The Sky Is Dark Because The Stars Have Fallen
~AN: This is the sequel to The Sky Is Blue Because It Misses The Moon. Reading that one first is suggested. This fic grew out of an outcry against Mamoru falling love with Priire. After thinking about it, I agreed. Unfortunately for Priire…
~And once again, none of this is StarMoon cannon. I have a deep love of alternate universes.~
"It's not my fault!" a pretty blonde protested. "If you'd just watch what you were doing, we'd never have ended up here. Again."
Three years was a long time. Or it was almost no time at all…depending on what your perspective was. For instance—in this galaxy, three years by her standards was only one year. So many things had happened to her. Not the least of which was acquiring an annoying talking cat.
"But, baby, you were driving! It's not my fault, beautiful," the gray tabby purred as he licked his shoulder.
The girl sighed. This was one place—one time, really—that she had never wanted to see again. It was painful for her. And not only because the cat was clawing her shoulder.
~*~*~*~*~
"Usagi?" The question was more of a sigh. "What are you doing?"
Two yellow ondago popped up from under the table. "I dropped something."
Under his breath, Mamoru muttered "Ondago-head."
Usagi didn't hear him as she dove back under the table. The way her hair reflected the sunlight made him think he was seeing someone else. A face flashed across his mind that he could remember from long-ago dreams that were half nightmare. Green eyes that reflected the stars in the heavens even where there weren't any…that was long ago and not important now. "Can I help you?" he asked his beloved.
~*~*~*~*~
The cat put his gray head in the middle of the girl's black bow. He had a knack for being cute. "Baby…" he said softly, knowing that the citizens of Earth wouldn't be used to a talking cat. "Baby, look over there."
"I don't see anything," the girl said after glancing over. No one had seen her look. She was a master at observing without being observed. "What am I looking for?"
"Reach out, beautiful," the cat urged. "It's somethin' that ain't good."
The girl sighed and reached out with her senses. Her green eyes popped open with concern. "That's more than 'not good', cat. That's bad."
The thing that they had been observing suddenly morphed into a hideous creature that proclaimed it's desire to eat the hearts of everyone in the area.
"Transform," the girl and the cat said at the same time.
~*~*~*~*~
"Usagi!" the girl's communicator cried out suddenly. "There's a heart snatcher in the park!"
Mamoru looked at the blonde. "Let's go."
Usagi nodded. "We'll be right there, Ami!"
~*~*~*~*~
When the five Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Mask appeared, the heart snatcher had stunned all the people in the park, leaving them unmoving.
Except for one. A figure that seemed to condense herself out of the shadows in the memories of most of the Sailors.
"Starfire Surround!" Dressed in a black fuku with a dark blue skirt and collar, the figure looked very dangerous as she blew the stars in her black-gloved hands at the evil beast.
Sailor Moon looked stunned. "Who is that?" she asked. "We've got to help her!"
Tuxedo Mask put his hand on her shoulder. "She doesn't need any help," he said hoarsely.
The man was right. The starry attack had surrounded and engulfed the creature, blasting it into dust. With a satisfied smile on her face, the dark clothed sailor wiped her hands off. "Don't mess with darkness," she warned the non-existent thing. Turning, she seemed surprised and pained to see the six people behind her.
Sailor Asteroid looked around. This was not a confrontation she needed right now. Holding the cat in her arms, she closed her eyes and spun around. It was as if she stepped into a portal just as Tuxedo Mask cried out for her to stop. She didn't look back.
~*~*~*~*~
"Who was that strange Sailor?" Usagi asked.
"Asteroid," Rei sighed. "She's Sailor Asteroid. Sejioutai Priire in her normal life."
Usagi waved a cookie at the group. "Wow. Another Sailor Senshi. This is so great! She can help us fight or…what?" The looks she was getting from the other girls made her pause. "Did I miss something?"
No one spoke for a few minutes. "Well…" Minako said. "Do you remember when you went to America for a while?"
"And there was someone who came from another galaxy to help us?" Makoto continued. "I bet Chibiusa told you about her."
