Thanks for being patient with me guys! You're amazing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon!

Beta-corrected: Midnight Violet Haze! She's really spectacular :D!

Enjoy!


"Running away will never make you free."

~Kenny Loggins


'It's been so long since I've been here...'

Fingers trailed softly against the white marble, welcoming the cool sensation she was greeted with. Memories of so long ago, in another world from her own, today, flooded her mind.

One of her earliest memories was traveling to a large headstone, far beyond the places a small, four-year-old girl is allowed. She was accompanied with her mother and many people that she did not recognize. Her mother had stood off to the side of the headstone and talked about a person residing under the land. He was a wonderful leader and husband; he would be loved and cherished forever by the Lunarians who could never forget him. As young as she was, the small girl asked,

"Can't we just help dig him up? Then he won't be missed!"

That day was the first time she had ever seen her mother cry.

When she was seven, four other princesses of the inner court were introduced to her. Confused by the sudden meeting, she tried to stay by her mother, but eventually, she warmed up to the princess of Venus, who was bubbly and genuinely happy to meet her. In no time, she welcomed the others to play with her and the princess.

They were her first friends.

She would hear whispers throughout the next three years of how their close friendship didn't mean a thing; it was a political ploy to keep the Silver Millennium in check. She would ask about it a few weeks after her tenth birthday, no longer able to ignore the voices.

"It is true that their primary duty is to be your guardians for the entirety of your and their lives," her mother had told her softly, "but there is a difference between duty and friendship; you'll find out the difference for yourself one day, my daughter."

When she was twelve, she heard whispers again, but this time, they were about the senshi of the outer system. They were mysterious, and had never once made an effort to come to the Moon Kingdom. If Queen Serenity were asked her opinion of them, she would merely smile and say that they were trusted implicitly by her. She would wonder who they were often, but eventually, the thoughts would wane into nothing, and she would forget.

She also remembers traveling to Earth on her fourteenth birthday after escaping her guardians and palace guards, too curious about the planet's inhabitants; there was not a force that could have stopped her. She discovered many animals that did not inhabit the Moon, as well as plants and foods.

It was there she met... Prince Endymion.

The young woman sucked in a quick breath, hurriedly removing the memory of the man from her mind. She doesn't want to remember the downfall of that life, how she, he and everyone died...

She stood on the broken balcony, her gaze melancholic as she stared toward Earth.

'I used to stand right here, gazing at the Earth, but in a different way...'

She felt so guilty for hurting him. Knowing she had betrayed someone who loved her, and vice versa-even if it had been long forgiven-was not a pleasant feeling; it made her feel sick.

Her gaze moved itself to look up to the stars, like she has done so often before. Her mind once again settled, no longer troubled by the thoughts of before.

'Who am I now, I wonder?' She ran her hand across the smooth marble once again. 'Have I changed so much from who I used to be?'

She glanced to the Earth.

'Or am I still the same?'

"It is a beautiful night, isn't it?"

Her eyes snapped open in alarm and she whirled around, shocked beyond words to see the person standing there.

"It... can't be..."


"Sailor Moon! Sailor Moon!" Sailor Star Healer violently shook the body she had placed on her bed. "Taiki! Seiya!" She screamed.

Not a minute after the silver-haired woman called for them, a disheveled Seiya and Taiki Kou charged in, sleepy and alarmed at their friend's panicked scream.

"What's wro-" Seiya started, but cut himself off at the sight before him. "Odango!"

"What's wrong with her, Healer?" Taiki demanded and, though worried out of his mind for the blonde, made his way to Healer's side, pulling the senshi away from the bed.

"I-I don't know! Sailor Moon won't wake up!" Healer struggled hard to break free.

"Odango, can you hear me? Wake up, Odango!"

"Seiya, don't-"

"Let me go, Taiki! Let me go!"

"Calm down, Healer! Hold still! Seiya, help me!"


Chiba Mamoru was not the type of man to feel sorry for himself. He was a calm man with simple desires. Protectiveness was in his nature, but not overly so; he didn't obsess on a normal basis-he'd prefer not to remember the Dark Moon incident. He pursued his dreams, even when he knew of what future awaited him; he couldn't merely sit around and await that fate, after all.

He had accepted its existence and felt reassured, in a way, about what was to happen. The worry of what would happen next did not apply to him. He'd have a beautiful, loving wife, a smart, kind daughter, and a planet to rule. They'd have their kingdom and rule for eternity.

