AN: Gaaaah. You guys, I am so sorry about this huge delay in update. I have been so ridiculously blocked, every time I sat down to write, I just couldn't make it work. But the good news is, I think I broke through that with this chapter, so the next update should be much quicker! :)
As always, many thanks to my amazing reviewers: MissFiyerabaMeponineWholock, TheCookieThatWasBaked, gabeliz . castillocarin, maryyorke, tryntee13, lilymoon80, and slightlyxjaded. Much love to all. Please keep being awesome and review!
"I am going to kill him," Mars announced. "I am going to rip that baka into pieces, I swear to Kami, I will destroy him. When I'm through, there won't be anything left."
"Mars…" Sailor Moon said, sniffling a bit as she wiped a way her tears.
"What?" the fire Senshi asked. "How can you let him treat you like that? It's bad enough that he breaks up with you out of nowhere, but for him to keep showing up like this? It's inexcusable!"
"Mars," Sailor Moon said again, her tone harsher this time. "Are you also going to tell me what I should do? Do I need to remind you, too, that I am my own person and perfectly capable of making my own decisions and what I want?"
Mars hung her head. "Of course not. It just… it bothers me to see you so upset. He's not worth your tears."
Sailor Moon gave a watery smile. "I know. And I appreciate your support, I really do. But I don't want Tuxedo Kamen dead."
"If you ever do, just say the word."
"I'll keep that in mind," she said, her lips twitching into a smirk.
"Um…" Jupiter started to say. "I don't know if you guys realized this, but… they're still here." She jerked her head over to Neptune and Uranus, who had been watching the whole exchange with a mixture of confusion, discomfort and amusement on their faces.
"Ah…" Sailor Moon said, chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, and trying to keep the panic and embarrassment out of her face. In all the chaos and drama with Tuxedo Kamen, she had forgotten about the new Senshi.
"Did he say 'Usako'?" Uranus asked.
"Ah, yes…" Sailor Moon said, her face flushing. It was bad enough for her friends to be witness to her tiff with Tuxedo Kamen, she would have liked to keep things just between them. But for these two strangers to have witnessed such an awkward, intimate moment? It made her more than a little self-conscious.
"And Mamoru…" Neptune pursed her lips. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"
"I, uh…" Sailor Moon trailed off, trying to decide the best course of action. The Senshi had agreed to be part of their team, fully. Would it be a problem to reveal their identities? If they wanted to work together seamlessly, they couldn't keep secrets from each other… and that included their real identities.
Squaring her shoulders, she drew herself up to her full height, and turned to face Sailor Uranus and Neptune. "I hadn't initially been planning to do this so soon. But perhaps it would be best if we reveal our true identities to each other. If we are to truly be a team, I will need to know that I can trust you completely and rely on you no matter what. That's not possible with secrets between us. Maybe starting with our civilian identities is the first step to getting rid of secrets."
The two new Senshi shared a hesitant look with each other, before turning back to Sailor Moon.
"Fine," Uranus said coolly. "We will agree to that."
"Well, then," Sailor Moon said, turning to her team. "Here goes, I guess."
With one last glance at the new Senshi, she dropped her transformation, and was aware of her friends behind her doing the same. In front of her, there was a brief flash of light, as Uranus and Neptune switched to their civilian identities.
"Odango?!"
Usagi gaped at what she saw in front of her. Haruka and Michiru were Sailors Uranus and Neptune?
"I…" she trailed off. "I was not expecting this."
"You're Sailor Moon?" Haruka shook her head. "I can't believe this."
"Yes, it is a lot to take in for all of us," Usagi mused, chewing on her lower lip. "Perhaps we should go somewhere quiet, discuss things a bit. Rei, is the shrine available?"
The priestess nodded her head. "It should be quiet today."
"Do you know the Hikawa Shrine?" Usagi asked Haruka and Michiru, and they nodded in affirmation. "Good. We'll meet up there in ten minutes."
Ten minutes later, they were all gathered at the Hikawa Shrine, standing around awkwardly as no one said anything. The tension in the room was palpable. Usagi sighed, wrapping her hands more tightly around the mug of tea she was holding.
