Hello! Sorry this chapter has taken such a long time! It's been hard to find time to write in between Year 12, my other story and a really bad case of writer's block on this story. Plus I also went ahead and wrote a rough idea for what will happen in the final chapter of this story. I can't wait until we reach the final chapter. Oooh, I'm so excited! Anyway, I hope you like chapter 10!
Oh, and I've created a fan page on Facebook for this story. The link is on my profile if you want to have a look!
Disclaimer:
Mamoru: Hey, Usako, did you hear that there are people out there claiming to own Sailor Moon?
Usagi: What?!? No fair!!! WAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
Mamoru: Hey, it's OK, Usako. There aren't many of those dishonest people out there. Most people are honest, and they'll freely admit that they don't own Sailor Moon.
Usagi: R-really? Like who?
Sparrowflyaway: Like me, Usagi-chan. I know I don't own Sailor Moon, and I'm not about to tell anyone otherwise.
Usagi: Chrissy-chan! Thank goodness I've got friends like you.
Sparrowflyaway: It's nothing, Usagi-chan. Don't worry about it. Anyone who's dishonest and says that they do own Sailor Moon is probably gonna get sued anyway.
"See you later, Sailor Moon. We'd better get going," said Mars, seizing Sailor Sun's shoulders and leading her away. Sailor Sun glanced back as they turned a corner, wanting to talk to Sailor Orion about her memory of the new Senshi.
"Yeah, I'd better go too. I can't be late for cram school again," Mercury said, smiling at Orion and leaving.
"Hey, Venus, isn't that new guy at the arcade so cute?" Jupiter asked. Venus' eyes widened.
"I had no idea that there was a new guy at the arcade! Come on, let's go meet him!" Venus said. Jupiter seized Venus' hand and they ran away towards the arcade.
"Come on, Sora, let's get you home," Sailor Moon said, putting her arm around the newest senshi's shoulders.
"Sailor Moon? One question: how do you know my name?" Sora asked, her silver-and-white fuku fading back into her normal clothes. Sailor Moon smiled and stepped back, then let her senshi fuku fade. Sora stared in wonder at her.
"U... Usagi?" Sora whispered. Usagi smiled and nodded. Sora gaped at Usagi for a moment, before grinning and hugging her.
"This is so exciting! I actually live near my favourite superhero!" Sora sighed happily.
"Yeah, and what's more, you're a Sailor Senshi too," Usagi said, smiling.
"Oh, yeah! I forgot!" Sora exclaimed, smiling and touching the transformation pen in her pocket. The two girls set off down the road, and had gotten about half a block away from the mall when Sora yelled,
"I can't believe I'm a Senshi!"
"Shhh, not so loud! Don't shout it out to everyone, Sora. You never know who's listening. The Negaverse could find out who you are and come after you," Usagi whispered, glancing around.
"Oh, sorry!" Sora whispered, looking around as if she expected someone from the Negaverse to pop out and attack them. A few metres away, on top of a building, Zoisite listened to Sora's joyous cry, and smiled as she thought how this little girl would be useful for her plan. She chuckled quietly and disappeared in a whirl of black petals. Meanwhile, Usagi and Sora were walking down the street smiling happily as they quietly discussed the day's events, when Usagi somehow managed to trip over a snail and fell, knocking over a tall, black-haired man wearing a green jacket.
"Oh, sorry! I- Mamoru? How come you always show up around me!?" Usagi asked, scrambling to her feet. Mamoru Chiba got to his feet and brushed a little dirt off of his jacket, before looking at the klutzy blonde before him.
"Speak for yourself, Odango. Are you stalking me because I'm so handsome?" he asked, pretending to pose like a weightlifter. Usagi poked her tongue out at him and pushed him into a mud puddle.
"In your dreams, jerk! And stop calling me Odango Atama," She said, before seizing Sora's hand. "Come on, Sora, let's go. This jerk isn't worth my time anymore," Usagi said, glancing over her shoulder as she led Sora away.
"Well, here we are, Sora. Be careful what you do, you could get into trouble," Usagi said, smiling down at the younger girl. Sora looked up at Usagi and smiled.
"Oh, don't worry about me. If anyone tries to hurt me, I'll just... well, promise you won't get freaked out like everyone else I've shown my secret to?" Sora asked, looking at Usagi. Usagi looked at Sora curiously, but nodded. Sora smiled and narrowed her eyes a little, and Usagi gasped as her long hair began to fly about, forming a love heart, a crescent moon and then a pair of rabbit ears above her head. Sora relaxed, and Usagi's hair flopped down into her face. Usagi brushed her hair out of her eyes, staring at Sora in amazement.
