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S"Luna!"
The shout of the black Lunar feline's name instantly prompted Michiru to turn around from talking to the still angry Senshi of Saturn. Almost instantly, the aquamarine-haired woman spotted the two Lunar advisors just as the dark-haired woman bearing the golden crescent of the Lunar kingdom crumpled like paper out of nowhere.
Haruka had also taken notice, her sandy blonde girlfriend instantly darting over and catching the collapsed woman just moments before Luna's unconscious form hit the ground with a hard smack. Gently rearranging her, the racer muttered something along the lines of 'is this is ultimate fainting week or what?' with a heavily sarcastic undertone, picking the woman up bridal style as she headed inside again, this time with Artemis in tow, worriedly looking over his beloved.
"Artemis, Luna," Michiru addressed, worry clear in her eyes as she made way to let Haruka lay Luna down on the sofa. "You two look a mess. What happened?"
Setsuns strode up after shutting the door. "They left the Guardian Senshi after what happened and then got assaulted by the chimaeras," the darker-skinned woman reported grimly. "This is very bad news. The enemies we've previously faced have never, never, attacked the advisors before. They know that Artemis and Luna are connected to us. They'll use them as our weakness." Her garnet eyes were dark and serious as the Guardian of the Gates spoke.
Haruka uttered a rough curse and ran a hand through her tousled hair as she leant against the wall of the room, right next to Saturn, who was stoic and silent throughout the exchange.
The sable-haired girl crouched down next to Luna and her hands started glowing with faint power. Passing her hands over the smaller wounds and injuries, she healed the feline up as best as she was permitted to, then stepped back to allow her some room to breathe. Her brow furrowed, and without her noticing, the golden crescent moon of the Lunar Kingdom appeared on her brow, gleaming brightly before it retreated. "Councilor Artemis," Saturn finally said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Your injuries, please."
The white-haired man shook his head, standing close to the unconscious woman. "I'm not leaving Luna," he said firmly, blue eyes narrowed, "not even for a second."
The crescent moon symbol once more made its presence known to the others in the room, gleaming brightly on Saturn's brow as the girl frowned. Her brow creased a bit, and she winced, but nodded curtly, inclining her head slightly in acknowledgement. "If that is what you wish," she said formally. A frown marred her features, whether in thought or worry, Michiru wasn't sure.
Michiru sighed softly in frustration, running a hand through her wavy aquamarine locks, absently tugging at a strand of hair in her irritation. Uttering a few unlady-like curses on the way, the violinist sank back against the wall with a groan, muttering, "I need painkillers."
Setsuna's grimace was evident in even her voice. "I think we could all use some. Saturn especially — haven't you been talking of headaches lately?"
"Nothing I haven't yet experienced during my tenure as a Soldier for my home," the dark-haired girl replied softly, though her teeth were grit together now, strangling her voice as she spoke. Just like the previous two times, the golden crescent flared up again, but this time, Saturn reacted. Doubling over, the girl cried out in pain as she gripped her head, her hands actively shaking.
"Saturn!" Haruka shouted out, reaching out to her in concern and equal amount of worry.
Michiru watched helplessly as the youngest of the four Senshi collapsed onto the ground, shaking violently in spasms before she finally stilled, out cold on the ground. "Saturn!" she exclaimed in concern.
"Well, isn't this the ultimate fainting week?" Setsuna muttered dryly, earning her a glare from Haruka.
Where was she?
Saturn found herself in a featureless, disembodied plane of plain, sterile white. A thick, condensed fog gathered at the non-existent floor of the plane, hiding the ground from sight and leaving a distinct chill permeating through the rest of the strange, featureless realm. The sable-haired girl noted that she was dressed not in the strange 'human' clothes she had been donning just moments before she had woken up, and instead in a shapeless purple and white dress that fluttered around her as she stood.
Her long, ponytailed hair flowed back along with her dress in a strange wind that brought with it a biting pain that felt like the edge of a knife being dug into her skin, prompting her to turn her face away from the direction of the wind and shield herself against it. Her violet eyes slowly fluttered open experimentally as she shielded her face with her hands, trying to see what lay beyond the chilling wind.
Nothing. Just a field of thicker fog, where the misty substance was coming from.
A pain blossomed in her chest, just around her heart area, and the Silver Crystal suddenly formed in front of her, enveloped in a bright silver glow as the crystal bloomed into the form of a multi-faceted lotus, radiating warmth and halting the fierce wind's assault on her face. It hovered in mid-air, giving off power and comfort as it continuously blocked away the pain from the bitingly cold wind.
A voice echoed from around the sable-haired girl in the realm... or was it coming from the crystal itself?
Come on... you're running late. Come here, find me again. Please, I'm lost...
Lost. That seemed... oddly apt. It struck something within the Senshi of Saturn, and the dark-haired girl slowly walked towards the crystal, only to find it drift away from her the closer she attempted to get. Still, it remained in a constant distance and didn't get too far away. It wanted her to go somewhere, the pale girl noted to herself, and reluctantly, she gathered the long skirts of her dress and walked after it.