"Well," she said, taking a sip of her tea. "Here we are. I'm Sailor Moon, you guys are Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune…"
Silence.
Usagi sighed again. "Come on, isn't somebody going to say something? Or should we just get over this and go back to our lives?"
"So, if you're Sailor Moon, then that means that Tux-boy is…" Haruka started to say.
"Mamoru, yes. My… ex-boyfriend."
Haruka cocked her head. "What happened between you two?"
"We broke up," Usagi said flatly, her tone making it clear that that particular subject was not up for discussion.
"Why are you seeking the Black Moon Clan?" Makoto asked. "What's your purpose, your mission? Surely, now that we're a team, you can tell us."
Michiru pursed her lips. "The Black Moon Clan seeks to destroy the Crystal Tokyo of the future."
"Wait, what?" Minako asked. "Future? And what's Crystal Tokyo?"
"Many years in the future, we don't know exactly when, a utopian society called Crystal Tokyo is created. It's ruled by a benevolent Queen and King, and the Sailor Senshi are the Queen's guardians. The Black Moon Clan tried to attack, but they were easily repelled. It's why they've come to the past, they seek to kill the Queen in the past before she forms Crystal Tokyo. Additionally, the princess from the future has fled to this timeline, and the enemy seeks to kill her as well. We have been tasked with protecting them both."
"You asked once why we've never made our presence known before," Haruka said. "There are many threats that this world faces, both internal and external. We have always been tasked with dealing with the outside threats, but this mission is too important. We must protect the royal line at all costs; if the future Queen dies, the results would be devastating."
"Tasked by who?" Usagi asked, rubbing her temple. She was starting to get a headache from all this confusing talk about the future. "How do you know all this?"
"There's another Sailor Senshi," Michiru. "She is the Senshi of Time; she sees everything, past, present and future. She is the one who set us on this mission, as she could see that the royal line was in danger."
"The princess from the future…" Usagi mused. "Do you think that could be Chibiusa? We know she's from the 30th century, and we know the enemy is after her. It would make sense."
Michiru nodded. "That's the conclusion we've come to as well."
"Well," Usagi said, unsure of what else to say. "That explains things, I suppose. Is there anything else?"
No one spoke.
"I guess that settles it, then. I'm glad you two agreed to join our team, I know you will be useful allies."
"Indeed," Michiru said. "Until next time." She gave a polite nod, and then she and Haruka left.
"Chibiusa is a princess?" Makoto said, shaking her head. "I guess that's why the Black Moon Clan is targeting her."
"What do we do now?" Rei asked.
Usagi took a deep breath and then released it all at once. "I don't know," she admitted. "We keep protecting Chibiusa, of course. Keeping her safe is our top priority. At least know we know why the enemy is targeting her. It isn't much, but it's something."
"We should keep researching the Black Moon Clan," Ami said. "Any information we can gain will be an advantage. Now that we know why they're here and why they're targeting Chibiusa, perhaps we can find out more. I'll speak to Luna and Artemis about it."
Rei nodded. "I can consult the Great Fire."
"Good," Usagi said. "The enemy has always been several steps ahead of us, and I don't like it. It's time we caught up."
Rei sat in front of the Great Fire; her hands clasped tightly together, her eyes shut in concentration as she focused only on the meditation.
"Please," she thought. "Reveal your secrets to me!"
She opened her eyes, but the fire was just a fire. A second later, it shimmered, and something started to come into focus. Rei inhaled sharply. What was it trying to show? Peering into the flames, she could make out a man's face. He had sandy blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and a rakish smile across his face. Who was he? Was he part of the Black Moon Clan?
The image shimmered once more, and suddenly it was gone, along with the fire, the room, and everything else.
She's sitting on the edge of a cliff, her legs dangling over the edge, watching the amazing display of colors as the sun set right in front of her eyes.
"It's pretty spectacular, isn't it?" he asks, and she tears her eyes away from it for a second to look up at the man sitting beside her.
"It's incredible," she breathes. "I didn't know the sky could make so many colors! We have artificial sunsets on the moon, but they're so pale and drab in comparison."