Usagi's eyes narrowed. "No. Not that girl who was kissing Mamoru! What is she doing back??"
Everyone shrugged. "Last time it was to help us. There must be something that we need help with again. I'm sure she can't be here to hurt us," Ami smiled.
"Well, I don't want her around."
The statement was more abrupt than anything that the other girls had heard from her in a long time. A curious look from Ami didn't lead to any confessions of the thoughts swimming in the blonde's head. Usagi stood up and walked out of the study group. Because she had her back to them, no one saw the tears that threaten to stream down the girl's face.
~*~*~*~*~
"The sky is blue because it misses the moon."
The cat looked up at the blonde. "Baby, you're talking to yourself."
"No," she corrected him. "I'm talking to the stars."
The tabby frowned. "I hate to disappoint you, beautiful, but there ain't no stars out. And 'sides, you couldn't see em past the leaves of the tree your sittin' under."
She laughed. The cat's disk jockey-like mannerisms were amusing. A frown crossed her face as she leaned back against the tree and stared up through the leaves. Repeating the saying in its native tongue gave it an elegant singsong quality that sounded like the sky was roving around looking for the moon.
"Hey, chick. If the sky is blue cause it misses the moon, then why's it black at night?"
The girl frowned for a moment. "I don't know. Why?"
"Cause the stars have fallen," the cat replied quietly. It wasn't from any sense of reverence that he was hushed; it was an approaching girl.
The blonde brushed her braided hair behind her shoulder and smiled at the other girl. She had blonde hair, but it was more yellow. And it was up in two buns with long pigtails.
"Hi!" she said cheerily.
Picking up her cat, the original girl prepared to move. "I'm sorry if I'm in your place," she said.
"No, that's ok," the girl with the buns in her hair said. "My name's Usagi. Who are you?"
The girl paused at the name "Usagi". It couldn't be the same one. But just to be on the safe side…"My name's Maria. Maria Epitaur."
"Hi Epitaur!"
The girl shook her head. "No, my first name's Maria."
"Oh," Usagi frowned. "Are you American? Your Japanese is perfect."
Priire offered up an ironic smile. "I practiced a lot."
The other girl shook her head. "I'd hate to learn another language. It's so hard!"
"Sometimes," Priire told her with a smile, "it's necessary. And when you don't have a choice, you learn to like a lot of things."
A giggle from the other girl floated across the space between them. "You wouldn't say that if you had to do this math!" She gestured to her paper with distaste.
Priire looked over, almost dislodging the cat on her shoulder. He hissed and climbed into the tree. Priire pretended not to notice as she helped the girl with her math. "It easy. You just…"
A few minutes later, Priire had explained the rest of the problems to Usagi. She'd made it seem easy.
"Want to come over to my house? I bet my mom would make cookies!" Usagi prompted. "Come on, I really want something sweet."
Priire laughed and picked the tabby cat out of the tree. "Is it ok if Solai comes along?" she asked, hoisting the cat on to her shoulder. Despite it being summer, Priire was wearing a long sleeved shirt. It looked nice with her shorts, but seemed out of place. Usagi shrugged it off.
~*~*~*~*~
"Maria!" Usagi yelled. "You're cheating!"
Priire slapped her hands over her ears. "Don't yell, I'm right here," she complained. "Besides…am not!"
Tucking her slippered feet up under her, Priire grinned. It was still a little hard to answer the name "Maria," but she was getting used to it. The blonde shook her head, scattering her braids around her head. "Am not! Hey, hand me a cookie."
Just as she said that, there was a knock at the door. "I'm coming!" Usagi yelled. She tripped over the checkers board as she went for the door. Priire laughed and started picking up the scattered. Solai, her cat, helped her by batting the black checkers out of her reach. "That's not nice!" Priire giggled. Solai was about to say something, when another voice was heard.
"Usagi, you left your books at my house."
Priire's face was as pale as new snow. She closed her eyes, waiting for the voice to come again so she could be sure.
"Hey. Whose boots are these?"
