Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. If I did, the senshi would all be gay for each other.

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Chapter 2

For the first few weeks, Rei looked into the fire every day. She sat before it hours on end, staring into the dancing flames, and more and more often she fell asleep in Usagi's lap instead of her own bed. Over time the odango-haired girl stopped pestering her about it and simply accepted that her friend was bound and determined to discover the fate of their missing companions.

If she ever noticed how tightly the dark-haired girl held her hand as she slept, she kept it to herself.

Gradually Rei peered into the fire every other day, then every three days, then once a week.

Eventually, she stopped looking.

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The darkness of the room was lit by a blinding, almost burning gold light.

Four shrill, short screams pierced the air and faded away, leaving no echo in their place.

And as four new star seeds came to rest in the palm of her hand, the woman clad in gold and formerly known as Sailor Galaxia began to laugh.

As she laughed, a broken bracelet clattered to the floor.

It was pale pink.

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"Chibi-Usa-chan?"

The pink-haired girl yelped and jumped at least ten feet in the air; Diana yowled in protest and nearly went flying off her charge's head, digging her claws in for support. "Small Lady!" she wailed. "Don't frighten me like that!"

"It's not my fault!" Flaming red eyes swung around, only to freeze. "Minako-chan?"

The blonde smiled weakly, a guilty gleam in her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Slowly she lifted her eyes, peering over Chibi-Usa's head at the empty Outers' house. "Still no sign of them?"

"No." Frustrated, Chibi-Usa turned away and shoved her hands into her pockets, glaring sourly at the house. "Hotaru-chan said they'd be gone for awhile, but I didn't think it would be this long." She glanced back at the senshi of Venus. "Why did you come by here, Minako-chan?"

"Oh, you know. Just in the neighborhood." The lie was flimsy even as Minako shrugged and laughed hollowly, her eyes still on the house. "I thought maybe Sets-chan would be home by now. I was gonna surprise her."

For a moment the young princess of the future hesitated, biting her lip; after a moment, she exhaled and looked away, studying the window to Hotaru's room. "I've tried contacting Puu through Luna-P," she said at last, and felt Minako's gaze on her. "I've always been able to do it in the past, especially when I first came here to find Sailor Moon."

"Small Lady," Diana whispered softly.

Minako waited, a sinking feeling in her stomach, but Chibi-Usa didn't continue; the blonde swallowed the lump in her throat. "And?" she croaked out. "Anything?"

Chibi-Usa reluctantly lifted her head, meeting Minako's gaze.

"All I get now is static," she whispered. "Wherever Puu is, I can't reach her."

Rising tears made her eyes sting, but Minako fought them back gallantly, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "That doesn't mean anything," she murmured. "That doesn't mean anything at all, Chibi-Usa-chan."

But despite her words, the senshi of love felt cold inside; a chill that seeped into her bones.

And she couldn't ignore it; the feeling that Setsuna was gone, was gone and had passed into a place she couldn't follow.

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Not long after Rei stopped looking into the fire, two new enemies appeared. They called themselves Sailor Lead Crow and Sailor Aluminum Siren, and they sought pure star seeds.

They were an odd pair, perhaps the oddest pair of villains Usagi had ever seen; the bickered and squabbled like a couple that had been married for many years, but beneath the barbs and insults, beneath the clumsiness and whining, there was a true bond forged of steel between them, unbreakable.

She saw it because she knew she shared the same relationship with Rei.

Despite the oddness of their pairing, they were the deadliest team the senshi had faced in awhile; their attacks were synchronized and completely in tune to each other, and unlike other villain duos that eventually broke apart Siren and Crow only seemed to grow closer.

Only once did Crow attack alone.

Her aim had been Sailor Venus; the senshi of love had been preoccupied with the man who had had his star seed stolen, and her Love Me Chain was working against her in this case, tangling around her wrists and nearly snaring her all on its own. The beast had grabbed her chain, twisted it, and sent the former princess of Venus flying.