"Mm," he agrees, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. "I thought you might like it. I've always thought it looks like the sky is on fire, and well, since you're the Senshi of Fire… it kind of reminded me of you." The words come out in a bit of a rush, and she spies a blush on his cheek.
"For Kami's sake, when did you get so sentimental?" she asks, pushing him playfully.
"I'm only sentimental around you," he says, grinning broadly.
"You're hopeless," she says, rolling her eyes as he pulls her in for a kiss. She'd never admit it, of course, she had far too much pride, but… what he had said about the sunset reminding him of her was quite possibly the sweetest thing she'd ever heard. And she loved it.
The room came into view once more, and Rei blinked rapidly, trying to clear the image from her mind. What had just happened? Who were those people? It had seemed like herself, but she didn't remember any of it… and who was that man? Why had the Great Fire shown her this? Before she had a chance to try and make sense of it, the image shimmered once more.
She scanned the battlefield, desperately looking for any sign of him. Surely he couldn't be… she couldn't bring herself to finish that thought. He had to be alive. He just had to. She heard a noise behind her, and spun around, ready to attack whatever or whoever it was, but when she saw who it was, she dropped her guard.
"You're alive!" she said, flinging herself into his arms. "Thank Kami. I was so worried."
He placed his hands on her shoulders, and roughly shoved her away.
"Wha-?" she stumbled away from him, falling to the ground. "I won't understand. What's going on?"
"You disgust me," he spat out. "You and your kind will be annihilated at the hands of the Dark Kingdom and the mighty Queen Beryl." As he spoke, flames shot out of his hands, creating a circle of fire around her.
"No," she whispered. "Please, no!"
The flames rose higher and the circle narrowed. She could feel the blistering heat on her arms, and thick, black smoke choked her lungs. Scrambling to her feet, she burst through the wall of flame, escaping her prison of fire. As she quickly stamped out the flames that clung to her, she turned to him.
"Why?" she took a hesitant step towards him, her arm outstretched. "Please, whatever she's done to you, I know you're still in there somewhere. You have to remember all the things we've shared. Remember me."
He smacked her hand away, his own hands reaching towards her stomach as he viciously shoved her, flames erupting from him and burning her skin. She leapt to her feet, sudden determination giving her strength.
If he couldn't be reasoned with, that left only one option, despite how much she hated it. Quick as a flash, she unsheathed her dagger, and lunged towards him, but he was faster, and dodged her blow. He grabbed the hilt of the dagger over her hand, and there was a momentary struggle as they both fought for control.
But he was stronger, and he turned the dagger around, shoving it into her stomach. Her eyes widened at the pain, and she stumbled back, her hands clutched to her wound, a thin trail of blood dribbling out of the side of her mouth. She knew she would be dead soon, but she refused to let him win. Wrenching the dagger from her stomach, she leapt forward with a final burst of strength, and drove the dagger straight into his heart.
Rei gasped, stumbling backwards, her arms outstretched in front of her, as if putting physical distance between herself and the fire could make her forget what she'd just seen.
What in the name of Kami was that? Her hands grasped at her stomach, where just moments ago there'd been a mortal wound. The acrid smell of smoke and burning flesh still lingered in the air. Her eyes were watering, her head was swimming, her heart was pounding, and oh god, she felt sick.
She fell to her knees, panting and dry heaving as she tried to make sense of the two drastically different scenes that had just played out. There was something so achingly familiar about that man… she shivered, despite the warm temperature in the room, and curled into a ball on the floor. If that had indeed been her… was it past? Future? Something else entirely? She wasn't sure if she even wanted to know.
Usagi sat in her room, poring over various summaries of who the Black Moon Clan was and what they wanted that Luna, Ami and Artemis had compiled. The words were all starting to blur together, and she groaned. She wanted to have a chance to talk to Chibiusa about it, but she was spending the night at Mamoru's again.
Much as Usagi hated to admit it, it made her jealous.