"Sithspit," Priire cursed quietly. It was him. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome. Mamoru. She'd tried to forget him but…scooping up her complaining cat, she opened a window. "Look, Solai, I'll explain later, all right?"
As she started running down the street, Priire realized she'd left her boots.
~*~*~*~*~
"Baby…" Solai said, his claws breaking her skin from where he was perched on her shoulder. "What's this about?"
A deep sadness in the girl's green eyes worried the cat. "Solai…do you remember…" she stopped herself. "No. Of course you don't. You weren't with the rest of the senshi." Priire explained to him that almost three years ago—by her galaxy's time—she had been swept into this galaxy. She knew a little about it because some of the senshi of her galaxy had been—strangely enough—born on this planet. They'd told her of the beautiful sailor soldiers that protected the solar system…Priire had even seen their pictures.
In a cruel twist of fate that had left her with a broken heart and broken dreams, Priire had been thrust into the middle of the Terran Senshi. Their leader—Sailor Moon—had left their country and their group. Always willing to help, Priire volunteered to lead them until such a time as she wasn't needed anymore. That was the only reason she could think of for her being sent to this strange galaxy.
Then she fell in love.
Without meaning to, at first, the tall, dark, and handsome Tuxedo Mask captured her lonely heart. It didn't help that Priire and Usagi were sometimes able to switch minds across the seas. The green-eyed blonde wanted desperately to believe that he loved her for who she was, not for the fact that she was sometimes Usagi.
When Priire had a dream that Usagi died in a car accident, she knew how to save her. With considerable effort, Priire's mind took the place of Usagi's and in the other blonde's body, she was able to throw herself from the car. Soon after that Usagi came back to Japan.
Priire knew that Mamoru was destined to be with Usagi…so she left, reminding him that the sky was blue because it missed the moon. Back in her own galaxy, Priire's only reminder of the first man she'd truly loved was a red rose and the phrase that echoed in the back of her mind when she was the most lonely…the sky is blue because it misses the moon.
"Baby…" the cat sighed. "Lemme guess. You thought that maybe he'd forgotten. Or you'd forgotten. And now it's all comin' back?"
She nodded sadly. Priire almost never cried. It just wasn't in her nature to easily shed tears.
Solai didn't say anything, but he did rub his gray tabby head on Priire's cheek. What kind of mess had this chick gotten herself into?
~*~*~*~*~
Priire was very quietly sneaking back to Usagi's house. She desperately wanted her boots back. Not only were they her favorite pair of footwear, but they were custom designed with all types of wonderful sheaths and compartments. Softly, Priire opened the door, somehow knowing just when it would creak. Glancing around and not seeing anyone, she reached her gloved hand out to grab her boots…
…and was stopped dead in her tracks by a powerful man's hand clasped around her wrist. Priire clenched her teeth together and felt royally set up. "Let me go," she snarled.
"Look at me."
His voice was the same as she remembered it whispering in her ear…Priire forced those thoughts out of her mind. "Mamoru, let my hand go." She twisted, trying to free herself without meeting his gaze. It would have been easy for her—a trained killer—to break his grasp and a few of his bones, but she held back.
Always the problem-solver Solai walked down Priire's arm, over her flower tattoo, then up Mamoru's arm and jacket. "Listen, blue eyes," the cat muttered in the man's ear. "Let the lady go."
Surprised at the cat talking, Mamoru let Priire's wrist go. Solai waved a gray paw at Priire, indicating that he was going to stay. Priire shrugged and slid her boots on before walking out. "I'll be…you'll know where to find me."
~*~*~*~*~
"Man, you're messing with the wrong chick."
Mamoru stared at the gray tabby who had introduced himself as Solai. "What…what do you mean?"
"I mean," Solai sighed, "that she's been through a lot back home and she doesn't need anything else to happen to her."
The dark haired man lifted his hand and shook his head. "She started it! None of this was my idea."
Solai lifted an eyebrow. "If I remember correctly, it takes two to tango."
"I…" his voice trailed off into a sigh.
