Final Chapter: Dancing in the Moonlight
Sine had a twisted smile on her face as she blocked the successive blades of water thrown at her without breaking a sweat. From the other side of the hallway, Sailor Mercury attacked furiously since the moment she saw Andrus falling, surprising her comrades. It was useless, though, as the Dream Reaper would barely acknowledge the attacks. Ami halted, out of breath.
"Was it cathartic enough for you, pretty girl?" Sine asked, her voice filled with jest. With a soft move of her hand, the silver dust beneath Ami's feet grabbed her, lifting the Sailor Soldier and pulling her closer to Sine. "Did that stupid delinquent meant that much to you?" She enjoyed Ami's struggles, reaching for the girl's chin, forcing Ami to look directly into her eyes. Ami could see the same glow that finished Andrus gathering in that monster's face. Fire, thunder and lightning suddenly hit Sine at once, forcing her to drop Sailor Mercury and back away.
"Felt that, didn't you?" Makoto mocked, standing in front of Rei and Minako. The trio combined their attacks, in an attempt to release Ami from Sine's hold. Sailor Mercury retreated, joining her friends. "Are you alright, Ami?" Sailor Jupiter had a warm and protective tone in her voice. Seeing the boy being defeated made them all uneasy, and she wouldn't let anyone else have the same terrible fate.
"I got carried away!" The blue soldier said, discomposed. "I'm sorry!" She fell on her knees, sobbing.
"This was not your fault!" Rei rested her hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to console her. "The only one to blame is Sine!"
"Let's end this!" Usagi said, as she joined her friends. "If we stop her, we'll save everyone, right?" They stood confidently, gathering their energies while facing Sine. The Dream Reaper laughed, to which the silver dust on the floor reacted, hovering around her as she absorbed the particles.
"Foolish girls!" Her eyes gleamed with the energy she just acquired. "I thought you would appreciate the dream world I created for you." She casually waved her hands, they knew she was about to attack. "Maybe now I'll have to give you all nightmares!" The energy was discharged against the Sailor Soldiers and the portals to the dream realm appeared once more, trying to drag them away. They resembled the dark matter Andrus sported in his eyes after Sine's attack.
Sailor Moon drew her staff, surprised to find it glowing with the power they harvested while in the dream realm. The portals dragged Ami, Minako, Makoto, Rei and Mamoru away, but Usagi remained in the throne hall. Her new powers reacted with the dust, nullifying and dissipating the portal directed at her, much to Sine's surprise.
"What?!" The leader of the Dream Reapers said, astounded by seeing the sole Sailor Soldier in front of her. "How were you able to resist?"
"I've been caught by your spells twice now, Sine!" Usagi had a defiant tone, even though she was left all by herself. "Let it be known that Sailor Moon never fall three times to the same trap!" She held her hand up high, with three fingers pointing upwards.
"You..." Sine crossed her arms, puzzled. "You shouldn't be bragging about that!"
"Well..." Sailor Moon had an abashed smile in her face, slowly lowering her arm. "You're not the one in charge of what I should be proud of or not..." The girl spoke in a low voice, mostly to herself.
"Enough of your silliness!" The woman in white dress said in an angered tone, gathering energy in her hands. "You have only delayed the inevitable! You're still all alone, Sailor Moon! And I know how weak and vulnerable you feel without your friends!" She shot a round of beams against Usagi. The girl raised her wand, and a bright beacon surrounded her, blocking Sine's attack. She fiercely withstood the Dream Reaper's energy, not giving away a single inch of space.
"I'm not worried!" Usagi yelled, unleashing all her energy. The clash of their powers knocked them both back, forcing them to take a moment to recompose. "I know that they will break away from your nightmare!" She smiled, confident. "The hope I have in them is all I need!"
"All you have to do is resist long enough, right?" The woman floated above the ground once again, facing Usagi. Her gaze made the Sailor Soldier uneasy, as it felt like piercing directly into her soul. The stars in that woman's eyes seemed like they could unleash a supernova upon her enemies, if she so intended to. "That is what your delinquent friend was thinking just a moment before I finished him." She laughed, softly. "Trust me, I know."
Usagi stared at the boy's body lying on the ground, still inert. Her heart raced upon hearing Sine's words, and her confidence started to wane. A sudden smile appeared on her face, as she realized her friend was still breathing. She frowned, determined, gathering all her energies, ready for another showdown with the leader of the Dream Reapers.