It was silly and childish, but she was jealous. She was jealous that Mamoru loved Chibiusa when he didn't love her, and she was jealous that Chibiusa was always spending so much time with Mamoru. It made her feel inadequate.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she looked down at the reports again, and groaned. She was so sick of this. She was sick of the fighting and the strategizing and the worrying and the nearly dying… she was sick of all of it.
Glancing at the clock on her end table, a thought occurred to her. Everyone had been working so hard lately, and they deserved a break. It was only mid-afternoon, there was still time before the shops closed. Perhaps a brief shopping expedition, something to take her mind off all the stress, would perk her up. And she was sure that the other Senshi could use a reprieve as well.
Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialed Minako's number. It rang for a few seconds, and then a moment later she picked up.
"Hey, Usagi!" Minako said. "What's up?"
"I need a break," she said. "I am tired and stressed out, and everything is driving me crazy. I desperately need a little pick me up, so I was hoping we could all go for some retail therapy and blow off some steam."
"You know what?" Minako said. "That sounds like a fantastic idea. We all could use a break. Should we meet at the mall in fifteen minutes?"
"Perfect."
After she hung up, Usagi dialed Rei next.
"Rei!" she said when the girl picked up the phone. "We're all going out for a quick shopping trip to relieve some stress. Can you join?"
"Sorry, Usagi," Rei said. "I'm… I'm not feeling well. I don't think I'll be able to go."
"Oh no!" Usagi exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I've just come down with a cold or something."
Usagi frowned. Something didn't sound right with Rei. But she knew better than to press the issue, if something was going on, Rei would reveal it when she felt ready.
"Okay. Well, I hope you feel better!"
"Thanks," Rei said, her voice sounding distant and detached.
Usagi pursed her lips as Rei hung up. Clearly something was going on, but what? Shaking her head, she refocused. Worrying about Rei would get her nowhere.
A little over an hour later, Minako sighed contentedly. She'd been glad when Usagi had called her up to suggest this, she hadn't realized how stressed she'd been lately. She dreamt of Kunzite almost every night. Sometimes it was past memories returning, other times it just seemed like a simple dream. But he was always there.
And then with the Black Moon Clan, and learning who the new Senshi really were… it was all giving her a headache. So, she was very glad to have one arm weighed down with a shopping bag and the other hand clutching an ice cream cone.
"Mm," Usagi said, savoring the last of her ice cream. "I wish our lives could be like this more often. No fighting for our lives all the time, no stress and anxiety and trauma…"
"Yeah," Makoto affirmed. "It's been pretty rough lately, hasn't it?"
"Indeed it has," Ami said. "Even I feel like taking a break from all this."
Minako smiled, and looped her arm through Ami's. "What, the great Ami Mizuno gets tired of working sometimes? Is such a thing possible?"
Ami rolled her eyes. "I'm still human, you know."
Minako was about to say something else, when a flash of silver in the distance caught her eye. Turning towards it, she saw a man with long silver-white hair. She blinked quickly, trying to get ride of the image. She had to stop hallucinating Kunzite everywhere she went; this wasn't the first time she'd 'seen' him. But this time, the image didn't go away.
"No…"she thought. "It can't be…" She silently willed him to turn around, to prove her wrong. And ever so slowly, as if he could read her thoughts, he did turn around. And Minako fell to her knees.
"No no no no no," she muttered, her hands tugging at her hair as she vehemently shook her head. "It can't be it can't be it can't be, it's not possible, this is just a dream, it can't be…" she spoke the words like a mantra.
"Minako?" Usagi asked, her voice full of alarm. "Are you okay? What's going on?" She dropped to her knees in front of Minako and shook her shoulder gently, but Minako was hardly aware of it.
In the distance, the silver-haired man was still looking directly at her, and she felt like screaming. Maybe she was screaming, she wasn't really sure anymore. She couldn't think, couldn't function, couldn't do anything except stare at him in horror. Because it was impossible. Kunzite couldn't be back, he couldn't be alive. She had killed him! And yet, there he was, standing ten feet away from her.
AN: Sorry, I keep ending these chapters on cliffhangers. I'm not doing it on purpose! Anyways, please review to let me know what you think! :)