Neither man said anything for a moment. "Listen…more than anything Priire wants to be loved. Or at least not be lonely anymore. You gave her that for a few days. And she's never forgotten it."
Mamoru started to say something, but was silenced by the cat.
"Now, what I'm thinkin' is that maybe you never loved her. She's the protector of the Asteroids, and you're the protector of the Earth. Asteroids are parts of planets that have been torn to shreds and they wanna get back with their planet. Right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "So…asteroids want to join back up with their planets. You're a planet and she's an asteroid."
Solai was making him feel very uncomfortable. Mamoru closed his blue eyes and tilted his head down. "What do we do?"
The cat stared at him. "I don't know. I'm going to find Priire."
"Where is she?" Mamoru asked.
Solai had started walking toward the door. He looked back over his shoulder to answer. "She's probably at whatever your planet has by means of a cantina."
"Cantina?"
"Bar. She'll be scamming the locals out of whatever money she can get them to lay on the table."
~*~*~*~*~
A frown marred the pretty face of the blonde. "Oh, I never could get this game right," she pouted, tossing her head and scattering braids around her face.
The man she was playing pool against laughed. "One more game?"
Her frown deepened. "You've got most of my money already!"
"Ok…well, here. I'll give you a chance to win it all back. What was your name again?"
"Priire," she smiled her green eyes twinkling.
"I'm Kami," he smiled back at her.
To herself Priire laughed. 'Pitting the Dangerous Asteroid against a god? Cute.' Out loud she asked if she could have the first shot.
He smiled and nodded.
Priire carefully lined up the cue ball and sent it spinning toward the group of balls in the middle.
Kami smiled patronizingly as two of the solid colored balls sunk themselves in the far corner pockets. "Beginner's luck?" he laughed. His laugh was cut a little short by the look in Priire's eye. It made him glance around to see if there was a lion or something behind him.
Lining the cue ball up, Priire said she was going to sink one of her solids into a side pocket. The man shook his head, knowing she wouldn't make it. It was a difficult shot even for a professional. And so far, Priire had shown herself to be anything but. Of course, since Priire was trying to scam all the money she could out of the man, she didn't show her true colors until he'd laid enough money on the table to rise her interest.
And Priire's interest was now raised. With a flair that put to shame her earlier performance, Priire sank the said ball in the said pocket. A few minutes and a many fancy shots later, Priire gathered up the money that had been put on the table. "Good game," she smiled sweetly as the man walked off, muttering about being cheated.
Tucking the money in one of her many pockets, Priire almost bumped into Mamoru. She looked away, not meeting his eyes. He returned the favor and placed Solai on her shoulder.
~*~*~*~*~
"I need some ice cream," Priire sighed, sitting down at one of the tables. When the waitress asked her what kind, Priire responded with "Any thing chocolate. And lots of it."
Someone leaned over from the table next to Priire's and grinned. "Hard day?"
"Something like that," Priire sighed again. She looked over at the other person. Short, dirty blonde hair, pretty eyes, and almost masculine looks…the girl looked like one of Priire's friends. "More like a hard week all crammed into one day!"
The girl laughed. "My name's Haruka."
"I'm…" Priire paused, using the arrival of her ice cream to disguise the fact that she didn't give her name. "I'm in heaven!"
Haruka laughed. "Are you going to eat that whole thing?" She sounded skeptical as she regarded the overly large dish of ice cream.
An impish look crossed Priire's face. "But of course. I've eaten more than this before." Priire didn't mention that "before" was during a contest involving more ego than sense. Despite that, Priire dug her spoon in.
"So. Are you waiting for someone?" Priire asked between spoonfuls.
Haruka nodded. "A…friend. We come here a lot."
"Seems like a nice enough little place." Sadness sifted its way through Priire's expression as she looked around.
"Lonely?" was Haruka's conclusion. "Are you waiting for someone?"
Priire tried to shrug it off. "I don't have anyone to wait for."
Short hair fell into Haruka's eyes as she leaned closer to Priire. "No one?" she asked, feeling somehow that it wasn't quiet true.
