oops." Haruka and Michiru shot Hotaru hazardous looks as the girl blushed brightly. "Um, sorry. I'll be leaving." She quietly shut the door and they heard scampering on the other side. Michiru sighed and turned back to Haruka, placing her forehead against hers.

"We need more privacy," she said, before returning to the kiss. Haruka laughed a little.

"Hotaru needs to learn how to knock," she whispered, running her hand through Michiru's soft and gauzy hair. Michiru giggled a little at Haruka's comment. "We better get ready to go."

"Okay," Michiru replied, but neither girl pulled away. Haruka grinned.

"I think a kiss from the maiden as stirred me from my fall," she said, leaning over Michiru. Michiru smiled back.

"And I think that the maiden would like something in return," she said, pulling Haruka's shirt collar. Haruka frowned, but her green eyes were sparkling.

"Oh, so I'm not the prize?" she asked, kissing Michiru on the neck. Michiru laughed a little and pulled Haruka into a kiss, running her hands up and down the blonde's back. After a few moments, she turned her head to the side.

"The maiden would like to meet her fellow ladies for a little leisure time," she said. She slowly crawled up and then grinned at Haruka. "But I'll be sure to get my prize tonight." Haruka blushed.

"Yeah, if I don't break my neck during this leisure time."

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"How's this?" Usagi asked. It was 11:10 and the girl had just woken up ten minutes earlier. She was showing outfits of what she was going to wear rollerblading. Chibiusa was upset because she still had roller-skates. She sat on the edge of the bed, arms crossed and glaring at Usagi.

"I'll look like the youngest one there!" she complained. She already had her outfit on. It was white short-sleeve blouse with pink shorts. She sighed, pulling on her pink helmet. It had spaces in the back that let out her odangos. She carefully made sure that the odangos were still in place.

"That's because you are the youngest one there!" Usagi said, finally deciding on a green skirt and pink sleeveless ribbed blouse. She ran into the bathroom in a trail of smoke and came out changed.

"Your friends are here!" Ikuko shouted from downstairs. The petite blonde nodded as she scrambled around, looking for her gear. "They said move it or lose it." Usagi fumed as her cheeks turned as pink as Chibiusa's hair.

"Rei-chan," she hissed, scampering around her bedroom. She pulled on her glossy pink and silver helmet and other safety gear and ran downstairs, with Chibiusa right behind her. With her free hand, she snatched up her skates that were by the door. "I'm ready!"

The four other girls were sitting on the porch, already ready to go. Usagi took a deep breath and stared at all of them. "Sorry I'm a little late. I couldn't decide what to wear…"

Minako laughed. "That's no excuse. Look at this cute outfit I threw together." Minako was wearing an orange and white striped tee that was tucked into orange shorts and a blue jacket wrapped around her waist. Her helmet and skates were orange. Usagi glared at her.

"Hey, where's Pu and the others?" Chibiusa asked, looking around. Her best friends were nowhere to be seen. Her red eyes dropped a little. "They're not here yet?"

"We're supposed to meet them in the park," Rei said. She looked stylish in short red overalls, white blouse and a red scarf. Her helmet and skates were blood red. It seemed lately, the senshi were trying to wear their sailor colors more often than anything. Rei grinned. "I have this feeling that those four may not be able to skate very well. We might be able to prove that we're better than them at something before they leave for that resort."

Mako sighed. "That would be excellent." She was wearing a simple sleeveless green turtleneck and black shorts. Her helmet and skates were a glossy green color. Her ponytail was on the nape of her neck so that it trailed down to the middle of her back. She grinned. "Then, we can finally show off in front of them. Didn't you see Setsuna-san's face when we told her we were doing this? I thought she would die of shock."

Ami was quiet and her outfit attracted the least attention. She was wearing gray shorts and a sleeveless blue top. Her helmet and skates were, of course, blue. "It doesn't matter who skates better than whom. We're just here for fun, right?"

"Right!" Usagi said, skating off. She was less than five feet before she slipped and landed on her face. She burst out into tears. "Ouchies!" The five other girls got sweatdrops as they watched the crying blonde.

"And then, there are people who are better than nobody," Chibiusa said, her voice deadpan. The other four girls skated towards Usagi, a little shaky, but a lot better than Usagi.

"Mako-chan, I wish I could skate like you," Usagi said after her tears had been calmed. "You're so good." Mako blushed a little.

"I'm not that good," she said. The six girls began skating down the street, Minako and Mako holding onto Usagi's arms. Chibiusa was walking more than she was skating and was holding Rei's hands. Ami skated a little off to their right, a little slow, but still steady.