"Venus!" Jupiter roared and would have certainly gone to her fallen comrade's aid, but she was preoccupied with defending an injured Mercury, and Mars and Moon were having a hard enough time fighting off Siren.

With a groan, Venus slowly staggered to her feet, weaving a little and blinking as her vision blurred and spun.

As it cleared, she saw Crow only a few feet away from her, watching her with very evident curiosity.

"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!"

The attack had its desired effect; not only did it successfully nick Crow, but it forced the dark-skinned woman to leap away, settling on a nearby lamp post. Still, she studied Venus with fascination. The younger girl scowled. "Look, I know I'm pretty, but I'm already involved with someone else and sorry, but you aren't my type—"

"She called out for you."

Venus went deathly still as her comrades ran up behind her; her eyes stayed glued on Crow, even as Siren teleported to her side, a pout on her face and her arms crossed. "What?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, the color completely draining from her face.

Crow shrugged nonchalantly, smirking as Siren quietly inched behind her, peering at the senshi over the taller woman's shoulder. "One of the four who came after Galaxia-sama. The tall one with the Time Staff." She glanced at Siren for confirmation. "I'm right, aren't I? When Galaxia-sama defeated them, before she finished them off, the one in control of time said 'Venus', didn't she?"

Siren mused it over for a moment, tapping her lips with her finger before nodding. "I think she did, Crow-san, but it's hard to say since she was really weak by then and her voice was soft—"

The Venus Love Me Chain was a blur of gold; Crow had time only to wrap an arm protectively around Siren and leap away. "Venus, no!" Sailor Moon cried, running forward.

Sailor Venus was beyond reason. Tears streamed unbidden down her face, her eyes bright with a mixture of grief and fury, her face still deathly pale; the Love Me Chain went flying again, though it only slashed empty air. "Where is she?!" she screamed, letting loose Love and Beauty Shock; it hit the telephone pole and sent it to the ground with a crash. "Where's Sets-chan?! What did you do to her?!"

"Venus!" Sailor Moon flew to the other girl's side, knelt next to her and dragged her into her arms, forcefully wrestling the Chain from her hands. "Venus, stop it! There's nothing we can do right now!!"

Low, ragged sobs of pure anguish tore from Venus's throat; her fingers dug into Sailor Moon's shoulders as her body shook. Looking over the pair, Mars swore softly; Siren and Crow were long gone.

"Those bitches." Jupiter's voice dripped with venom, and only Mercury's hand on her arm kept her from destroying something.

And oblivious to it all was Venus. Her sobs faded away into choked whimpers, and Moon cradled the broken girl close. "Oh, Venus," she whispered, tears falling freely.

"Give her back," the senshi of love whimpered, her voice hoarse and soft. She buried her face into Moon's shoulder and wept. "Please, give Sets-chan back to me. I want her back."

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"Firefly?"

Sailor Saturn jumped as Sailor Pluto gently laid a hand on her shoulder; she blew out a long breath and shifted, looking up at her adopted mother sheepishly. "Sorry," she whispered. "I'm just a little jumpy." In the darkness of the television studio, the pale pink bracelet on her wrist gleamed weakly, a small beacon of light in the black.

Chuckling both to calm Saturn and ease her own nerves, Uranus reached out and gently tousled the girl's hair. "Relax, hime-chan. Don't worry so much. What're you planning to do after all of this?"

"I promised Chibi-Usa-chan we'd get ice cream when we get back." Slowly the tension drained out of the youngest senshi at the thought of her friend, and she smiled briefly. "She was upset when I told her about how we had to leave at school, so I promised her we'd get ice cream together when we got home."

"A date, eh?" Delighted by Saturn's blush, Uranus smirked. "Hey, hime-chan, I've got no problems with it. So long as she doesn't kiss you, unless you start it."

"HARUKA-PAPA!"

Saturn's yelp was high-pitched and defensive; with a soft laugh Neptune swept in, brushing Uranus away easily. "Now, now, don't tease her," the senshi of the sea murmured, a gleam in her eyes. "Need I remind you who kissed who on our first date, Haruka?"

