Zoisite shuddered back into awareness feeling wretchedly ill. He drew slow breaths until the nausea passed, keeping his eyes shut so he wouldn't see anything that might cause him to jerk and lose control.

Cautiously, he felt out along the ties that bound him to his partners and the woman that had brought them to her time and place. Usagi's line felt most active, but she didn't respond when he called for her. Following the second strongest link, he found his leader's mind and prodded it.

/Zoisite?/ Kunzite questioned. /How are you? Where are you? What has happened?/

/I am not sure,/ he replied. / I reached out to the princess, but she did not respond. Is she ill?/

/Exhausted from all the fighting,/ the older man answered. /She said she will attempt to break the block on your powers. Will you be able to take care until then?/

/Of course,/ Zoisite confirmed. /I felt unwell when I regained consciousness, but it passed quickly. Now I am only disconcerted due to the lack of my magic. I do not think this Kunzite will hurt me./

/We should have kept you closer,/ Kunzite said, sounding bitter. /We had suspected it was possible you would be taken. I apologize./

/No one would expect a second attack in one night, Kunzite. The only mistake was mine for not being on guard. You taught me better than that./

The other let out a harsh laugh. /Well said, Zoisite. Well said indeed. Now I know you are truly well. I will inform the others. Once you have a chance, let me know anything else you may discover, or the princess if she is available./

/I will. I have to go now, though. Someone is coming. I can hear them./

Kunzite's voice faded, with one last comment. /Be careful. Lady Mercury, both of them, will kill me if you get hurt./

Zoisite laughed softly before composing his face as in sleep. He had already realized he was placed in a bed, and that his hands were bound up and to the side. They hurt, telling him they had been above his head for some time. There was no weight over his face, which meant he hadn't been blindfolded. The sheets beneath him were slippery, indicating silk. It seemed obvious that he hadn't been placed in a dungeon as most prisoners would be. If he was to guess, he would choose either Kunzite's or the deceased Zoisite's chambers.

He thought of the time Kunzite had abducted Venus to prevent her father from doing the same after he had indicated his disapproval of his daughter's chosen husband. In that case, he'd kept her in his rooms, as close as possible. She had been angry with him at first, but only because she disagreed with his method of resolving the problem.

If the brainwashed version thought the same way, he would be in Kunzite's room. It made a possible escape more difficult, since the elder general would have sealed all exits against him. In someone else's, he might have been able to discover an unknown passage.

"I know you are awake."

Zoisite sighed. Of course he did; Kunzite never missed a trick. It had been worth a try though. Reluctantly, he let his eyes open.

The last of the Dark Kingdom's Shitennou had settled into a chair facing the bed. He watched his prisoner with what would have appeared to be dispassionate eyes as he brushed a strand of his light hair off his face. The young blond recognized the habit. He only ever touched his hair when he was working to conceal his emotions. Since typically Kunzite had no difficulty with that, it was telling. Something was making him anxious.

"Fine," Zoisite snapped. "Yes, I am awake. What gave me away?"

"I… felt… your conversation with the copy of myself. As much as I do not care for the idea, I can on occasion sense some of the things that affect him. For example, I am aware of his outstanding commitment to the newest of the Senshi. It disturbs me."

"He is not a copy," the other snapped. "He is what you were once. Never insult my leader in my presence."

88888888

Even on enforced bed rest for a few days, Usagi hadn't regained her strength. For the few youma that had appeared, one of her friends sat with her while the others dealt with it.

They couldn't understand what was wrong. She barely ate, and when she slept she seemed constantly pursued by awful nightmares. Ami was most concerned by her temperature, which had been rising slowly but steadily since her collapse. A few days later she just didn't wake up, even when they tried to entice her with her favorite foods.

"I don't get it!" Jadeite snapped tiredly. "She's not doing well, but I don't understand why."

"Jadeite, calm down," Kunzite ordered. "Get some water. Lady Mercury, would you be so kind as to scan the princess with your computer, but with more depth?"

"It could just be the flu," she demurred. "The computer normally would have picked it up already, but it's been progressing slowly."

"It doesn't matter; just try," Minako said. "We need to know what's going on."

"I'll send Rei out, then," she replied, moving to the door. They'd been glad that Usagi's parents and brother were out of town for a few weeks on vacation. Usagi had received permission to spend as much time with her friends as she wanted.