"I... I've been able to control things with my mind since I was about two, according to my dad. And it's not just big things, I can control water and sand and things like that too," Sora said shyly, examining Usagi's expression for some sign that the older girl was about to run off. Usagi shook her head in amazement.
"Wow, Sora, that's amazing! Could you teach me how to do that?" Usagi asked excitedly.
"You... You're not freaked out?" Sora asked. Usagi shook her head.
"No way! That's an awesome power! My friend Rei-chan can read fire and destroy evil spirits with a piece of paper, but even she can't do something as incredible as that!" Usagi said. Sora stared at Usagi for a moment, before smiling with relief.
"Sora, there you are! I was beginning to get worried about you," a voice said, and the two girls looked up to see Mr Arian standing at the front door.
"Oh, hi, Daddy. Sorry to make you worry, Usagi and I were just getting to know each other," Sora said, smiling at her father. Mr Arian came out of the house and shook hands with Usagi.
"Well, I must say that I'm glad Sora has made a friend already," Mr Arian said. Sora smiled up at Usagi, her eyes sparkling with excitement because of just who her new friend was.
"It's my pleasure, sir. Sora is an amazing girl, and I'm very pleased to meet her," Usagi said. Sora turned bright red at hearing her hero say these things.
"Well, it's lovely to meet you, Usagi," Mr Arian said.
"Bye, Usagi-chan! See you tomorrow!" Sora called excitedly, waving as Usagi ran across the road and up her footpath. She turned at the front door and waved back, before opening the door and going inside. She had some big news to tell Luna.
"Usagi, is that you?" Kenji Tsukino called from the loungeroom.
"Yes, Dad, it's me," Usagi said, peeking into the loungeroom where her father was seated in front of the television.
"I hope you weren't out with any boys," Kenji said sternly.
"No, Daddy, I was just getting to know the new girl across the road," Usagi said.
"Did you say there's a new girl across the road?" Ikuko Tsukino asked, poking her head out of the kitchen.
"Yes, Mum, a new girl called Sora and her father moved into the house across the road this morning," Usagi said. Ikuko nodded.
"Well, we must take them a casserole or something to welcome them," she said, before retreating into the kitchen to make something for their new neighbours. Usagi smiled and went up to her bedroom, where Luna was sitting on the windowsill watching Sora's house.
"Luna-" Usagi began, before Luna cut her off.
"I still can't pick why that girl is so familiar," Luna said.
"Luna, I-" Usagi tried again.
"Is she a Negaverse spy, or maybe a General?" Luna asked herself, still watching Sora's house.
"Luna, she's-"
"USAGI, WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP DISTURBING ME?!? I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHY THIS GIRL IS SO FAMILIAR, AND I CAN'T DO THAT IF YOU KEEP INTERRUPTING MY THOUGHTS!!!!" Luna yelled, turning away from the window to glare at Usagi. The two stared at each other for a moment, then Luna turned away angrily and stared out the window again. Usagi shrugged and turned to leave.
"OK, if you don't want me to tell you why Sora seems so familiar to you, that's fine by me," Usagi said, before leaving the room and closing the door. Luna looked thunderstruck, her anger instantly vanishing. She jumped off the windowsill and opened the door to find Usagi sitting on the top step, reading a comic book.
"Why is she familiar, Usagi?" Luna asked. Usagi ignored her and continued to read her comic. Luna sighed.
"Look, Usagi-chan, I'm sorry for yelling at you. Please, why do you think that she looks familiar?" Luna asked quietly. Usagi looked up from her comic book, then got up and walked back into her bedroom, Luna following at her heels. Usagi shut the door and sat down on her bed.
"Why does she look familiar, Luna? Well, maybe it's because she's Sailor Orion," Usagi said. Luna gaped at Usagi.
"Are you telling me that this girl is a Senshi?" Luna whispered, racking her brains for any memories of the girl. Usagi nodded.
"Yeah, she threw herself in front of a youma attack that was coming for me and she fainted, and then..." Usagi said, continuing to tell everything that had happened up until she had walked into her bedroom. Luna frowned as Usagi described the events at the mall.
"Sailor Orion... I don't really remember her... Although I can vaguely recall Aphrodite mentioning her at some stage. I think... she was a friend of Amaterasu, the Sun Princess," Luna said slowly.