Ami stood up in a dark room, still disoriented. The area's floor, ceiling and walls were all made of a deep navy blue substance. She touched it with her hand, feeling that slimy texture scurrying through her fingers. It didn't take her long to figure out what was happening as she recognized the ethereal feeling she had. It was one of the characteristics of the dream realm.
"I can't believe it!" She said out loud, annoyed. "I've got to get out of here!" She wandered for a while, until she saw a masculine figure walking towards her.
"Why the rush, Ami?" It was Andrus' voice, getting nearer by the second. "Stay here with me." He got close enough so she could distinguish his features. His face was all torn up in a cadaveric state. He tried to reach his hands to her, but apparently he couldn't see, as there was just an empty space where the eyes should have been. "I'll show you how to be comfortable in darkness!"
"No!" She pushed him away, knocking him down while steeping back, frightened by that scene. "You're not him!"
"Why did you let this happen to me, Ami?" He clumsily stood up, turning to her direction once more. "You knew how scared I was!" He drew the wooden sword, pointing it at her. "Do you know how much it hurt?"
"She doesn't care." It was Urawa this time, his face was decrepit just the same as Andrus. "We are merely diversions for her, eventually she will get bored of you, and turn back to studying, her only true passion, and that's why she will end up all alone." He laughed, as his face deteriorated in the process. "One day, even the Sailor Soldiers will become boring and a nuisance for her."
"Shut up!" Ami yelled, angered. "Don't you dare defile the memories and feelings I have for my friends!" The whole floor turned into water, as the girl collected her strengths. She fired waves to all directions, cleansing the entire room, dissipating the illusions. When her attack ceased, the transformation rod glowed in front of Sailor Mercury. Holding the item, a portal opened in front of her, and she could see Usagi in a standoff against Sine. Sailor Moon's power seemed to be calling for Sailor Mercury, who stepped out of that nightmare, discharging the energy she harvested in the dream world to help Sailor Moon.
Usagi and Ami endured side by side the immense powers the Dream Reaper displayed. The woman couldn't believe her eyes, trying to figure out how could they stand even after she gathered so much dream energy from the people all over the town.
"Dishonor!" Rei heard a familiar voice. She knew it was one of Sine's tricks, it didn't take her long to figure out she was trapped in a nightmare. With the transformation pen in her hand, she was about to open a portal back to reality, but the voice disturbed her enough to distract the girl. "Why are you like this, Rei?"
"Who is there?" The Sailor soldier shouted, angered. The man in elegant suit stepped closer, revealing himself as Rei's father. "Dad?" She gasped in surprise, stepping back.
"You were always a tomboy as a child, Rei." He got closer, with a severe look in his face. "So I left you in a temple to see if you'd acquire some manners!" His eyes were red with anger, and veins popped up all over his features. "They've ruined you!"
"Is that the best you can do?" Rei asked with a bored tone in her voice, while she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "After all we have been through, that's the torture Sine had planned for me?"
"What?" He couldn't disguise the surprise in his face. "Respect me, Rei!"
"Oh, but I respect my father!" Flames gathered all around Rei, who softly smiled. "Even though we don't see eye to eye in many things, and even if sometimes I resent him and wished for things to be better, I also know that our mutual love wouldn't end just because my choices don't match his!" She unleashed the burning beams, destroying that nightmare. In the following moment, she was beside Usagi and Ami, firing all the energy concentrated in her transformation rod at Sine's direction.
Makoto had beaten up dozens of delinquents that tried to mess with her. The remaining just stared at the tall brawler, frightened by that display of power.
"The..." One of the punks stuttered "the leader of the 'Thunder Roses' is too strong!"
"But she is all alone!" The fallen boys rose again, attacking Makoto, who couldn't stop fighting. She felt like running away, but her primary instinct was to keep in the combat.
"She is a monster!" She could hear, as another foe was defeated.
"I bet that's all she is good for!" Another one went down. She was getting tired. Raising her hand, she gathered a grand amount of thunders, releasing them around her body, knocking them down.