Rei shot out as soon as Ami entered, looking very pale. "She's burning up. Nothing brings the fever down."

"Ami-chan's checking on her now, firebrand," Jadeite said soothingly. "We'll know what's wrong soon."

"Soon isn't good enough!" she flared. "Now! I can't stand looking at her when she's like this. It's not natural for her to be so quiet and still."

Makoto laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We know how you feel, Rei-chan, but you have to calm down. Getting upset won't help her, and the last thing we need is you setting fire to the drapes again."

Rei flushed faintly as Jadeite chuckled. "Breathe, firebrand. You need to relax or someone will get hurt."

"Probably you," she muttered, staring daggers at him. He just laughed again. "How can you be like that when she's so sick?"

"When you're a soldier for as long as I've been, you learn to roll with the punches. Regardless of what's wrong, it'll be something we can fix."

She stared at him for a long moment before her fist shot straight into his jaw. As he swore, she smirked. "You know, I think I'm starting to relax after all… but you didn't roll."

88888888

Ami cursed softly after her third scan came up blank. Nothing in Usagi's person seemed to be causing the problem, but she was losing energy as her fever rose. She paced, trying to solve the puzzle.

"There's no visible cause of illness, and nothing seems to be showing on the scans," she muttered. "Could it have been from the last youma she fought? No, that wouldn't have caused a slow drain, and it's lasted longer than that. Is it because of what's happening to Mamoru-san? No, that would show as a dark infection in her magic."

She continued pacing, shifting her computer from hand to hand as she walked. The girl came to an abrupt halt as it finally clicked.

"Of course," she breathed. "The Ginzuishou! The wand is in her subspace pocket!"

She recalibrated her search to include objects in Usagi's immediate surroundings, including subspaces. A dark smile appeared across her face as the results flashed up almost instantly.

"The Ginzuishou's been siphoning her energy, and scans indicate it's splitting in two directions, but both are relatively close together. One would obviously be the energy she's been using to protect Mamoru-san, so the other would be what she's using as she tries to free Zoisite from the Dark Kingdom."

She darted to the door, calling the others as she banished Motoki to sit with the ailing girl. He grumbled a few times about always missing the big talks, but he went.

"So you know what's going on?" Rei demanded instantly. "What? And how do we fix it?"

"She's so ill because she's been majorly draining her energy, first to help Mamoru-san and now for Zoisite as well," Ami explained. "She needs her energy to be replenished or it will kill her."

"Who would work best?" Makoto asked.

"I would say Mamoru if he was available, but he's not, and with one of the Shitennou gone they're already lower on strength since they've been trying to help Usagi save him. It'll have to be the four of us."

"Of course," Minako said, rolling her eyes. "I should've realized. Any time she overuses the Ginzuishou this is what happens, if it doesn't kill her or make her very sick straight out. She must've been using a lot of energy without even realizing it was her life force."

"I think we should all be there," Kunzite stated. "If she needs more, or if the sudden rise in energy draws attention from the Dark Kingdom. My experiments have told me that they can sense areas with a high concentration of power, which is why we all have a non-magical form. It avoids drawing the attention that a constant gathering of power would bring."

"Kunzite's right," Minako decided after only a second. "If we're giving Usagi-chan energy, we won't be in any shape to respond if the Dark Kingdom suddenly attacks. There's safety in numbers."

Motoki, who had been listening at the door, decided to inject his opinion. "The Shitennou have Earth magic. Isn't there any way for them to channel whatever energy escapes back into the planet so it wouldn't be noticed?"

Everyone blinked for a moment, startled. Jadeite considered before responding. "Actually, yes. It was a routine task whenever there would be a major outpouring of energy for some reason or other, such as a teleport with people that didn't have the power. Since those controlling it had to send out excess energy to bring the passengers, some would always be left over, and one or more of us would channel it back into the planet. It would also have the added benefit of giving Endymion some strength he could use to protect himself."

Ami sighed. "I should have remembered that; Zoisite told me about it when we were discussing tactics. I suppose I've been too distracted with worrying over him, Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san."

"Worry later, fix now," Rei ordered. "There's no time to delay if she's lost as much energy as you say. It's dulling her aura."

Everyone trooped into the room and formed two rings around the bed after henshining. The Senshi were on the inside, each linking hands as they knelt. The Shitennou and Motoki, now henshined as well, formed the outer by lying their hands on the girls' shoulders- Kunzite to Minako, Nephrite to Makoto, Jadeite to Rei, and Motoki to Ami. Each girl focused, and a brilliantly colored nimbus erupted around them.