"Well, at least we know the location of that last Senshi from Mel-chan's dream," Usagi said, smiling. Luna nodded slowly.
"We should probably give Mel-chan and Sora-chan communicators, shouldn't we?" Usagi asked. Luna looked at her for a moment, before nodding. She did two backflips, then looked at the two communicators that had fallen onto the bed.
"They've got more buttons that ours do, Luna," Usagi said, picking up one of the communicators and examining the gold and silver buttons on it, before slipping it into her pocket. Luna nodded, then did five more backflips.
"We'd better get these new communicators out to everyone," she said. Usagi scooped up the six communicators that were lying on the bed and dumped them into her bag, before getting up and walking out the door.
"Usagi, I think I'll take one of those communicators over to Sora, while you go give everyone else their new ones. OK?" Luna asked when Usagi had shut the front door behind them. Usagi nodded and handed one of the communicators over, before running down the road. Luna walked across the road and found Sora in the front yard. Luna crept behind a hedge and watched as Sora made some garden gnomes walk around the yard.
"Hi guys!" Usagi called to her friends, who were all sitting on the temple steps, talking.
"Hey, Usagi-chan, what's up?" Melina asked. Usagi pulled out the communicators.
"Luna sent me. She asked me to give you each a new communicator, seeing as our old ones don't have buttons for Mel-chan and Sora-chan," Usagi replied, passing one of the communicators to Rei. Rei examined the gold button and smiled at Melina.
"Good idea. I was worried we'd have to worry about using ordinary phones to contact each other. Our phone bills would go through the roof!" Minako said.
"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure that those sorts of phone calls are traceable," Ami said, taking her new communicator. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her old one, which she passed to Usagi. Rei, Makoto and Minako each did the same. Usagi slipped the four old communicators into her bag, then passed the last new communicator to Melina. Melina took it shyly, smiling as she looked at the gold button.
"Thanks, Usagi-chan," Melina said. Usagi nodded.
"What about the new girl? Sora?" Makoto asked.
"Don't worry about that, Mako-chan. Luna's going to give one to her," Usagi said.
"Do you know where she lives, Usagi-chan? I want to visit her," Melina asked.
"Me too," Sunshine said. Usagi smiled.
"Yeah, she lives right across the road from me. You know where I live, don't you?" Usagi asked.
"I think so. See you later, guys," Melina said. Rei watched as Melina and Sunshine ran down the path, then turned to the others.
"I've been seeing some pretty strange things in the fire lately, guys. I'm worried. I think... I'm not sure, but I think our Princess may be in danger," Rei said.
"Are you sure, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked. Rei nodded.
"That certainly isn't welcome news," Ami commented.
"Any ideas as to when or where our Princess might appear?" Makoto asked.
"Not really. All I can actually decipher is a really dark room, a black shard of crystal flying through the air, and... well, someone who looks a lot like a princess kneeling beside... Beside Tuxedo Mask," Rei said.
"Tuxedo Mask?!? Did... did something happen to him?" Usagi asked, her eyes growing wider every second.
"I'm not sure. I couldn't tell," Rei replied.
"Well, I think Luna would tell us to keep our eyes and ears open for anything suspicious. And we probably need to keep an eye on Tuxedo Mask too, as he seems to be rather more important than we thought," Ami said. The girls nodded.
"Rei-chan..." Usagi began, staring off into the distance with a worried expression on her face.
"Usagi-chan, I want you to be careful. I know you like Tuxedo Mask, but you could be in danger if you're near him. You could get hurt, so just... be careful, OK?" Rei said. Usagi sighed and nodded. Tuxedo Mask, she thought, where are you? Are you alright? She sighed again and headed home.
Hmmm, this girl is rather strange, Luna thought as she watched the garden gnomes dancing across the lawn. I can definitely sense her Senshi powers, though. Luna glanced around and realised that she and Sora were alone. She smiled and hid the communicator under the bushes, then stepped out into the open.
"Hello, Sora," Luna said. Sora span around at the sound of Luna's voice.
"Who said that?" Sora asked, looking around.
"I did, Sora. It's very nice to meet you. I'm Luna. I must say, you're very brave, jumping in front of the youma's attack like you did. I was surprised to hear that you're a Senshi," Luna said, smiling. Sora stared at Luna for a second, then yelped in surprise as one of her gnomes danced over and collided with her. She sent the gnomes back to their positions around the garden and then turned to Luna, who smiled at her.
"That's a very interesting power you have, Sora," Luna said. Sora nodded slowly.
"It scares a lot of people away, though," she said.
