The moon, its white shadow being cast on the blue Earth, illuminated the sky as it slowly danced in the corner of the galaxy. The oval showered its light onto two cats. One black the other white.
"Where could he be?" Artemis asked rhetorically.
"I don't know but it's not like him to be out this late." Luna said.
The two walked through the park, their tails chasing them.
"Any idea what's going on with him and Usagi?" Artemis asked as they rested under a park bench.
"Not a clue but it is odd that he did it so suddenly." Luna yawned.
"Yeah and now he's nowhere to be found. Maybe he's over her house right now. Kissing and making up." Artemis said deviously.
"He'd better not be." Luna said protectively.
"Hey I was just joking." Artemis said innocently. He squeezed his tail from under Luna's. It was cramped beneath the bench and Artemis loved to spread out. He selfishly stretched. His tail slithered onto the sidewalk.
"Aaaah!" Artemis screamed.
Luna didn't have to ask what was wrong. She had just seen it all. A man with a hood dashed by, trampling Artemis' tail. He fought back tears.
"Stop being a baby, Artemis." Luna snapped.
"I'm not being a baby." He sniveled, "the guy was wearing combat boots." Artemis said holding his tail to try and ease the pain.
"I wonder why he's in such a hurry." Luna thought aloud.
She crept from beneath the bench. It was suspicious. As usual, this was the life of Luna. Sleuthing and recon went hand-in-hand for her. "Come on." Luna said sharply to Artemis.
"I'll catch up." Artemis said stroking his tail.
Luna grunted irritably and hurried off in the goon's direction.
Artemis continued to stroke his tail for five minutes or so when a voice cried, "HELP!"
Artemis' ears pointed him in the direction opposite Luna. He had to see what was wrong but he told Luna he would catch up. I'll find her later. He thought as he followed his ears to the source of the voice. A girl with ketchup red hair sat in her undergarments in her arms a man wearing a jet-black tuxedo. His face was extremely pale, his fingers gripping a small pocketknife. Artemis dashed to the scene and stood next to Mamoru.
"Luna!" Artemis yelled.
Naru winced. Shocked by the cat's talent. "It can talk." She yelled outraged.
A black cat dashed to her side. "Oh my goodness. Mamoru what happened?" She asked.
Mamoru didn't answer.
"He passed out a minute ago." Naru said.
Artemis shut his eyes, nothing he could say would make things better and it was killing him. He was helpless; there was nothing he or any of them could do. Suddenly, a girl with blonde pigtails ran to his side. "Mamo-chan." She gasped at the sight of her dying ex-boyfriend. She ran to his side and stared at his glazed eyes. She shut her eyes. Her body began to pulse and give off a silver aura. A silver gem glided away from her heart and hovered in between her outstretched hands. Usagi opened her eyes and focused her energy into a single attack. Her scepter appeared in one of her outstretched hands. The gem flew and landed on top of the scepter. Usagi's eyes were on Mamoru when she yelled, "Moon Healing Activation!"
A wave of pink energy flooded Mamoru's body. The pocketknife ejected from Mamoru's chest and landed on the park bench Naru once lay on. The wound was slowly plugged with healthy flesh. The color began to fill Mamoru's face again. Mamoru stirred slightly, his eyes opened to see Usagi.
Usagi shook the dizziness off. Dizziness caused by the energy transfusion. As Mamoru sat up she threw her arms around him. The warmth returned to Mamoru in her embrace. He never felt more scared in his life. When the knife impaled his chest, he thought he had lost everything. Life, love, hope and Usagi were becoming as surreal as a dream about dancing elephants. When that thought hit. The thought of dreaming of dancing elephants Mamoru's brain resided on the subject as if he knew he was forgetting something. His memory returning, he pulled away from Usagi and got on his feet.
"Mamo-chan?" She gasped shocked he pulled away from her so suddenly.
Mamoru didn't want to stay away from her but he had to. Moments like this were her weakness. She would throw the one person that mattered in harms way to save others that were irrelevant. That important person was she and the irrelevant people was he. If his prediction was correct, she had to become cold and hard, like a stone buried under snow.