"No one. At least not now." Priire shoveled another scoop of ice cream into her mouth.
"Ever?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Priire hesitated over the answer. "Once. No, twice." Then, feeling almost compelled to respond to the other girl's upturned eyebrow, Priire asked a question. "Have you ever been in love?"
Haruka smiled. "Sure. It's a great feeling."
"Not when you know it won't last." If it had been any other situation, Priire would have looked comical with the dripping spoon in one hand and a dab of ice cream in her chin. She subconsciously wiped it away. "Twice I thought I was in love, but it turned out I was only a substitute for someone else." The girl shook her head violently. "Not a pleasant thing."
"Maybe it isn't destiny that you love anyone," Haruka offered.
"Maybe I'm tired of being destiny's play toy," Priire shot back. Then she grinned. "But not like a stranger would care." Her grin softened the potentially harsh words.
Haruka wasn't sure why, but she did care. It wasn't like her at all to care about anyone…except Michiru, but that was different. Something in this girl struck a chord in Haruka.
The chime over the door sounded the arrival of new patrons. Priire casually let her eye wander over to see who it was. Restraining herself from a double take, Priire ate another spoonful of ice cream. She winced, however, when Haruka motioned to the people who had just walked in.
"Usagi! Minako! Over here!"
That was when Priire decided her day couldn't possibly get any worse. First she'd gotten sent to this Force-forsaken galaxy, then she'd had run-ins with almost all of her old…were they friends? She didn't know. What she did know was that she had to get out of there. Reaching out with her senses, she located a waitress with an unbalanced load. With a flick of her finger, she unsettled the load even more. Right on Usagi's ondago-head.
In the resulting chaos, Priire slid out of the café. She put a hand into her backpack to make sure Solai hadn't died of suffocation like he was sure would happen.
"Baby," he admonished. "This has got to stop. Whatever you're running from is gonna catch ya."
Priire didn't want to think about what would happen when it did.
~*~*~*~*~
This time, it wasn't Priire's fault. She was pretty sure of that. As much trouble as she normally caused, it was almost a welcome break not to be involved in any. No, that should be the making of any. She most certainly was involved…in the clean up.
"I am Sailor Asteroid, guardian of the stars! Senshi of stone, defense, and redemption…and I'm here to defend this place! And I'm in a really bad mood, so don't cross me." Sailor Asteroid spitted the heart snatcher with a glare. She posed with her right arm in front, showing off her flower tattoo.
It blinked at her then shrugged. "I don't care. I only want your pure heart!"
Asteroid continued glaring. "If you're looking for a pure heart, you're sadly out of luck."
The monster laughed. "Everyone has a pure heart. Like these people." It motioned with its clawed hand at the fallen people. Their pure heart crystals were floating above their bodies.
A loud curse in a language that this world had never heard left Asteroid's lips. She hadn't noticed the other people. Well. That changed things. The starbred senshi clasped her hands together and was just about to attack when she heard a new set of voices.
"Stop right there! I fight for love and I fight for justice! You've got neither, so scram before I punish you in the name of the moon!"
Asteroid resisted asking Sailor Moon if she was referring to the heart snatcher or herself. Apparently Sailor Moon hadn't even noticed Sailor Asteroid because the ondago head gasped loudly.
The monster took advantage of the situation and attacked Sailor Moon.
"Asteroid Gravity Force!" Sailor Asteroid shouted, using gravity to bend the path of the attack away from the other Sailor. Thunder crackled past the black-clothed senshi bringing to her awareness the rest of the group.
"We're all Sailor Senshi, and we'll punish you!"
Welcome for the help, but unsure whether to trust them, Asteroid glanced around. They were all here. She supposed that meant the day could get worse. "Tuxedo Mask! Down!" she shouted, her green eyes showing a slight panic. "Starfire Surround!"
He ducked down and his eyes went wide as he felt the heart snatcher that had come up behind him disintegrate under Asteroid's attack. "Thanks," Tuxedo Mask said, catching her eye.