Well, he would have had that, if it hadn't been for Usagi changing all that.

She had come to him in the middle of the day, very obviously distressed and unable to meet his eye. He hadn't been able to speak a word before she had spoken the words that had shattered his heart,

"Mamo-Mamo-cha-...Gomen ne, Mamoru, but I-I can't... be with you anymore. I-I don't love you, like I used too. We're over." He had seen the tears shining in her eyes, and saw the effort she was making to not bawl her eyes out. The tears didn't bother him so much as the truth and seriousness within those beautiful blue orbs. With shaking hands, she slipped the engagement ring off her ring finger and carefully put it into his palm. "P-Please, please forgive me. Please."

She ran from him, like he would find out later that she did to the senshi, and he never saw her again.

He hadn't been the same person since she left. He felt truly lost for the first time in his life. Mamoru knew his future changed drastically without Usagi in his life; it was likely that nothing would be the same as what had been shown.

He'd been angry, but only for a day. He couldn't stay upset with her, no matter what Usagi had done to him or their future.

Finally, he settled into an uneasy existence. Something, somehow, was keeping him from moving on. He knew it was over, and he knew there was nothing he could do to change her mind. Perhaps he should have fought harder for her... However, he knew that wouldn't have done much good. Usagi never stood up for anything seriously, save for her beliefs and for those precious to her. To stand up for her happiness, even if it could be considered selfish...

The Earth Prince respected her choice. He owed that much to her, from all the pain he had inflicted on her, despite her forgiving him for those mistakes.

Mamoru felt theirpresence as soon as they had entered the Earth's atmosphere; those foreign senshi that had been there during the last sailor battle...

He knew instantly what had kept him from moving on, and he knew what he had to do.

'I'm coming for you, Usako,'


"How is she doing?" Seiya whispered his question to Taiki as he stepped into the doorway, keeping his eyes on Yaten-who was kneeling on the floor beside the bed-and Usagi.

"She's fine," he replied, "She seems to merely be... sleeping."

"Have you checked...?" Seiya's question trailed off.

"Not yet."

They were all silent; hesitant. It was clear none of them wanted to check her star seed. No one in their right mind would want a second taste at the pain beneath its numbed state.

In the end, however, they did not have any other choice. They wanted to make sure it was still in a state where it could be healed.

For her, they'd endure any amount or ferocity of pain to ensure her well being.

Yaten took out his Star Yell, opening his mouth-

Suddenly, a white light emitted from the Moon Princess' body, engulfing the room in its brightness. The Three Lights gave a cry of surprise and shielded their eyes. As quickly as the light came, it was gone, and in its place, a glowing yellow sphere. That, too, gave way into nothing, revealing the doll-sized body of a woman. She had long, silver hair in the same style as Usagi's and dark, ocean blue eyes. She wore a long, flowing white dress, and had wings akin to those of a pixie's.

The woman smiled kindly at the dumbfounded trio. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Sailor Starlights."

Three sets of eyebrows furrowed almost simultaneously, and each looked down, only to gasp at their appearance. They were transformed!

"I'm sure you all have questions concerning Serenity-hime's health."

Fighter, the rashest of them all, pointed her Star Yell-that she had no idea how she obtained-at the small woman, only to falter. She floated just above Usagi's body, and she knew that if she attacked, Usagi would be hurt as well.

Maker, ever the calm one, stepped into the conversation first as her leader contemplated. "Who are you?" She asked, a cold edge to her voice.

"I am the former ruler of the Moon Kingdom during the Silver Millennium over one thousand years ago, Queen Serenity." The royal gestured with her hand to the blond's form. "This is my daughter, Princess Serenity, reincarnated."

Healer peered at the queen. "How are you...? Are you even...?"

"Am I alive?" Queen Serenity supplied, and Healer nodded. "Yes and no. I am not truly alive in the sense that you three are, but I live on within Serenity's heart and soul."

The underlying message was clear: I have always been, and always will be, with her.

Fighter lowered her Star Yell, but only just slightly; her instincts would not allow her to guard down. "What's wrong with Odango?"

Queen Serenity looked down at her daughter, replying, "She's in a sleep that I've influenced her body to go under." Sensing their disapproval, and readiness to object, she continued, "I realize that my timing had not been perfect when I forced her to go unconscious; however, at the time, seeing you three would have been too much for her to make sense of. This whole ordeal has been very hard on Serenity; much harder than you know. She's caught in a crossroad, and she will not wake until she has come to an important conclusion."