"VENUS POWER!" A stream of beautiful golden hearts.

"JUPITER POWER!" A bolt of green electricity surrounded by fresh leaves.

"MARS POWER!" A bright red flaming arrow.

"MERCURY POWER!" A soft blue wave reminiscent of the most gentle waterfall.

A rainbow of energy flew above their heads before rushing down into Usagi, causing her own bright pink aura to flare into visibility until the brilliant shade dominated it all. Each felt as if a hook had lodged itself in them and was dragging them away. With a final flash, they all vanished, leaving Mamoru's apartment suddenly silent and empty.

88888888

Usagi was the first to regain consciousness as she felt a huge wave of energy sweep over her. She blinked as her instincts told her where she was.

Home…

The blonde shot to her feet even as her hand closed over her transformation broach. Her gaze darted around before settling on her unconscious friends. They still wore their respective uniforms.

"MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE-UP!" she chanted, letting the ribbons fall across her and replacing what had during her quick glance appeared to be a nightgown with her Senshi's fuku, tiara gracing her forehead. One hand immediately drew her Wand from her subspace pocket as she knelt beside the closest of her friends.

"Mars-chan?" the Moon Senshi murmured, shaking her gently. "Mars, wake up. I need to know how we got here." She moved to each of the others, checking that they were all right. She suspected that it was the shock of teleportation that had caused them to pass out, since they had never done so in this incarnation. The Shitennou were a bit more surprising, given that they had done so many times, but she assumed it would have to do with whatever unusual circumstance had caused the whole thing. She knew where she was. This place was all that remained of the once-great Moon Kingdom.

"Serenity?" a musical voice called. "Are you all right?"

Sailor Moon spun, her wand going up automatically, but she lowered it when she realized who had spoken. "Mother?" she asked tentatively. "Mother, is that you?"

A soft silvery orb appeared over a broken marble seal. As it descended, a tiny woman appeared inside. She had long silver hair that appeared lavender in the light and wore a strapless white gown. The most noticeable feature, though, was the golden crescent moon that adorned her brow. "My dear daughter," she murmured. "I did not imagine that I would ever see you again."

"Mother!" Sailor Moon sobbed. The Ginzuishou flashed as the first tears came to her eyes. Her Senshi's fuku was immediately replaced by the pristine white dress as her tiara vanished, leaving an identical golden moon behind. "I've missed you so much." Her hands reached for the figure, but they simply went through. She closed her eyes against the urge to cry, though a few more drops slipped through. The Ginzuishou seemed to understand the reason for her increased grief, since it flared again.

A soft hand brushed the tears from her cheek gently. Serenity's eyes opened, shocked. "You're here, you're really here."

"You wished it, so it came true," her mother said simply. "The Ginzuishou will respond more easily while you are here. It will not last forever but for now, I am here."

The tired blonde hurled herself into the Queen's waiting arms as she wept, telling her everything that had happened since she sent them to the future with her wish for their new lives and a hope that they would be safe.

"Shh, sweetheart, I know," she soothed. "I know. Luna and Artemis have been keeping me informed through the Sailor V game at your arcade. They will be here momentarily."

"They're coming?" the younger woman asked, curious despite how upset she was. "How? I don't even know how we got here."

"Luna and Artemis have always been capable of returning; they simply did not know how. They were frantic when they came back to find that all of you had vanished, so I told them," Queen Serenity explained. "For now, see to your friends. They are beginning to wake. You did not participate in the teleport, so it took more energy from them than normal."

"Mother…" she began hesitantly, uncertain of the information she was about to share. "I felt the thread snap. Endymion… They got him. I wasn't able to save him."

The Queen nodded solemnly. "Endymion is strong, my sweet daughter, but no one could hold out forever against such torment. It would have killed him, or you, had it gone on much longer." She raised her hand when she saw the tears returning to her child's eyes. "It is not over yet, Serenity. Never give up. You will find a way to bring him back. Now, your friends. They need you too."

She nodded as she knelt between Mercury and Mars, laying one hand on each girl's forehead. The Ginzuishou, for the moment lying against her breast on a chain, sparkled, and the signs of the planets appeared in place of their tiaras as they woke up. Without saying anything, or even acknowledging the questions asked, the princess went to the others in turn. She arrived at Venus and Kunzite last, awakening them only to throw her arms around Venus' neck and cry softly.