The Illusionary Silver Crystal continued to hover in the air, leading her along a path. It cleared the thick fog that billowed towards the girl and the crystal with the bright, illuminating light it emanated as well as the soothing warmth it let off. The wind no longer seemed to blow in her direction, mainly due to how the crystal seemed to be forming a shield against it. Finally, it stopped, and the light grew brighter, prompting the girl to shield her eyes once more.
"Hey... you're here," a voice said to her, the voice of a girl that was eerily similar to her own. It was strangely familiar, and yet hard to place.
Had she heard it somewhere before? Saturn didn't know, but it sounded too familiar to the ear for her to not find it strange. The girl lowered her arm when the light of the crystal dimmed down, wincing and blinking repeatedly to get her vision back to normal to see the scene in front of her.
A slight slip of a girl was standing in front of her, her form wispy and ghost-like. Her skin was fair, transparent in her spirit-like state, and her long blonde hair was twisted up into the familiar style of the Lunar Monarchy. Her eyes were a bright, friendly blue, and a warm smile lit up her features. She was wearing a sheer white dress that faded away into fog at the base of the gown, making it clear that she wasn't a solid being. The girl beamed at her. "Hi! It's nice to finally see you face to face."
A pale hand found its way onto her shoulder, leading to a slender girl that was a couple of years younger than the blonde, with short, dark hair that framed her face. Her features were stoic, her purple eyes carefully examining Saturn. Her sheer purple gown billowed in the same non-existent wind that Saturn and the blonde's did, and her expression displayed no visible emotion. "Yes," she murmured, voice eerily familiar in Saturn's ear. "You're here. Finally, we meet."
"Who are you?" Saturn asked bluntly, ignoring the cold wind that whispered as it blew past the two wispy spirits and past her as well. "What do you want?"
The blonde tilted her head to the side. "I am... Tsukino Usagi," she answered softly.
Tsukino. Usagi.
The two words stirred up some strange memories that hit the Senshi full-force. Images of a loving family flashed before her eyes. A hard-working father that kept the family afloat. A loving mother that pushed her children to be the best and yet cared for them when they failed. An annoying younger brother that still held onto a strong family bond and would stand up for his sister even as he teased her. And finally, the memories of a ditsy, clumsy girl surrounded by good friends that suddenly turned on her.
"I am Tomoe Hotaru," the other brunette answered in a soft voice.
Tomoe. Hotaru.
Another onslaught of memories filled her mind, images of a doting father who gave everything for his daughter, a young, dark-haired girl, bullied and shunned by her peers. A golden messiah saving her from the darkness of death. Saving the princess by giving her own life. Interchanging pain and a sense of duty as she felt herself die.
"Now... now you'll remember." Both the blonde, Usagi, and the brunette, Hotaru, echoed to her, their voices surrounding her and ricocheting in her head.
Saturn collapsed, gripping her head as the memories melded together and restructured themselves, trying to make sense of it all. The symbol of the Lunar Kingdom and the mark of Saturn made themselves known on her brow as a new understanding filled her. Her eyes opened, wide purple irises looking up at the Silver Crystal as it floated down towards her, resting in her grasp.
Where she had expected serenity suddenly sent a new wave a pain rushing through her body, coursing pain through her veins as the two marks on her brow shifted in colour, turning a blinding silver before changing form to a gleaming star, the inside of which had a faint imprint of the crescent moon and the mark of Saturn. The glow radiating from the crystal died down, but the mark remained there, and the pain slowly faded away.
Saturn lay, once more unconscious from the pain, her memories shifting inside her mind, changing and adjusting themselves.
Haruka uttered a rough curse as she sank into a chair she had dragged into the room from her own room, running a hand through her short blonde hair as she exhaled slowly. "This is becoming damned ridiculous," she grumbled. "First koneko and Hotaru, now Luna, and then Saturn again." With a grunt, she stood and clasped her hands behind her back, beginning to pace the length of the living room again, occasionally glancing into Saturn's temporary room where the dark-haired girl was lying, once more prone.
Setsuna walked into the room with Artemis, having finally convinced the white-haired feline to leave Luna for a while to get cleaned up. The dark green-haired woman gave her a glance, silently communicating 'have any of them woken yet?'
The racer shook her head in the negative.
Suddenly, a soft groan came from Saturn's direction as the girl stirred in the bed, finally making a move to sit up.
Haruka shot up from her chair and practically raced over, placing a hand on the girl's back as she eased her up. "Take it easy," the Senshi of Uranus uttered softly.
Saturn grimaced. "Thank you, Haruka-chan."
Haruka-chan. She had called her Haruka-chan.
Haruka's heart skipped a beat at the possibility that the young Senshi remembered. "Koneko?" she whispered, almost shaking.
Violet eyes gazed up at Haruka, and Saturn — was it Saturn anymore? — whispered one sentence that sent joy shooting through the woman.
"I remember."
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