He walked away.
This confused Usagi, his mood swings were becoming agitating. "Your welcome.' She called after Mamoru.
Artemis' eyes were wide with confusion as he turned to Luna, who mirrored him.
"I'm going to see what I can dig up." Artemis said picking up the knife by the handle in between his teeth.
"See ya tomorrow." Usagi said her eyes shifted to Naru.
"I am so wasted." Naru said, not believing cats could talk.
"I'll go with him." Luna said following Artemis.
Usagi pulled out her disguise pin. She pointed it at Naru and cried, "Disguise Power!"
"Give her some jeans and a shirt. Anything." Usagi said.
A flash of pink light swallowed Naru. She emerged from the light wearing jeans and a tight T-shirt with "She's My Bitch" on it.
Usagi chuckled at her creation. "Go home." Usagi said, not noticing how drunk Naru was.
"Thanks." Naru said hurrying off.
Usagi walked home. Thanks felt good. To long had she saved the Earth and never had she heard a thank you. Thank you couldn't help how irritated she was. Mamoru had really gotten under her skin this time.
Wind swept the waters of the Shinano River. Boats slept on its waters. Two pairs of eyes watched the water. A pair of ruby red eyes and a pair of odd eyes locked on the river.
"I'm going to find them." Leo said. "I have a lot of questions."
Setsuna turned to him. "Are you sure?"
"...Yeah." He sighed watching the wind bully the water.
"Apollo." She said watching him turn to meet her eyes. "You have to be sure. Once you talk to them there is no turning back. You don't have to do this if you don't want to."
Leo stared at his reflection in her eyes. "I want to though. I need to. I have to." He said watching the water slide as the wind stopped. "How do you know all this?"
"I have seen it." Setsuna said. "I won't let you talk to Artemis." She said sharply.
"Why?" Leo asked.
"Leo if you talk to Artemis you'll...you'll die." She said with emotion.
Leo knew she wasn't lying but he had a feeling he had to talk to Artemis. "How do you know I will die?" He asked.
"I watched you die." She said softly.
"How do I die?"
"You know I can't tell you that it's against the council." She said.
"Screw the council. You can't just tell me I'm going to die and not tell me how." Leo said.
"You already know to much. I'll be punished for telling you that you're going to die." Setsuna said.
Anger boiled inside of Leo as the wind kicked up again. He would die if he confronted his fate. He had been told for years to protect someone he didn't know and now that he knew he couldn't. It was infuriating. He felt anger and confusion twist into defiance. Leo could easily pry into Setsuna's mind and find the answer but he respected her to much to do so. She was probably blocking anyway.
"I don't want you to die." Setsuna said her eyes watering. The dam broke as tears began to slide down her cheeks. She threw her face into Leo's chest, dousing his shirt with her tears. Leo didn't want to be the cause of her pain. The pain split between the two. He felt it as much as she did. He couldn't take the thought of not seeing Haruka, Michiru and Setsuna again.
"Setsuna, you know I have to do this. I can't let something like this slip away." He said.
Setsuna looked into his eyes. "Nothing will happen to me." He said.
A dove glided over a boat whistling an intoxicating melody. "Do that." Leo smiled.
The tears didn't dry but Setsuna mimicked the tune perfectly. "If we ever get separated. Do that. Whistle that song and I'll come, I promise." Leo said.
The idea was weird to her but she nodded.
"I have to go." Leo said.
Setsuna pulled him close and clipped her lips onto his, trying to change his mind. Leo wasn't going to change his mind. She would do anything to prevent his death. Leo pulled away and in the blink of her eye she stood there alone. The dove glided beside her, still whistling its tune.