The other blonde was startled at first as she took in her surroundings, but it was easy to guess what had upset Serenity. The memories were clearest on that final day. It was enough to break almost anyone, and she had been ill. Slowly, she eased out of her grip, smiling in encouragement.

"I know," she murmured. "I know, but right now I think we're here for a reason."

"Correct, Venus," Artemis said as he appeared, somehow managing to arrive in Kunzite's lap. The faintest of bemused smiles crossed the stern man's face before he lifted the small cat and set him on the ground. Artemis didn't spare him a glance, still not impressed with the Shitennou's leader as a match for his charge. "The Queen would like to speak with all of us."

Serenity shot to her feet and dashed back to the Queen. After a thousand years, she didn't really want to waste a minute of the precious time her mother would be able to spend with her. Queen Serenity stroked her blonde hair comfortingly.

Luna appeared a moment later, landing neatly on the ground beside Artemis. She bowed as well as a feline body could. "Your Majesty."

"Luna," the Queen acknowledged with a smile. "Serenity, would you do our advisors a favor and allow them their human forms for a time?"

The princess looked flummoxed for a moment, then smiled brightly and nodded. Yet another pulse issued from the Ginzuishou as both cats shifted into their human bodies. Luna was a stunning figure, with her dark hair in a style similar to both of the royals, wearing a lovely yellow dress and a crescent shaped pendant. The moon that had made her unique as a cat made the transition as well, and adorned the face of the woman. Artemis had become a tall, pale man with bright blue eyes the same shade as Usagi and Minako's. His clothes seemed a bit plain in comparison, a simple white suit, but the crescent was there too. He and Luna embraced for a moment before turning their attention back to the monarch.

"I am glad to see that all of you are well," Queen Serenity began. "Though I am saddened to see that there are a few absent. My daughter has already told me how the Shitennou came to be in this time twice, and what happened to Prince Endymion, but she seems to have forgotten to inform me of where Lord Zoisite has vanished to."

Mercury's gaze immediately fell to the ground. Kunzite stiffened but replied. "Zoisite was captured a week ago. The Dark Kingdom general took him after a battle with no warning. He seems well, but his powers are blocked and he has not been able to free himself."

"Do not worry," the Queen smiled. "I do not believe he will be a captive much longer. Serenity did not exhaust herself uselessly. The barrier is very thin; Lord Zoisite will realize it soon."

The entire group let out a breath none had realized they were holding. Serenity smiled faintly, knowing she would still receive a long, harsh lecture for draining herself.

"Mother," she murmured, "we're here because they need to know for themselves, right? They need their memories."

"Yes. I intervened when they were helping you. It was simply a matter of adjusting the purpose of the excess energy. They were lucky; if I had not sensed it when I did, the Dark Kingdom would have closed in shortly despite the Shitennou's barrier. Sometimes none of you realize just how much power you have."

"Are we going to give them back their old powers, too?" Serenity questioned. "So they can help me save Endymion-sama?"

"Of course, darling," the Queen responded. "Pluto may be a tad bit unhappy with me, but many things have changed and if you cannot change with them, you will be defeated. Each of your Senshi will need to grow. You, my dear daughter, already have all you need. It is your loving heart that will be your best weapon in the battle to come."

The princess barely stifled a comment on the unfairness of the others gaining powers while her weapon was a loving heart, though the looks she got from the others told her that they had guessed, which meant her mother probably knew too.

The Queen issued some instructions to Luna and Artemis, who shepherded the group to the remains of the temple. Once they'd left, the older woman turned to face her child again. The girl had wandered to the balcony and was staring out over all that was left of her kingdom.

"So much pointless destruction," she sighed. "So many lives wasted. It makes me wonder if I chose the right path."

"What is already done should no longer be of any concern, Serenity," her mother cautioned. "It is your present that is important."

"I know," she replied. "Knowing it doesn't get rid of the guilt, though. You and Venus, and Luna and Artemis, were still alive, and I killed myself. Rather than do what I should have, I gave up. And now it's happening all over again. It's hard to find hope."

"Hope is always there," Queen Serenity explained. "You are their hope, and Endymion's as well. They all believe in you. You will bring everyone through."

"Will I?" the blonde snapped. "I barely know how to handle myself. Endymion-sama is gone as well. The Senshi don't have enough power to survive this, Mother, and we both know it's true."