"Hey." Uranus slanted a narrow-eyed look at her partner. "I didn't hear you complaining."

Saturn giggled, and Pluto gently stepped in. "Now, now, children," she scolded, her lips quirking. "Let's stay focused on our mission, shall we?"

"Woman kisses her girlfriend goodbye like some hero going off to war and suddenly she's on top of the world."

Pluto merely glanced at Uranus as she walked past the senshi of the wind and smiled calmly. Shaking her head in amusement, Uranus followed her, soothed when Neptune's hand slid into hers and squeezed gently.

Saturn trailed her parents, lost in thought. A light blush dusted her cheeks and she gently rubbed the beads of her bracelet between her fingers.

Maybe she'd kiss Chibi-Usa when she got back. She didn't think Uranus would have a problem with it if she started it.

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In one swift motion Rei rose, moving across the room in only three strides. She caught Usagi in her arms and held on, burying her face into the moon hime's shoulder even as she struggled. "Rei-chan! Stop it! Let go! I… I have to—"

"There's nothing you can do." Rei's voice was rough, muffled by Usagi's shoulder, but her grip was firm. "We don't even know where they are or where to look for them. For all we know, Crow could have been messing with Minako-chan to throw her off."

"But you haven't seen them." Usagi stilled in Rei's arms, her voice soft. "You haven't seen them in the fire, have you, Rei-chan?"

Rei said nothing to confirm or deny; just closed her eyes and sighed softly. Usagi felt the warmth of the fire senshi's breath tickle her neck.

The dark-haired girl's silence made her stomach turn and her throat burn. Carefully she turned in Rei's arms, and the senshi of fire lifted her face from Usagi's shoulders, keeping her arms around the shorter girl's waist as Usagi quietly rested her head against her shoulder and closed her eyes, her body shaking slightly.

"I shouldn't have let them go alone," the moon hime whispered raggedly. "I should have found a way to stop them."

Rei said nothing; she knew even if she did, it wouldn't mean anything to Usagi. Even if she was told otherwise, Usagi would blame herself for whatever predicament the Outers had gotten into, and would continue to do so long after they returned.

"Rei-chan…"

"Hmm?"

"Was she… did you know if Crow was lying or not?" Usagi's voice was soft, almost pleading. "Could you… I mean, was there any way for you to tell?"

Rei almost said nothing, almost formulated some kind of lie, but Usagi pulled away and looked into her eyes, a hand coming up to rest against her cheek, and she felt her heart slam against her ribs. She blew out a long breath and hesitated, lifting one hand to gently cover Usagi's. "You won't like it," she warned.

"I need to know. Please."

A long moment of silence; finally Rei sighed again, heavily, and rested her forehead against Usagi's.

"I can read people's vibes," she murmured at last. "It's one of those things I've always been able to do. It's not like mind reading, but I can get a pretty good feel for a person if I'm in tune to them."

Usagi felt the questions rising but quelled them, desperate to know the answer to her question.

"Crow wasn't lying, Usagi." Rei closed her eyes as a shudder rippled down her spine. "She was being completely honest. She wasn't lying."

The tears began to fall then, and Rei gathered Usagi close, falling to her knees with the moon hime when her legs failed to support her.

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In the silence of Usagi's room Chibi-Usa sat huddled on the bed, gazing at Luna-P. Diana was curled up next to her, sleeping soundly as the future princess of the moon absently stroked her head with a hand. Red eyes narrowed and she leaned forward for a moment, gently whapping the robot over the ears.

Nothing.

She'd been told about the battle; about what Sailor Lead Crow had said about Pluto. As her stomach rolled in turmoil she couldn't ignore the fact that if something had, in fact, happened to Pluto, then that same thing had probably felled Saturn, as well.

"Hey, how about, when I get back we go for ice cream? You're favorite. That'll be something to look forward to, right? So… I promise, when we get back, we'll get ice cream together. I'll even buy it."

Chibi-Usa shook her head violently, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand as her vision blurred.