She gulped down the last of her rice but still couldn't sleep. Normally, food was a cure for insomnia to her. Rei couldn't sleep tonight for some reason. She had her eyes shut for an hour but she couldn't get to sleep. She sat the bowl on the counter before collapsing into an armchair. A sharp noise entered her ears. Rei's eyes were open. She searched for a weapon. Perhaps it was a burglar. Rei clutched a rake, ready to bash the trespassers head in until he passed out. The noise continued. Rei followed her ears through the dark temple. She could hear the noise very clearly. She was close. It was outside. Rei boldly kicked open the door and raised the rake but nothing was there. She stared around. A flock of crows fluttered away. "Phew." Rei sighed but a small figure fell from the top of the door, startling Rei. It was her grandpa. He lay on the ground motionless. Rei dropped the rake, "Grandpa." She said hurrying to his side when he rose up like a zombie. Rei screamed out of shock.
"I got you good." He laughed but it was too late as he dropped his zombie stance, the back of a rake slapped him across the face.
"Grandpa. I'm sorry." Rei gasped.
"I'm okay." He yelled standing up. "Rei there's someone I want you to meet tomorrow."
"Who?" Rei asked.
"Sakura. My new girlfriend." He said.
Her face twisted into confusion. "Girlfriend?" Rei asked. Her grandfather had been single since her grandmother's death. Why now? She wondered.
"Just wait until you meet her. She's sweet as sugar." He said.
"I have to go pray." Rei lied. She couldn't deal with this. She entered the flame room to pray to the great fire. She crossed her legs and shut her eyes. Her being was as red as the flames from anger she had to let it out in some way. "Please, let her make grandpa happy." Rei prayed. Suddenly, a spectrum of colors filled her mind. Her eyes were shut but she could see light. Twelve stones of different colors came into view. They circled a black gate. They began to revolve around the sinister gateway at a slow lullaby like speed. The speed picked up until the colors were nothing but a mere blur. The gate slowly opened. A white mist flooded the door. The vision shifted to the Earth. The humble blue planet, it spun slowly. Its surface began to boil until it exploded. A giant shockwave shoved the stars and moon. Screams of her fellow senshi snapped Rei out of the vision.
What could it all mean? She wondered. She already knew what it meant but she didn't want to accept it; sometimes her visions weren't true. The screams concerned her. The wails of her friends were implanted in her brain. Suddenly, her eyelids became heavy. They began to weigh as much as an anvil. The minute her wish of sleep began to come true she didn't want it. She was fickle it seemed. Rei walked back to her bedroom; deciding to sleep on it.
The wind sprinted past a man with platinum hair. It shoved the bottom of his long white coat. The coat didn't struggle against the breeze; it calmly fell back to its owner's ankles. Leo stroked his hair. It was time. Time for destiny to choose, tell the truth or dismiss the mercenary. He gazed at the house before him. It was a one-story house with blue shudders. A small garden sat in front of the house. Small roses and daisies sat atop the murky soil. He sighed heavily. If he talked to Artemis he would die. Perhaps he was being stupid by coming here but he had been destinies bitch for too long. It toyed and played with him all these years and now was his chance to end the child's play. He couldn't shake off Setsuna's words. If he spoke to Artemis he would die. That was a mind job. He couldn't be tormented his entire life by the constant what ifs. He was going to end it now. How he would die was a mystery to him. He quickly stepped onto the front porch. It was now two o'clock in the morning. No one would be awake probably. It was inconsiderate of him to ring the bell but it was his turn to have control of his life. No one would limit him in anyway. The sky wasn't the limit for him. He couldn't sleep until he knew the truth. Besides there would be plenty of time to sleep when he was dead. He crushed the doorbell. A small noise came from inside the house. His radar was his gut. It guided him here. He raised his finger to ring the doorbell again but someone said, "Stop."
Leo turned around and stared at a white cat with blue eyes. He didn't say a word. He simply stared at the cat, peaking into its mind. "So you must be Artemis." Leo said with a swagger.
The cat nodded. This moment seemed familiar as if he planned this to Artemis.
Leo stared into the eyes of the cat, "Erfrischen Sie meine Erinnerung." These words sealed Leo's fate as the cat's crescent moon began to glow. The password that would unlock the memories of the Moon Kingdoms greatest warrior had been uttered. The light from the feline crashed into the Leo. The knob was being twisted as a new world began to unfold like a note. The letters were written just so Leo could understand them. He could see everything and now it was time.