"Well, it's rather a strange power, but it's not really scary. I only came over to say hello today, and to give you a present," Luna said, before going back to the bushes and retrieving the communicator. She dropped it into Sora's lap, and Sora picked it up and examined it eagerly.
"That's your very own communicator, Sora. You can use it to contact the others," Luna said.
"Oh, gee, wow! Thanks!" Sora exclaimed. She smiled at the silver button, then decided to test out one of the other buttons. She pressed the gold button and watched as the screen lit up with static, then cleared to show an image of Melina.
"Sora? What's up?" Melina asked.
"Nothing much, I was just testing my communicator," Sora replied.
"Oh. Well, since we're here, w-would you like to... you know... hang out?" Melina asked timidly.
"Sure! Let's meet at the Temple, OK?" Sora asked.
"OK. Sunshine and I just left there, but we're not that far away. We were actually coming to visit you. W-we'll head back to the Temple and wait for you," Melina said, before the screen went blank. Sora smiled at Luna, then pulled on her rollerskates.
"Dad, I'm just going for a walk to meet one of my new friends, OK?" Sora called.
"OK, honey. But don't be too long, it'll get dark in a few hours," Mr Arian called back.
"I won't," Sora replied, before skating off down the street.
"Hi, Melina, thanks for waiting!" Sora called, skating to a stop at the bottom of the Temple steps. Melina and Sunshine hurried down the steps and sat down to talk.
"It's nice to see you again, Sora," Sunshine said. Sora's eyebrows went up, but she appeared otherwise unsurprised that Sunshine could talk.
"You're like Luna," she said, smiling. Sunshine nodded.
"Sora, wh-when we first... Did... Did you get any... v-visions?" Melina asked. Sora smiled a little and sat down next to Melina.
"Yeah, I did. I saw two people who looked a lot like us, and a cat that looked a lot like Sunshine. Why?" Sora asked.
"Both Melina and I saw that too. But they weren't visions, Melina. They were memories," Sunshine said curtly. Melina and Sora gasped and looked at each other, then back at Sunshine.
"W-what do you mean, Sunshine? H-how can they be memories?" Melina asked, wide-eyed.
"Melina, Sora, you two are the reincarnations of two of the Princesses of the Silver Millennium. Melina, when I first awoke I had my suspicions, but when your Senshi powers awoke, I knew I was right. In the Silver Millennium, you were Princess Amaretasu of the Sun Kingdom. Sora, you were Princess Aurora of the Constellation Orion. You two were also cousins and best friends," Sunshine said. Melina and Sora stared at her, thunderstruck.
"We're Princesses?" Melina gasped. Sunshine nodded.
"Are the others Princesses too?" Melina asked.
"I know that Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Venus are, but Luna, Artemis and I aren't sure about Sailor Moon. See, there wasn't actually a Sailor Moon back in the Silver Millennium. We are looking for the Moon Princess, though. That's our mission as Senshi and Guardians," Sunshine said.
It wouldn't surprise me if Sailor Moon was the Moon Princess, Melina thought. That would kinda make sense, since I'm the Sun Princess and Sailor Sun.
"Well, sheesh, I always knew I was different, but a Princess? That's just..." Sora trailed off, looking for the right words.
"Out-of-this-world?" Melina said, before bursting into giggles. Sora and Sunshine smiled.
"Yeah, I guess it is. Man, it's so weird that I'm a Senshi," Sora said.
"So, I was right about you, girl. You are one of those bratty Senshi who keep getting in my way," a voice said. The three looked up to see Zoisite floating in the air.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Melina asked, getting to her feet and stepping in front of Sora.
"You stay out of this, girl, this does not concern you," Zoisite sneered.
"If it's got something to do with my friend, then it does concern me," Melina spat back. Sunshine glanced at Melina warily, as her breathing was becoming shallow again.
"Ooh, you're a bold one, girl. Well, suit yourself. If I can't take your friend by herself, then I'll just have to take you with her," Zoisite said, before waving her hand. A flurry of black rose petals filled the air, and Zoisite disappeared, taking the two girls with her.
"Melina!" Sunshine yelled, horrified. She thought quickly about what to do, then turned and ran up the Temple steps.
"Rei! Rei!" she called, running towards the Temple. As she approached, the sliding door was flung open and the Fire Senshi rushed out.
"Sunshine! I'm too late, aren't I," Mars said. Sunshine nodded sadly. Mars whipped out her communicator and pressed the gold and silver buttons, but got only static.