They stared at each other for what must have been forever…she tore her eyes away to find that it had been but a heartbeat.
"Baby, look over there," Solai said as he hopped back up on her shoulder. "More of these senshi chicks."
Asteroid squinted at them. "They're different. More powerful…yet distant, aloof."
"Neptune! Uranus!" Sailor Moon shouted.
The blonde senshi shook her head, ignoring Sailor Moon. "None of these are the crystals we seek," she told Neptune. They turned to go as Sailor Moon shouted their names again.
Uranus turned to look at them just as Sailor Asteroid executed a snap kick into the face of one of the multiplying heart snatchers. "Who is she?" Uranus asked. She had directed the question to Neptune, but everyone heard it.
"I don't know. She's not one of us."
Sailor Uranus walked over to Sailor Asteroid. "Who are you? You are not one of the Moon Kingdom sailors."
Asteroid shook her head. "I'm from another galaxy…and I only want to get back."
"You are an imposter," Uranus decided. Stepping back, the sailor shouted "World Shaking!"
"No…" Asteroid said, a command more than a plea. She held up an arm but let the attack hit her. "You don't understand…"
Unexpectedly, Sailor Moon intervened. "Don't kill her!"
"Shut up, Moonface," Uranus growled. "She isn't loyal to the Moon Kingdom. She has no right to be here."
Sailor Moon frowned. "But that doesn't mean she has to die!"
"World Shaking!" Uranus attacked again.
This time Sailor Moon lunged into the path of the attack, trying to shield Sailor Asteroid with her own body. "No…" Asteroid said again, gritting her teeth. The tattooed senshi pushed Sailor Moon behind her, out of the path of the attack. As the attack hit Sailor Asteroid's back, she closed her eyes.
A burst of the brightest stars erupted from her, covering her body. As they floated off of her, she opened here eyes to take in the awed looks around her. Instead of being a simple sailor, Asteroid now had enormous wings that were dark blue where they erupted from her back, fading to silver, then black. Her collar and skirt were of the same color scheme, with the body of her suit and her gloves still black. Instead of the tattoo gracing her upper right arm, it was around her eyes. At the corner of each of her green eyes, there were black markings that formed three petals of the four petaled flower and two long stems. She looked more exotic and dangerous than ever before.
Turning to the stunned heart snatcher, she posed, wing outspread. "I am Guardian Sailor Asteroid, Guardian of the Stars! Your doom is as sure as the rising of the morning star!"
Arching her wings above her head, Guardian Asteroid cried out "Stars!" In the swirl of blue and silver energy a star formed. "Ancient Destruction!"
The power that erupted from the star destroyed the heart snatcher and all its replicas.
Guardian Sailor Asteroid turned to the people on the ground. "Ancient Healing!" she said. All of their hearts floated back into the right bodies, and she smiled. Then, looking at the other senshi, she frowned. "I…"
Whatever she'd started to say was lost in a burst of light. The backwash from it knocked the Guardian Sailor off her feet. She raised herself up and spat blood and sand out of her mouth. "Who are you?" she asked, peppering the statement with another curse that was foreign to the world.
Sailor Mercury explained that the being in front of them was one of the main heart snatchers. At least, that's what Guardian Sailor Asteroid thought she said. The winged Senshi was really too busy dodging the evil being's attack to hear. Suddenly, she skidded to a stop. Guardian Sailor Asteroid was her defense form. It would take a lot of power to hurt her. Two…maybe three blasts.
The other senshi yelled at her to run, but Asteroid ignored them. She reached out with her senses and spread her wings to their fullest extent. When the attack came, she didn't flinch and let her wings absorb it. Then, knowing she didn't have enough time to properly attack, Guardian Sailor Asteroid pulled what looked like a gun. Instead of bullets, it fired a beam of energy. It hit the other person and she fell. Guardian Asteroid walked over and put a booted foot on her fallen foe's chest.
"Don't kill her," Sailor Moon shouted.
"Why not?" the Dark Sailor asked quietly. Her tattoo-rimmed eyes were intense.