The park came into their view after five minutes. Families, couples, and kids were walking in or out every now and then. It was still early, so the park wasn't that crowded. The six girls skated in, looking around for their friends.

"They said they'd be here," Rei said, looking off into the middle of the park. "So where are they? I wanna see how good they really aren't."

"Where'd you say we meet them?" Chibiusa asked. Usagi frowned and scratched the back of her head. She looked around, but the four outer girls were nowhere to be seen.

"I think I said lets meet near the park's main entrance," she said, looking up over her. "This is the main entrance. I hope." She sighed a little, waving her hand in front of her face. "Gosh, it's hot out here." Mako sighed, spinning a little in her skates. The other girls glared at her enviously.

"I have an idea," Mako said enthusiastically. "I'm gonna challenge either Haruka-san or Setsuna-san to a race. If neither them is all that good, I can use that to my best advantage." Ami frowned.

"That wouldn't be right," she said. "You shouldn't take advantage of their skill level." Rei snorted.

"Who says they have any skill?" she asked, crossing her arms. "They could be incredi-"

"Look out, Rei-chan!" a voice shouted from behind her. Rei spun around, only to see Michiru heading straight towards her. She gasped and tried to scramble out of the way, but ended up getting tangled in her own legs and fell to the ground on her butt. Michiru skidded to a halt and giggled a little. "Sorry, minna-chan. I have to learn how to stop."

"Yeah, whatever," Rei muttered, turning a shade that resembled her planet. "Are you pretty good with in-line skating?" Michiru shrugged.

"Well, maybe compared to some people, yeah," she replied. She was wearing a simple turquoise mini dress with a white jacket tied around her waist. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her helmet and skates were bluish-green. She grinned a little. "I guess we just have to wait for the others." Mako grinned and got a sneaky look on her face.

"What's taking them so long?" she asked. Ami groaned and placed one of her hands on her forehead as if she had a headache. Michiru frowned.

"I don't know really," she said. "I guess it was because I couldn't stop and had picked up speed from that hill we went down. Haruka was right behind me."

"But unlike you, I stopped at the red light and didn't almost get hit by a truck," a voice muttered from behind them. Everyone turned around and saw Haruka behind them, catching her breath. Usagi grinned a little.

"Nice outfit," she said. The blonde tomboy couldn't even be mistaken for a guy in her outfit. She looked very chic in a deep blue bare-midriff top and black shorts. Over the top, she wore a white short-sleeved blouse. Her helmet and skates were navy blue. Haruka blushed and then glared at Michiru.

"Thanks a lot Michiru," she mumbled. Michiru giggled a little and the blonde just sighed. She looked behind her, as if trying to see where Hotaru and Setsuna were. "Hmm, I wonder where they went." Michiru shrugged.

"Probably back at the stoplight I went through," she said. Chibiusa frowned.

"You went through a red light?" she asked. Michiru blushed a bright red. Haruka grinned at her embarrassment.

"Yup," she replied. "After going down that hill, Michiru didn't seem to know how to put on her breaks and went into the street during a red light. She also didn't see that semi that was coming straight at her. Fortunately for her, the speed she had gained carried her across the street and into the park. The semi put on the brakes after she crossed the street, leaving us on the other side while Michiru went on towards the park." Michiru groaned as everyone burst out laughing.

"What's the joke? Is anyone going to tell us?" The girls turned to see Hotaru and Setsuna enter the park. Hotaru had her hands on her hips as she easily skated up towards Michiru. Setsuna, however, seemed a little shaky on her feet. "You okay, Michiru-mama? That semi didn't get you, did it?" Michiru blushed bright red again.

"Why must everyone continue to bring that up?" she asked. Hotaru giggled. The raven-haired teenager was sporting a deep violet halter-top and black capris. Her helmet and skates were violet, shining brightly in the morning sun.

"Because it's funny," Setsuna said with a modest smile. She shook her head, causing her long green hair to swish back and forth. "If you had been more careful, you wouldn't have almost caused an accident." The former time guardian was wearing black jeans and deep red sleeveless turtleneck. Her skating gear was black.

Michiru shrugged and crossed her arms. "Whatever." Rei sighed a little, rubbing the back of her head. Well, Michiru-san and Setsuna-san seem to be the only two who have flaws in their skating.

"So, are we going to get moving or what?" Usagi asked, pounding her fist into the air. The movement caused her feet to slip out from under her and the blonde landed on her back. "Ouchies!" The tears began forming. The others looked at one another and sighed. Hotaru leaned over and helped the blonde crybaby to her feet.

Minako looked around. "Looks like very few people on the trail." Mako nodded and then looked over at Setsuna.