"Darn! Where are they?" she said, before punching the buttons for the other four Senshi.
"Guys, we've got a major problem! Zoisite just kidnapped Melina and Sora!" Mars said.
"What?!? How? And why?" Usagi asked. Sunshine jumped up onto Mars' shoulder.
"Just now, Melina and Sora were talking, and that woman appeared and talked to the girls, then she and the girls all disappeared in a cloud of black rose petals. As for why, well, it's probably because she knows that Sora's a Senshi!" Sunshine said. The other Senshi looked shocked.
"Where'd they go, Sunshine?" Minako asked.
"I don't know. If I did, I'd be on my way there now," Sunshine said.
"We'd better go and look for them," Luna said from her position on Usagi's shoulder. The other girls nodded, then Mars' communicator screen went blank.
"C'mon, Sunshine, let's go find her," Mars said, putting her communicator back into her pocket. Sunshine nodded, then the two of them ran down the Temple steps and up the street.
Mamoru threw his mud-caked jeans into the washing basket and stepped onto his balcony, taking a deep breath of the oncoming night air. He slipped his hands into his jacket pockets, his fingers brushing against the two crystals.
"Hello again, Tuxedo Mask," a voice said. Mamoru looked up to see Zoisite floating in the air beyond his balcony.
"What do you want, Zoisite?" Mamoru asked.
"I came to strike a deal with you. You fight me, and the winner gets to keep all the Rainbow Crystals. What do you say?" Zoisite said slyly. She smiled when a flicker of interest appeared in Mamoru's eyes. "Oh, and I'll even throw in these two lovely girls as well," she continued, clicking her fingers. There was a flurry of black rose petals on either side of her, and then two cages of black crystal appeared and floated in the air. Inside the cages were the crumpled forms of Melina and Sora, eyes closed. Both girls had a large, bleeding lump on their heads, and Melina's breathing was still very shallow. Zoisite snickered at the look of horror on Mamoru's face.
"Why are you bringing normal humans into this?" Mamoru asked.
"Oh, but they're not normal humans, you see. Well, at least, one of them's not. That girl with the silver-blonde hair is one of the Senshi," Zoisite said.
"And what about the other one? Are you saying you brought her into this for no reason?"
"Oh no. She attempted to stop me from taking her friend here, so I brought her along too. Now what do you say? Will you fight me for these girls and my crystals?" Zoisite asked. Mamoru frowned, then nodded. Zoisite grinned. "Excellent! I shall be waiting for you at the Star Light Tower, then. See you soon," she said, before she and her two prisoners disappeared in another flurry of black rose petals. Mamoru frowned, then walked back inside, grabbed his green jacket and hurried out into the darkening night.
"Melina! Sora! Where are you, guys?" Usagi called, looking around.
"They don't seem to be here," Luna said, jumping down from Usagi's shoulder. Usagi frowned and nodded, then whirled around as she heard someone approaching, panting hard. To her surprise, she found Mamoru running towards her.
"Mamoru? What's wrong?" Usagi asked as Mamoru ran past her.
"Never mind, Odango. I've just got something I have to do. See you later!" Mamoru called, waving.
"Something's definitely up with Mamoru. I'm gonna follow him," Usagi said.
"Shouldn't you be looking for Melina and Sora?" Luna asked.
"Maybe he knows something about them. It won't take long, Luna. You keep looking around here. I'll be right back," Usagi said, before setting off after the black-haired man. Luna sighed, then continued to search for Melina and Sora.
"Mamoru, wait up! You're bleeding!" Usagi called, noticing the red-black patch spreading across the shoulder of Mamoru's green jacket. Mamoru stopped running and pulled off his green jacket, examining the patch of blood for a moment. Usagi stopped at his side and gently touched the shoulder, causing Mamoru to flinch away in pain.
"Mamoru, what happened?" Usagi asked.
"Never mind, Odango. Just go home," Mamoru said, pulling his jacket back on and continuing his journey, this time at a walking pace. Usagi ignored his order and followed him up the path to the Star Light Tower.
"This place gives me the creeps," Usagi said, looking up at the tower.
"Usagi, what are you doing? I said, 'Go home'," Mamoru said, turning to look at the blonde. As he did so, they were surrounded by sparkling red energy. The energy formed a red sphere around them, which carried them into the tower.
Sora opened her eyes and sat up slowly, looking around at the crystal cage that she was in. She looked to her right and found another cage beside hers, this one containing Melina.