"They are not ready for that much power, my darling daughter. It will take time before they are. You should trust in yourself more easily."

Serenity let out a short scream. "I know what I should do! I just don't know how to do it…" She perched on a beam as her mother knelt at her side. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be angry with you. None of this is your fault."

"Serenity, if I thought it would help you I would see that the Senshi had their Sailor Crystals this very instant, but it would do no good. There is little anyone can do. I am sorry as well; I should have defeated Metallia so that you could have lived peacefully, at least until you had grown," the Queen murmured.

"It's not your fault, Mother," she sighed, rubbing the mark on her forehead. "It was destiny, I suppose. None of us have any choice. I just hate knowing I've made so many mistakes. I've hurt my friends by not talking to them; I failed Zoisite and Mamo-chan."

"It is not a failure, sweetheart. You've done well for all your youth and inexperience. You never expected to become Sailor Moon."

"I almost wish they could have their Crystals already. It's so difficult to be the only one with that power."

Abruptly, a hand touched the Princess's shoulder, causing her to jump. She glanced up into Motoki's eyes as he removed the white mask. "Your mother… you did call her your mother?... is right. You'll do well, Usagi-chan. We know you will."

She gave him a heart-melting smile. "Thank you, Motoki-onii-san. I'm just glad you're here too. I can't stand feeling as if I were all alone."

"You're never alone," Venus smiled as she stepped from the shadows. "Not really. Your mother watches over you, and we'll always be there for you too."

"V-chan…"

"After all, Odango, if we left you alone too long you'd mess things up," Mars quipped. "Look at all the stuff you pulled when we weren't looking."

"Like traipsing after Tuxedo Kamen-sama into Zoisite's trap?" Jupiter offered. "Or bringing the Shitennou from a different timeline?"

"Now, everyone, she's entitled to mistakes as much as the rest of us." Mercury smiled. "Even if hers tend to be rather spectacular."

"Mercury! You're supposed to be on my side!" Serenity wailed for form, but a grin danced across her elfin features.

"If you don't get it yet, Sere-chan, we are on your side," Jadeite commented. "Endymion just needs reminded of it. That's all."

"Zoisite's still on your side, even if he's been kidnapped," Nephrite added.

"We made a promise to you and to Sailor Pluto," Kunzite said gravely. "We vowed to help you, and we shall. You are not alone."

88888888

It was all Zoisite could do not to let out a cheer when he felt the bonds on his power grow thinner and thinner. If the princess continued to aid him from the other side, he would be able to free them within another hour at most. He just had to hope his captor wouldn't notice before he could escape.

/Are you all right, Zoisite?/ Kunzite questioned. /I detected an odd feeling of elation./

/I am quite all right, Kunzite-sama,/ Zoisite grinned. /Princess Serenity is brilliant. With her help, I should be free very soon./

/She truly is,/ his leader acknowledged. /It really is no wonder that Endymion-sama loves her so. How much longer?/

/An hour at most if nothing interferes. I can work at it now too, since the barrier is so thin. If all goes well, I will be back in time for supper./

Kunzite chuckled softly. /I do not know if we can say the same. Queen Serenity brought all of us to the Moon in order to awaken the Senshi's memories and allow them to regain some of their former power./

/Really?/ Zoisite asked, impressed. /That may be the best news I have heard in some time. We really will be strong enough to defeat the Dark Kingdom./

/I would hope so,/ Kunzite replied. /Princess Serenity is still unsure./

The younger general sobered. /Can you blame her? She has been spending all of her time worrying about Prince Endymion./

/It gets worse,/ the older man added grimly. /He has broken, and she has been ill from expending so much energy. The Queen is attempting to comfort her and to give her hope./

/Queen Serenity can do it if anyone can,/ Zoisite said bravely. /Tell her not to worry about me. I can get myself out without her risking herself any more./

/You will really be free soon?/ Kunzite asked with a touch of uncertainty. It was very unusual for him. /You are sure?/

/Yes. It will not be long now./

/Very well,/ the leader said with a sigh. /Be careful, Zoisite. Avoid any unnecessary risks./

Zoisite's pretty face firmed as the connection broke. Reaching toward his powers, he began battering at the wall, as if it was real and he was using his fists as a battering ram. Though the method lacked his usual systematic approach, it felt good to act in any way. Cracks were showing, but were they large enough to break it open completely?