"Hey, Setsuna-san!" she called. "Wanna race?" Setsuna stared at the brunette for a second and then blushed.

"Race?" she asked. Minako nodded and then grabbed Haruka's arm.

"Yeah, do you wanna race?" she asked. Haruka groaned, trying to pry Minako off her arm. Seeing that it was useless, she shrugged.

"I'll race if you let go of my arm," she muttered. Setsuna frowned at Mako's challenge as Rei untied the scarf around her neck to be the flag.

"I don't think I ought to," Setsuna said slowly. Mako smirked a little and Setsuna groaned. "Oh, all right. I'll race." Mako cheered as the four girls lined up side by side.

"Remember: you are only racing your partner," Rei warned, the scarf above her head flapping in the breeze. "The first person of the pair to make it down by the seacoast wins. Mako-chan vs. Setsuna-san and Minako-chan vs. Haruka-san, let's see who wins. On your marks…get set…"

"I'm starting to have a bad feeling about this," Minako muttered. Rei lowered her arm.

"GO!" she shouted. The remainder of the girls watched in amusement and then frowned. Setsuna was still standing at the starting line, laughing to herself. Rei frowned deeply. "Setsuna-san, the race has already started." Setsuna nodded.

"I know," she said. "I just want to give Makoto-chan a handicap." Before anyone could say anything, Setsuna pushed off and gained speed. She was fast.

Very fast.

Mako grinned as she looked around her. Setsuna was nowhere to be seen. She glanced a little towards her left. Minako and Haruka were engaged in their own race. They were both neck and neck, laughing and joking more than they were concentrating on the race. Mako growled beneath her breath as cool winds slapped her face. The pavement slid beneath her, easily and quickly. "This is way too easy."

Before she could say anything else, Mako felt a presence at her side. She turned and her jaw dropped. Setsuna was right next to her, the older girl's dark green hair flapping wildly behind her. Setsuna waved a little and then pointed ahead. Mako looked forward and saw a staircase up ahead. She frowned. Time to lose this show-off.

She began down the stairs, jerking involuntarily from each step. It was a long way down, but she kept her balance. Turning to see where her opponent was, Mako was shocked even further.

The stairs had a metal railing going down the middle, almost a steep drop. Setsuna was easily gliding down the railing, knees to her chest and her hands discreetly close to the railing. At the end, the tall young woman stood up and sailed off the railing, giving her a ten-foot lead.

Mako was so shocked, she didn't see the fountain coming straight ahead. She looked around, but too late. She let out a shriek before falling right into the clear blue water with a splash.

Setsuna skidded to a stop and sighed a little. Skating towards the fountain, she saw Mako sitting in it, completely drenched. Her green eyes were blazing as she crawled from the fountain, sputtering water from her mouth. "Are you okay, Makoto-chan?"

"Fine!" the brunette muttered, coughing up water. Minako and Haruka joined the pair then, flushed from the race.

"I hereby call this race a tie!" Minako said in English, slapping Haruka a high-five.

"And what a race it was!" her opponent responded, also speaking in flawless English. The pair turned to Setsuna and Mako and frowned a little. Haruka laughed and began speaking in Japanese again. "Gomen nasai, Mako-chan. What happened?"

"She's faster than she looks," Mako sputtered as the other girls began skating up. Setsuna smiled modestly.

"Gomen ne, Mako-chan," she said. "I should have told you I'm a pretty good skater. I was just pretending not to be good so no one would ask me to race. I don't like being competitive."

"Ara, honto?" Mako snapped back sarcastically. "By the way of things, you won." Setsuna groaned.

"And then my opponent ends up like this," she said. Usagi cheered as she skated up to the others. Her blue eyes sparkled.

"And the winna is Miss Meioh Setsuna in this race!" she yelled in a horrible New York accent. "Ami, tell 'er what she's won!" She collapsed into giggles as she pretended to be saluting Setsuna. Chibiusa and Rei let out identical sighs.

"Usagi-chan, your English is terrible," Ami said patiently. She shook her head and smiled shyly. "You should pay more attention in class." Usagi just giggled some more, her face turning pink.

"So, I'm assuming there will be no more races?" Michiru asked, cocking a delicate eyebrow. "In case someone is hurt?" Mako nodded reluctantly, giving into defeat.

"Anyhoo, we still have most of the park to cover," Chibiusa said, pulling Setsuna's hand. "We'll stop for lunch at 1:00, okay? But until then, let's get moving!"

The other senshi sighed at the same time, but followed the pink-haired girl to the trails.

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A tall young woman stared at the bleak destruction around her. Her face was woven in pain as she saw one person after another fall to the ground, dead or wounded. Where were the sailor senshi? They hadn't been awakened and the world's destruction was going to blamed on that minor factor.