"Melina! Melina, come on, wake up!" Sora yelled, rushing over to the side of her cage, ignoring the throbbing in her head. "Come on, Melina! You've gotta wake up!" Sora called, pulling at the crystal bars on her cage.
"It's no use trying to escape, little Senshi. You're not going to get out of that cage any time soon," a voice said, and Sora looked out of the cage to see Zoisite float down from the ceiling. "Besides," Zoisite added, "you and your little friend are two of my bargaining chips."
"What do you mean?" Sora asked, glaring at the General.
"Oh, I've got a little tiff with Tuxedo Mask, you see, and he's got something I want. So I'm leading him here to fight him," Zoisite said, before turning her back on Sora. Sora glared at Zoisite, then turned back to Melina and continued to try and rouse her.
"Ah, here's my guest at last. Oh, look, he's brought a little friend with him," Zoisite said. Sora watched as a glowing red sphere floated up through the floor and dissolved to reveal Mamoru standing in front of an unconscious Usagi.
"Usagi-chan! Oh, no, Usagi-chan! Wake up!" Sora screamed. Usagi groaned and stirred, but did not wake.
"Be quiet, girl. I'm glad to see you decided to show up, Mamoru. Here you are: my five rainbow crystals. You put your two with mine, and then we'll duel for all seven," Zoisite said, placing her five rainbow crystals in a pile in the middle of the room. Mamoru hesitated for a moment before placing his two rainbow crystals with Zoisite's. When Zoisite began to laugh, Sora knew that the female General had tricked Mamoru, and quickly focused on the crystals, which rose into the air and dodged around the flickering figure of Kunzite, who was materialising at that moment. Sora put her hand through the bars and caught the seven crystals, then slipped them into her pockets.
"Since you're competing for me too, I think I'll hold onto these until the winner is decided," Sora said, glaring through the bars at Zoisite. The female General shrugged.
"If you must," Zoisite said, turning back to face Mamoru, who had at that moment thrown a rose at her. The sharp flower flew through the air and sliced Zoisite's cheek. Zoisite shrieked, then glared at Mamoru.
"Ooh, you're going to pay for that! I think we'll have our duel up on the roof now. Meet me there in two minutes, or I'll just have to assume you're not interested in getting the crystals and these girls back. See you there," Zoisite said, as she, Kunzite and the two crystal cages disappeared in a whirl of black rose petals. Usagi groaned and sat up, staring around the room.
"Mamoru? What happened? Where are we?" she asked as Mamoru helped her to her feet.
"Oh, and Mamoru, I hope that you and your little friend there can run fast," Zoisite's teasing voice echoed around them. The pair gasped as the room began to get freezing cold, huge icicles forming on the ceiling as they watched. The icicles shook, then began falling towards the two.
"Never mind what happened, run!" Mamoru shouted, seizing Usagi's wrist and running towards an elevator on the far side of the room.
"Mamoru, you're not supposed to use the elevator in an emergency!" Usagi protested.
"Just shut up and get in!" Mamoru said, pushing her in and diving after her. The doors slammed shut behind them, then vanished, trapping then inside the gleaming metal box.
"What the... What's going on?" Usagi shrieked as the elevator began to move upwards. She threw herself at the wall where the doors used to be and began pounding on it.
"I don't know what Zoisite is trying to pull, but I guess there's not much to do except wait and see," Mamoru said. Usagi turned away from the wall and looked at Mamoru.
"Mamoru... Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"Why are you after the Crystals that Zoi- that that woman had?" Mamoru looked at Usagi for a moment, before replying,
"I want to know who I am."
"Huh?" Usagi looked confused.
"See, when I was little, my parents were killed in a car crash. I was in the crash too, and the crash gave me amnesia. Completely wiped my memory away. I don't even know if my real name is Mamoru. None of that really bothered me that much until recently, though. I've started having this same dream all the time, about a princess who wants me to find the Imperium Silver Crystal. I think - well, at least, I hope - that she can tell me who I am."
"Gee, that's so sad. Thanks for telling me, though, Mamoru. I think you're really brave, hanging on the way you have."
"Not really. It's just the way it has to be, otherwise things would get too out of control," Mamoru shrugged, before the two fell back into silence.
Outside, Mars and Sunshine ran past the Star Light Tower and felt a huge amount of negative energy coming from it.
"That's gotta be them!" Mars said, running over to the door. She pulled hard, but the door didn't budge. Mars stepped back and pulled out her communicator. She pressed the pink button, but found only static. Frowning, she pressed the green, blue and orange buttons. "Guys, we think we've found 'em! There's a load of negative energy coming from the Star Light Tower, but there's no way in! Get here as quick as you can, OK?"