Lifting her hand away from Diana, who murmured in confusion and lifted her head, blinking, the future princess pulled Luna-P closer as it flared to life, filling the room with the whine of static. "Puu?" she whispered. "Puu, are you there?" She swallowed. "You're all right, aren't you? You and Uranus and Neptune? Nothing bad has happened to you or Hotaru-chan, right? Because…" A soft whimper escaped. "Because I really miss you, Puu. I miss you, and I miss Hotaru-chan a lot, and I even miss Haruka-san and Michiru-san. And Hotaru-chan… you remember that promise, right? About when you get back? Well, I was thinking, maybe I'd buy the ice cream, you know? As a welcome back treat."

All that answered her was the whine of static.

Whimpering softly, Chibi-Usa buried her face into her knees and wept as Diana pressed against her legs, murmuring soothingly.

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Artemis didn't even jump as he felt Luna gently brush his flank with her tail; expecting her, he turned his head and sighed as she rubbed her cheek against his. "How is she?" the black cat whispered, keeping her voice low, mindful of Minako, fast asleep in bed.

The white cat took a moment to survey his human partner, flicking his tail briefly; his eyes softened, and an anguished glow entered them. Minako was still several shades paler than she should have been, and dried tears streaked her cheeks. "She's had better days," he murmured at last. "She's had much better days."

Luna said nothing, merely pressed comfortingly against her future mate; he sighed and rested his cheek against her head, closing his eyes. "I didn't approve of it at first," he admitted at last. "Mina's relationship with Setsuna-san. I never did. I was afraid that her feelings would cloud her judgment. At one point I was even thinking of speaking privately to Setsuna-san, to see if she could put an end to it."

Still nothing from the black cat beside him, but Artemis knew she was listening.

"And now…" The white cat cleared his throat, though it was still slightly rougher than it should have been. "I'd give anything for Setsuna-san to return safely, if it makes Mina the way she was." He closed his eyes as tears began to fall. "I swear I would, Luna."

Her heart aching for him, Luna settled down next to Artemis as he lay down, rested his head on his paws, and wept.

"I know you would, Artemis," the black cat replied, and knew it wasn't enough. "I know you would."

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It happened so fast that Uranus couldn't even see it unfolding before her eyes; her pride was still stinging from being swatted around like a fly, on her knees with Neptune and Pluto struggling behind her, when the woman who called herself Galaxia let loose a pure gold energy ball.

"Haruka!"

A blur of purple and white; the Silence Glaive clattered to the floor, abandoned by its owner.

A flash of brilliant light; a shrill scream of pain and anguish.

And before the disbelieving eyes of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto, Saturn crumbled to her knees, gasping raggedly for breath as something shimmering shot to Galaxia's palm like a dog to its owner, and her form began to shimmer and fade.

"NO!!"

"HOTARU!"

Desperate, sick fear drove Uranus to Saturn's side as the girl began to fade away completely, resting in her father's arms, one hand fisting against Uranus's uniform as her whole body shuddered with pain. "Hime-chan," Uranus rasped, and tears fell without her even realizing it. "You stupid, stupid girl! Why did you—"

Saturn winced, slowly opening her eyes, and tears shimmered in the purple depths as she looked up at Uranus; she smiled weakly as Neptune stroked her hair and Pluto gripped her shoulder.

"Sorry, Haruka-papa," she whispered, and shuddered again. "I… I guess… I won't get a chance to kiss Chibi-Usa-chan… after all…"

She closed her eyes and sighed tiredly, and in a flurry of warm golden lights she faded away completely. Uranus stared numbly at the place where her daughter had lain as Neptune wept and Pluto closed her eyes. The sound of something hitting the floor made her look down.

On the ground lay Saturn's bracelet; her good luck charm from Chibi-Usa.

Uranus was still staring at it when Galaxia shot her in the back.

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As I said, this is going to be short. As such, it'll probably be updated quite often.

This chapter is mainly to show that the Inners are realizing something's gone wrong and to show what exactly happened to the Outers. And for all you Ami/Mako fans, I apologize for not having them in this chapter much. They'll have a much larger role in chapter three!

Read and review, please!