She stared at the royal palace as it was crushed into oblivion. Why wouldn't this dream leave her alone? She could do nothing to stop it. It was horrible, though, to see everything that had taken hundred of years to make destroyed in one single blast.

The pale-haired girl let out a single sob before darkness destroyed her world. A world that had already been destroyed, thousands and thousands of years prior to…

Prior to what? Thousands of years into the future would bring about a new era. Maybe, somewhere in the future, the senshi had been awakened. Oh, how she would love to have their help! They could save this world which had been destroyed…

It was the second destruction of this time…it was coming and so was the end of Time itself.

The past. Forever locked into the eternity of Time. But, what if the past could be changed?

The girl looked up into the stars, once so cheerful, now spreading whispers of doom to the fallen kingdom. "Sailor soldiers, we need your help." No more would need to be said.

What if the senshi had come to the rescue and prevented disaster? What if the past could be changed? What then…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I'm…exhausted…" Usagi panted, leaning against the trunk of a weeping willow. Her friends were around her, either collapsed on the ground or standing and looking up at the willow in amazement. "Chibiusa…why on earth…did you have us…skate…uphill?" The pink-haired girl smiled.

"That's where the food was," she said. Hotaru rolled her eyes. She was lying on her back, her arms folded behind her head and was staring up at the leaves of the willow.

"Chibiusa-chan, the rest of us took the stairs," she said. "Usagi-chan, you should have taken the stairs too."

"I'm too…tired…to argue…with you…Hotaru-chan," Usagi wheezed, collapsing onto the ground.

"Sure," the dark-haired girl responded. She closed her eyes for awhile. She didn't want to go to sleep. Not after that weird dream she had had the previous night. It was so weird. The Silver Millennium was being crushed into oblivion by the…stars? Why would the stars punish one of their own?

"It made no sense," she muttered, opening her eyes after what she had assumed to be a couple minutes. Her eyes were still halfway closed when she heard the regular breathing of her friends. She turned her head to the side and sweatdropped.

Everyone had fallen asleep.

Hotaru glanced at her watch. 2:30. They had been asleep for over an hour! She sat up, her black hair swishing around her face. "Oh, come on," she muttered, looking at her friends. Usagi lay slumped against a tree, snoring loudly, Chibiusa in her lap. Ami was also leaning against the tree, head dropped. Rei was sprawled out next to Hotaru, snoring lightly. Minako was lying out on her stomach, using her arms as a pillow. Haruka was sitting up against the tree, Michiru resting on her shoulder. Setsuna was the only one still awake. She was standing up, looking out on the leaves of the willow.

"Good afternoon, sleepy-head," Setsuna said softly. Hotaru stretched as she looked up at the dark young woman.

"Setsuna-mama, were you aware that we were sleeping for nearly an hour?" Hotaru asked, her words a little slurred from sleeping. Setsuna simply smiled and nodded. "You let us sleep for that long?"

"Should I have waken you up?" Setsuna inquired, looking at the shorter girl. "I was sleeping myself and only woke up a few minutes ago."

"Oh. Why'd you wake up?"

"What?"

"Why'd you wake up?" Hotaru repeated, looking at Setsuna. Her violet eyes shone brightly. Setsuna sighed softly, turning her head. Her garnet eyes were shining, obviously from tears.

"Dreams," she replied after a few moments. "I've been having strange dreams. About the Silver Millennium. I don't know what it means, but I feel very uneasy about it."

"Setsuna-mama, I've been having dreams about the Silver Millennium too," Hotaru replied. "Do you think the others…" She glanced back at the others and suddenly had a dropping feeling in her stomach. Why did everyone fall asleep at the same time?

"Yes," Setsuna said, looking at the sleeping girls with a hint of sorrow in her voice. "Rei-chan, I know for sure, has had these dreams. The others, I'm not so sure. I'm guessing th-" Setsuna was cut off by screams from behind. The two young women spun around, only to see Minako jerk from her sleep, screaming. Ami was also screaming. The other girls just woke up in shock, their eyes growing large.

"No!" Minako screamed. She grabbed her head and shook it, as if trying to get something out. Her pale blue eyes were getting larger and larger, nearly filling her head. "Go away! Leave me alone!" The blonde collapsed into a heap of sobs, pulling her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth. Usagi got up and ran over to the distraught girl.

"It's okay, Minako-chan," she whispered, wrapping the girl in a hug. Minako was sobbing hard. Setsuna and Hotaru shared a look. They knew.

It was coming.


Author's notes: Various quotes from Titanic: Adventure Out of Time. I love that game.