Disclaimer: I don't own anything, 'cept my mind, though I've probably lost dat, too. =^.^=

Warnings: AU, Shoujo Ai, Possible Insanity, I will not be held responsible if you wake up in the middle of the night sweating and shouting the names of any of the Sailor Senshi, their friends, or their enemies. =P    =^-^=

Silent Night: A Bad Moon Rising

          It was 1000 years after the battle between Pharaoh 90 and Super Sailor Moon. Super Sailor Moon had managed to defeat Pharaoh 90; however, because of Super Sailor Moon's weakened state, Mistress 9, who had found a way to become Sailor Saturn, was able to defeat Super Sailor Moon. However, right before Mistress 9 was about to kill Super Sailor Moon, Tuxedo Kamen, with the help of the Inner Senshi, managed to escape with Sailor Moon's nearly lifeless body.

          Sailors Uranus and Neptune were killed by Mistress 9. Sailor Pluto vanished in the fight, never to be seen again.  Sailor Chibi Moon died, unable to survive without her pure heart, and Mistress 9, having regained the Holy Grail, brought about an Age of Silence.

          As the years passed, Sailor Mercury managed to nurse Sailor Moon back to health. Sailor Moon used the Imperial Silver Crystal to grant herself, Tuxedo Kamen, and the Inner Senshi eternal youth so that they could remain strong enough to attack the Messiah of Silence when the time came. The Sailor Resistance Force grew in numbers, gaining the help of Helios, Sailor Vesta, Sailor Juno, Sailor Ceres, and Sailor Pallas, as well as humans who wished to fight against the silence.

          Nine hundred ninety years after that fateful battle, Usagi gave birth to ChibiUsa. On ChibiUsa's tenth birthday, she gained the ability to become Sailor Chibi Moon.

          ChibiUsa walked silently down the silent street, heading home from school. It had been another silent day in this silent world. A silent breeze was blowing. Suddenly, the wind blew ChibiUsa's hat, the one her mother had given her, off her head and off down the street. ChibiUsa chased after it. She chased it into an alleyway and nearly collided with a girl who was standing there. The girl looked like she couldn't have been more 12 or 13. She had dark, almost black, violet hair and dark…deep…violet eyes. Her skin was beautifully pale, contrasting wonderfully with her black clothes. After a few moments of staring at this beautiful girl, ChibiUsa finally remembered to breathe again. The dark girl reached out, handing ChibiUsa's hat to her. "A-arigato," said ChibiUsa, breaking the silence.

          The dark girl jumped slightly, startled by the sudden break in the silence. "Do…do itashimashite," she responded after a moment, her cold eyes seeming to soften as she spoke.

          ChibiUsa thrust out her hand, smiling. "Konnichi wa, my name's ChibiUsa. What's your name?"

          The dark girl looked at ChibiUsa with an expression of surprise, bewilderment, and fascination. "Konnichi wa, ChibiUsa-chan. My name is Hotaru," and with that, Hotaru smiled, something she hadn't done in a long, long time.

          "Well, I better get going. Mom worries when if I'm late getting home."

          "Can you come back again?" asked Hotaru.

          "Probably not today, but if I tell my parents I'll be home later than usual tomorrow, I can come by tomorrow afternoon after school," responded ChibiUsa, smiling. "How's that?"

          "That'd be wonderful," replied Hotaru. "Sayonara, ChibiUsa-chan. See you tomorrow."

          "Sayonara, Hotaru-chan," replied ChibiUsa as she walked out of the alley and headed home.

          The next day, after school, ChibiUsa met Hotaru in that same alley. They spent the next 3 hours together, conversing while walking around in the City of Silence, also known as Silent Tokyo. Every day after school, ChibiUsa would stop by that same alley where she would meet up with Hotaru for their usual walk. This went on for the next 5 years. One day, while ChibiUsa and Hotaru were walking along, Hotaru directed ChibiUsa to a secluded area of town where no one would see them. ChibiUsa was a little confused, but didn't protest. Hotaru hesitated, staring at the beautiful pink-haired 15-year-old girl. "I…I have a…confession to make, ChibiUsa-chan. I'm not an ordinary girl."

          Hotaru stepped back then thrust one hand up into the air. "Saturn planet power! Make up!" she exclaimed. ChibiUsa watched as Hotaru spun around, surrounded by energy and changing into Sailor Saturn. Hotaru stopped and struck a pose, now holding the Silence Glaive. "Protected by silent planet Saturn, I am Sailor Saturn, the queen of Silent Tokyo, ruler of the Solar System."

          "I…I suspected as much…but I wasn't certain…" replied ChibiUsa, somewhat shocked. "And now, I have a confession that I must make…one that could cost me my life, but I feel it's worth it." ChibiUsa held her hands in front of her chest and a silvery crystal appeared between them inset in a beautiful brooch. She held the brooch out in one hand, the lid vanishing as it opened completely. "Moon Crystal Power! Make up!" she shouted. Having grown beyond the title of Chibi Moon, ChibiUsa transformed into the new Sailor Moon. "I fight for love and justice. I am the pretty soldier in a sailor suit. I am Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon, I will punish you!" shouted Sailor Moon, giggling and winking at Sailor Saturn to indicate she wasn't serious.