"We're on our way!" the girls said. Mars nodded and put her communicator away, then set about examining the seal on the door.
"Luna! What are you doing here? Where's Usagi-chan?" Minako asked, running into Luna as she and Artemis headed for the Star Light Tower.
"Usagi-chan decided to follow a boy named Mamoru. She said something seemed wrong, and she thought that he may know something about Melina and Sora. She also said she'd be right back, but I haven't seen her since," Luna said. Minako frowned and pulled out her communicator, but, like Rei, got only static when she pressed the pink button.
"Something's fishy about this. But since we have no idea where Usagi could be, I think we should follow our lead for now and investigate the Star Light Tower," Minako said, slipping her communicator back into her pocket.
"I think you're right. Let's go," Luna said. Minako nodded and pulled out her transformation pen.
"Venus Power!" Seconds later, Sailor Venus stepped out of her orange bubble, posed, then ran down the street with Luna and Artemis right behind.
"Where are they?" Mars wondered, pacing back and forth in front of the doors. Sunshine was sitting not far away, staring up at the Tower and worrying about Melina. Her breathing was getting really shallow, Sunshine thought. Oh, I hope that spirit doesn't take control of her again! Just then the other five appeared.
"You're here! Thank goodness. I don't see any way in there, you guys," Mars said.
"I'll do a scan," Mercury said, pressing her earring and causing her blue goggles to appear over her eyes. She looked up at the tower, her goggles showing her the elevator with Mamoru and Usagi inside.
"Usagi-chan's in there! She's trapped in an elevator with Mamoru!" Mercury gasped.
"Guess that explains why I couldn't get her on the communicator," Mars said.
"You couldn't?" Jupiter asked. Mars shook her head.
"All I got was static."
"I tried to contact her too, but I got the same thing," Venus said.
"We need to get them out of there," Mars said.
"I don't think we can. Everything is sealed," Mercury said, using her goggles to scan each of the doors.
"I'll handle this. Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter yelled, sending a huge bolt of lightning flying through the air. When the smoke cleared, the girls could see that Jupiter had blown the door off it's hinges. "Well that was easy. Let's get in there!" The others nodded, and then the four senshi and the three cats ran inside.
"Time for phase two," Kunzite said, staring out at the city. "Soon, the Negaverse will rule everything." His eyes glowed blue, and the city's electricity went out. Black energy began to fly out of the city and into the Tower, which became surrounded by a cyclone.
***
"What's going on?!?" Venus gasped as the building began to warp around them.
"This is getting ugly," Artemis mused.
***
Outside, the cyclone disappeared to reveal that the Tower had warped, and was now clearly identifiable (to a Senshi) as a Negaverse base.
"Oh, what's happening? We're stopping... Now what do we do?" Usagi asked as the lift ground to a halt.
***
"Hmm... So you're still here, Mamoru. Well, I guess I can fix that," Zoisite said, turning away from the two cages and walking towards the elevator shaft.
"Get back here, you witch! Leave my friends alone!" Sora yelled.
"Let's see if you can handle the heat," Zoisite said, ignoring Sora and creating a fireball, which she sent spiralling down towards the elevator shaft.
"Usagi-chan! No!" Sora wailed.
***
"Oh, no! Fire!" Usagi said, pointing up at the fireball. Oh, no, what'll I do? Usagi thought. I know I can take care of this as Sailor Moon, but Mamoru will find out! Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice...
"I'll protect you, Usagi," Mamoru said.
"Don't you worry about me, Mamoru. I can take care of myself just fine. Moon Prism Power!" Usagi shouted, before being enveloped in her sphere of pink light. Sailor Moon stepped out of the sphere and glared up at the approaching fireball, ignoring the shock on Mamoru's face.
***
Zoisite stepped back and watched as fire rushed back up the shaft in an explosion of heat and smoke. She scoffed and turned away.
"What a pity. And here I was hoping for some sort of resistance," she said.
"You want resistance, Nega-trash? You got it!" a voice called. Zoisite turned to see two shadowy figures hidden behind the smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing Sailor Moon standing in front of Mamoru. "I am Sailor Moon! Defender of the innocent! And that's definitely NOT you!" Sailor Moon said.
"Sailor Moon! You came!" Sora called, delighted.
"Sora! Melina! So there you are! We've been looking all over for you!" Sailor Moon said. Zoisite chuckled.