Sailor Star Healer's face contorted in confusion. "A conclusion?"

Blue met green.

"If the path she has begun to choose is truly the one she wishes to stand by."


"This doesn't feel right," Makoto commented.

"What other choice do we have?" Rei asked.

"Not to come," she responded.

"Oh come on-"

"Rei," Ami cut in with a firm voice, "stop it. You can't blame her reluctance."

Rei glared at the senshi of Mercury. "I most certainly can," she protested.

Ami returned the glare with a fierce, determined stare of her own. "You're planning to persuade her-harshly, I might add-to make a choice she does not want to pursue!"

The priestess frowned at her friend. "She could just be confused! She was that way with the Three Lights here before!"

Minako, who had chosen to stay unusually quiet, finally decided to include herself, arguing, "Loving more than one person may be confusing, but actually loving someone is not!"

The senshi of Mars opened her mouth to retort, but paused, stopping short in her step.

'Something's... not right,' she thought.

Ami, noticing the raven-haired woman's look, stopped walking as well and asked, "What is it, Rei?"

"I feel a strange power just ahead of here."

A simultaneous nod from the four inner senshi had them running forward, with Rei slightly ahead. There were no need for words; warrior instincts guided them through their issues to face the potential enemy.


"Hotaru?"

The barrier dropped and the young woman stood proudly in front of them, her glaive held firm at her side.

The fourteen year old watched the women carefully, gauging their reaction to her presence.

'Did they really think I wouldn't know where they were going, what they were going to do?' Hotaru wondered. 'I suppose I can understand that... I agreed with their reasoning before, after all, and haven't shown them otherwise, since that time...'

"Hai, Setsuna-mama."

Uranus stepped forward. "Move out of the way, Hotaru! We are retrieving our princess!"

Saturn kept an even gaze with her papa. "I am sorry Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, Setsuna-mama, but I will not."

Michiru looked positively perplexed that her child would rebel against herself, Haruka, and Setsuna. "Hotaru, her future is with us and Mamoru. She must rule Crystal Tokyo. She has prevented her future from happening thus far, but she cannot run forever."

"That may have been true, at one time," Saturn spoke softly, "but forcing her to do what you wish will ruin our princess, and I cannot allow that to happen," Saturn said softly, almost too softly for the others to hear. She twirled her glaive above her head before pointing it toward her parents. "If you wish to reach Usagi-san, you must first defeat me."

'I don't want to fight you guys,' violet eyes conveyed, 'but I will if I must.'

Uranus looked to her sword and thought hard. Could she attack her daughter once again? She acknowledged that she had done both once in their lifetime; Haruka and Michiru tried to prevent the Sovereign of Silence from coming-that failed, thankfully, because of Sailor Moon-and they had stolen their daughter's star seed to trick Sailor Galaxia into giving an opening to them.

'There isn't an enemy to face this time, though,'Uranus thought as she stared intently into Tomoe Hotaru's eyes.

The senshi of the wind turned her eyes to her partners, Sailor Neptune and Pluto, and knew immediately that they were thinking the same thing.

'There isn't an enemy to fight,' Uranus gripped her sword tightly. 'But there is a strong trust to lose if I dare attack... and possibly a daughter.'

Before any action could take place, a bright, pink light shone down from the skies above, landing smack in the middle of the tensed outers. The light's brilliance grew larger and larger, blinding all who looked at it and forcing their eyes away. When it finally died down, one individual was left in its wake.

It was a young lady with long, pink hair in pointed odangos and ruby eyes. She wore a white, short-sleeve top with a pink skirt, and red heels. She held a golden time key in her right hand for just a moment more before slipping it around her neck, as she had done many times before.

"No way..."

The person turned to the beyond-shocked fourteen year old. Hotaru's grip on her glaive relaxed considerably, her eyes wide in disbelief, her legs stiff and shaking in the attempt to keep herself standing.

"You're..."

The clicking of running heals caught the attention of those in the area, and they all turned to stare at the approaching transformed super inner senshi.

The four women came to an abrupt stop, however, upon seeing the young lady.

"Ch-Chibiusa?"


One more chapter left to go, guys! Are you excited?

*Reviews ensue a faster last chapter!*