          Hotaru took a step back, confused. This girl she'd spent five years getting to know, who she'd grown closer to than anyone else, was Sailor Moon all along. How could this be? she thought. "You…you're Sailor Moon? You're…my…enemy…"

          "I don't want to be your enemy, Sailor Saturn…" replied Sailor Moon. "I've been trying to figure out how and when to say this…I guess this is as good a time as any." Sailor Moon paused for a moment, mustering up the courage to say the words she'd been wanting to say for a couple years now. Sailor Moon pulled her brooch off, changing back into the "ordinary" pink-haired girl Hotaru had known for 5 years. She knelt before Sailor Saturn, holding the brooch up to indicate her fealty, and spoke the words, "Ai…ai shiteru, Hotaru-chan."

          Sailor Saturn hesitated for a moment, not sure what to do, soon realizing that she first needed to breathe. After getting her breath back, she reached out gingerly and picked up the brooch, the powerful brooch that gave ChibiUsa the power to become Sailor Moon. She reached down with her other hand and pulled ChibiUsa to her feet. She looked back and forth between the brooch and ChibiUsa, trying to work things out in her mind. After several, seemingly eternal, moments, Sailor Saturn kissed the brooch and placed it against ChibiUsa's breast, changing ChibiUsa back into Sailor Moon. She then reached up and slowly slid the Moon Tiara from Sailor Moon's forehead, revealing the golden crescent moon representative of the Moon Kingdom of old. Sailor Saturn leaned forward, leaning on the taller women, causing her to bend down some, and kissed Sailor Moon's crescent moon. "Ai shiteru, ChibiUsa-chan," spoke Sailor Saturn softly, as she pulled away, the crescent moon on Sailor Moon's forehead turning black and shifting 90° so that the points were angled down. Sailor Saturn then replaced the Moon Tiara, the golden crescent moon upon its center went upside down, turning black, to directly match the one on her forehead. The red hair pins in Sailor Moon's odanga changed to black. Sailor Moon's gold crescent earrings flipped upside down and turned black, while all the red parts of Sailor moon's outfit turned black. "You will now come live with me at the New Titan Palace in the center of Silent Tokyo."

          "Hai, watashi no joou," replied Sailor Moon, kneeling once more before the woman she loved. Again, Sailor Saturn lifted the pink-haired woman up, this time embracing her. Sailor Moon and Sailor Saturn then headed towards the palace. Sailor Moon didn't bother to return home for anything. Everything she would need would be provided for her at the palace. Sailor Moon had never felt so happy in her entire life as she felt when Sailor Saturn accepted her declaration of love, nor had Sailor Saturn ever felt so happy in her entire life as when Sailor Moon declared her love for her.

          Back at the Tsukino residence, Usagi was pacing back and forth, worried about her daughter. "ChibiUsa should've been back half an hour ago!" she exclaimed.

          "Calm down, Usako," said Mamoru, pulling Usagi down to sit on the couch next to him. "Remember, Diana's keeping an eye on her. If anything bad had happened to her, we'd know by…" Mamoru was interrupted by a screeching gray cat running into the room and leaping into his lap. "Diana?" Mamoru asked as Diana collapsed, exhausted and unable to deliver her message.

          Just then, the phone rang. Usagi picked it up, "Hai?" She held the phone out away from her as a voice yelled her name. It was Rei.

          "Turn the TV on, now!" shouted Rei. "Something is about to happen and I've got a BAD feeling about it."

          Usagi reached for the remote and turned on the TV. Immediately a newswoman came on the screen, speaking, "Today, the Queen of Silent Tokyo is going to make an important announcement." The reporter went on to tell some useless information. Then, as the camera zoomed in on the New Titan Palace's main balcony, "Ah, here she comes now."

          Sailor Saturn stepped out onto the balcony, her cold gaze quieting the crowd that had gathered; but in spite of this, everyone noticed that Saturn's cold gaze didn't seem as cold as usual. Then she spoke, her small voice heard by everyone, unaided by any kind of amplification, "Today, as I'm sure you've heard, I have an important announcement to make." Whispers spread throughout the crowd as people noticed the hint of a smile breaking through the cold expression on the Queen's face. "Not only have I decided to marry, but I have found the one I will marry." Sailor Saturn took one step to the side, turning to present her fiancé. Sailor Moon stepped forward out of the shadows and the crowd gasped. "I present Sailor Moon, my bride, who will reign alongside me."

          "No…" gasped Usagi, watching a dark version of her daughter stand next to the Queen of Silence. Her mind flashed back to over 1000 years ago when she had to fight Dark Lady, this same woman that now appeared before her on the screen, to protect the 20th century Tokyo and the future Crystal Tokyo, a future that never came to pass, from the Dark Moon Kingdom. "It…it can't be. Not again…"

          Mamoru hugged Usagi close to him as she started crying. Luna ran into the room, "Mamoru, Usagi, I can't know how you feel, but I must point out that this may be the chance we've been looking for. With ChibiUsa in the palace, that may grant us the access we need to get to the Queen of Silence."

          "Or, it may be our downfall…" commented Artemis sadly, walking into the room. "You all saw the change. A bad moon has risen over Silent Tokyo."

          "We have to try to contact her," decided Usagi. "It may already be too late, but we must try." She picked up Diana and woke her. "Diana? Are you okay?"

          "unnnghhh…" replied Diana as she woke up. "I…I'm okay, but…"

          "We know," stated Mamoru, trying to hide the fear and hurt from his voice.

          "Can you get to ChibiUsa inside the palace?" asked Usagi. "We need to know if she's still on our side, or if we've lost her completely."

          "I…I can try," replied Diana, then leaped down to the floor and ran out of the house.

          Pulling Usagi close to him, Mamoru spoke, "Just remember, watashi no koibito, as long as we're still alive, there's always hope."