"Sailor Moon, what a surprise, not. You're always showing up just when I don't want you. Well, guess what, Moon girl, I'm not after you today. I'm after your friend, Tuxedo Mask," Zoisite said.
"Tuxedo Mask? Why bring him into it? He's not even here!" Sailor Moon said.
"Don't tell me you're really that naïve, Moon girl. Mamoru here is Tuxedo Mask!" Zoisite said. Sailor Moon scoffed.
"What are you, thick or something? Mamoru's not Tuxedo Mask, they're completely different!"
"You sure about that, Sailor Moon? I am Tuxedo Mask!" Mamoru said, stepping to her side and pulling out a red rose. The rose glowed, and a tuxedo, a mask, gloves and a top hat materialised in place of Mamoru's trousers and tacky green, blood-stained jacket. Whoa... Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask! Sailor Moon thought. Man, this is just weird!
"Get your friends and get out of here, Sailor Moon! This doesn't concern you," Tuxedo Mask said, looking at her.
"What, are you kidding me? Of course it concerns me!"
"Sailor Moon, I need to fight her alone."
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
"So, are you still interested in fighting for the Rainbow Crystals?" Zoisite asked.
"Duh, of course he is! Weren't you listening?" Sailor Moon asked.
"But you've got to guarantee that you'll fight fairly and that Sailor Moon won't be injured, alright?" Tuxedo Mask said, stepping towards the female General.
"Of course, Mamoru," Zoisite said, flicking her finger lightly by her side. Sora noticed a gleam behind Sailor Moon, and saw a crystal shard emerge from the floor, aimed for Tuxedo Mask.
"Look out behind you!" Sora yelled. At that moment, Melina's eyes snapped open, revealing that they were once again pitch black. She jumped to her feet and let loose a massive kick, shattering the bars easily and freeing herself. She conjured up her flute and pointed it at the crystal shard, firing a black sun shape at it and destroying it. She then turned at pointed the flute at Zoisite, who was watching her fearfully. Melina fired another black sun shape, and Zoisite disappeared to avoid it, reappearing on the other side of the room. The female General waved her hands and drew two more crystal shards from the floor, one aimed at Tuxedo Mask and the other aimed at Melina. The two crystals flew at their targets simultaneously, and Melina, still held by the evil spirit inside her, turned with lightning reflexes and destroyed the one aimed for her. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough to get the other crystal, which found it's mark in Tuxedo Mask's back. Tuxedo Mask yelled in pain and then crumpled into Sailor Moon's arms. Sailor Moon began to sob uncontrollably as she laid Tuxedo Mask on the floor.
"Sailor Moon... It's up to you to beat Zoisite..." Tuxedo Mask whispered.
"I will, don't worry," Sailor Moon whispered back.
"I've always been on your side, Usagi... I want you to know that..." Tuxedo Mask whispered, his eyes sinking.
"MAMORU!!! NOOOOO!!!!!" Sailor Moon wailed. Just then, the other Senshi rushed into the room and gasped at the situation. Sunshine immediately rushed over to Melina and began attempting to rouse her.
"Melina! Melina, can you hear me? Snap out of it!" Sunshine said, pushing against the girl's leg without response. The others were frozen in place, their attention focused on Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask.
"Mamoru, come back! Please..." Sailor Moon said, cradling Tuxedo Mask's body, her tears falling lightly onto Tuxedo Mask's face. One of her falling tears became suspended in midair and began to glow.
"What's going on?" Sora gasped. She felt something moving in her pockets, and looked down in time to see the Rainbow Crystals fly out of her pockets and over to Sailor Moon. Everyone watched as the seven Crystals merged with Sailor Moon's tear, forming the Imperium Silver Crystal. The crystal glowed, and Sailor Moon's Crescent Moon Wand appeared. The crystal floated over and joined onto the Wand, then began to glow with an intense white light. The light washed over Melina, rapidly changing her eyes from black to blue and her clothes to a long white, gold-flecked dress. The light also changed Sailor Moon's fuku into a long white princess dress, and destroyed the cage that Sora was trapped in.
"Princess Serenity! Princess Amaterasu! We've found them both!" Luna gasped.
"Yeah, and who'd have thought that Usagi would be the Moon Princess!" Mars said.
"I did," Amaterasu said, smiling. Serenity stood and took the Crescent Moon wand gently from the air.
"I'm... The Moon Princess?" Serenity asked, dazed.
"At last, we've found you, Princess Serenity," Luna said, smiling.