By this time, Sailor Moon was close enough to Guardian Asteroid to put her hand on the other's black gloved arm. "Because I think there's still good in her. She can be saved."
"Not everyone is savable," the other Sailor retorted. Before she could do anything else, a ball of energy slammed into her chest. The girl collapsed, gasping for breath.
"Haruka!" Sailor Moon shouted, angry. "Don't kill her!"
Guardian Sailor Asteroid folded her wings in and they disappeared in a shimmer of starlight, leaving her in her normal form. She glared at Sailor Uranus.
That blonde sailor returned the glare. "Leave."
"I can't. I don't know how."
"Then die."
The words were unflinchingly spoken. Asteroid recognized them. How many times had she said those very words to people whose lives were abruptly shortened? This, she supposed would be how it would end. As Asteroid straightened to meet her death, she quietly reflected on what little life she'd had. She'd loved two men and she'd thought—at the time—that they'd loved her back. But no…each of them had been destined for someone else.
Sailor Asteroid didn't scream as Uranus's attack hit her.
~*~*~*~*~
"Priire, baby, wake up," the gray tabby cried. "Sith. This screws our timeline. And what about me?" Solai spat out another of Priire's favorite curses as he bowed his head and let tears fall.
Solai felt a hand on his back. He looked up at Tuxedo Mask, who was fighting tears. "I'm sorry…" he said, hoarsely.
"You're sorry??" the cat screamed. "Is that all you can say, blue eyes? After putting her through a hundred different versions of the underworlds of a million systems, all you can say is you're sorry?"
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this."
All eyes turned toward the speaker. The woman seemed to materialize out of fire. The six flaming wings that framed her made her seem even more ethereal.
"Who are you?" Uranus asked unkindly.
"It doesn't quite matter," the beautiful woman said, hovering just above the ground, yet without using her wings. "What does matter is that this timeline should never have occurred. Pardon me while I repair it."
Sailor Uranus held up her hand. "Wait a second. What do you mean 'repair' it?"
"I mean that this timeline will be corrected. The…for lack of a better word…tear that occurred when Sailor Asteroid visited the first time will be mended. The improprieties that her being here cause her timeline we be done away with." The woman smiled. "Not to worry. Everything will turn out for the best."
The woman waved her hand and Sailor Asteroid's body was lifted. Solai jumped up on to the flaming woman's shoulder and they were gone.
Suddenly, around all of the senshi that were left, came a huge fire. It was a fire that was not hot and gave no light. However it did seem to eat away at the reality that they were in…until nothing remained like it had been…
~*~*~*~*~
The woman shook her head moving the small braids of her hair out from under her cheek. The room was dark so that her green eyes could only pick up vague outlines of shapes that she knew were there.
Something had disturbed her. She looked up at the ceiling trying to remember what it was. The faint sound of a waterfall reminded her in a way. She'd been scared…but now she knew she was safe. Rolling over, she put her head on the bare chest of the man in bed next to her, half-wishing he'd wake up.
"Hmmm? Something wrong?" he asked, shaking his dark hair out of his crystal blue eyes.
The woman smiled. "I had one of those funny dreams again."
"Not a bad one I hope."
"No…just interesting. And it scared me." She paused, letting her words hang in the silence for a moment. "Maybe it wasn't a dream. I remember…being dead."
She could feel his concern. "Again?"
The woman laughed softly. "Yes, again. But it was different. You weren't there…no one was."
"It must have been a dream because I'll never leave you. I love you, Priire."
She let the words echo inside of her head. Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome loved her…"I love you too, Kousotsu."
Priire closed her eyes and let the dream float away.
But I can touch your hand and take that moment home…
That's as close as I'll get to loving you
Although there's nothing that I'd rather do
I can hope,
I can dream,
I can ____
And I can scheme,
But I know
That's as I'll get to you, to loving you.
I can sing this song and pretend it's not about you…
Try not to think about what might have been
Cause that was then
And we have taken different roads
We can't go back again
There's no use giving in
There's no way to know what might have been