"Actually..." She said, confidently, as she felt Usagi's energy calling for her. "I'm a great cook. And fighting was only a small part of my life. It made me who I am, but it never defined me!" Sailor Jupiter took her pen, which flashed in a bright light. "Since I met that silly girl, I've realized that I am much more than meet the eyes! I can't be here slacking off while she is out there, needing my help!" With a wave of her hand, Makoto opened the path she needed to return to her friends' side.
Minako was surrounded by an angry mob, who threw disks, shirts and photos at her. They shouted viciously and the young woman could barely defend herself.
"Traitor!" One said, trying to hit her. "We supported you all this time, and you are abandoning us?"
"You're the worst, Mina-chan!" Another one managed to kick her. "You leave your singing career to act in a stupid soap opera? What about your fans?"
"You sell your face and body to that ridiculous show! Show some self-respect, Minako!" The faceless crowd continued to bash the Sailor Soldier. Astonishment took place, as the girl rose seemingly unaffected by their insults.
"I get it." Minako smiled, as she spoke in a calm voice. "You think that because my dream is to become an idol, my nightmare has to be failing at it, right?" With a wave of her hand, she turned back into Sailor Venus. "But you're wrong!" She yelled. "Can you hear me, Sine?" Light overtook the place, powering the girl. "My worst nightmare is to be without my friends! And as long as I can fight, I won't let anyone take those girls away from me!" The light blasted away the dream reality she was trapped, giving way for the real world, as Minako rejoined the Sailor Soldiers.
Mamoru was sobbing, as he had the deceased bodies of Usagi and Chibiusa in his arms. They were all dressed in their future Crystal Tokyo attire, but he found himself all alone in a dark room.
"You let that happen to us, Mamo-chan?" Usagi said, in what appeared to be her final breath. "You failed us!"
"Usako!" He cried, trying to figure out what was happening. A gleaming gem revealed in his pocket, the earth crystal shone bright in a light unknown to the man. "What is that?"
"Papa..." Chibiusa softly spoke, as if she was hurt. "Why am I so cold?" He turned his face in her direction, but the crystal blocked his view. That energy, that feeling, what did it mean? Mamoru realized the two girls felt lighter than they should. Lighter than any person could be. His moves also felt constricted, restrained.
"This is a dream." The memories of Sine returned to him immediately. Usagi's face burned his mind, as if she called for him. "That's why my crystal is reacting." He stood up, holding the crystal up high, resisting the calls of his wife and child, crossing the gateway out of the dream realm, seeing his friends still fighting Sine.
"What is happening?" Sine asked, upon the arrival of Sailor Mars.
"You're way out of touch, Sine!" Mars spoke, harshly. "You tried to toy with our feelings once more, but the nightmares you created for us only made us stronger!"
"What else could be expected from someone who is unable to dream?" Makoto said, appearing right next to her friends. She pointed her rod against Sine, joining the resistance of the Sailor Soldiers.
"Someone who don't realize our dreams are one of our most precious treasure!" Minako stepped out of a portal, following the Sailor Soldiers and adding her energy to the beam, that was already taking gigantic proportions.
"A monster hungry for power, too detached from reality to see that the true power of dreams come from the hopes of those who are dreaming!" Tuxedo Mask had his earth crystal in his hand, as he also had gathered energy in the dream realm. Unleashing their power, they seemed to gain the upper hand in the confrontation with Sine.
"No!" There was desperation in Sine's voice, as she was getting overpowered. She surrounded herself in the energy she collected from the dreams, trying to use it to her advantage. For a moment it worked. Powered by the silvery debris from people's dreams, she managed to push the Sailors' attack back at them. "It's not enough!" Tears started rolling through her face. Her castle began to fade, as she consumed even the energy she used to create her palace. "It's not fair!" She thought to herself, as the sorrow took over her. Solitude, anger, despair. The feelings that were always by her side now proved to be weaker than those girls' determination, bliss and hope.
"The dream walker was right" Sine reminisced. "Sailor Moon was right: there is no way that the despair can overcome hope." The bright light from the girls' attack overcame her, knocking her against the throne, and then against the wall. Sine tried to stand up, but her powers were waning fast.
Sailor Moon and her friends walked towards the leader of the Dream Reapers. They were determined to put an end to this. The past days were nightmarish for those heroes. Usagi, Mamoru, Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako had been through many trials in that small gap of time that made it seem longer than it really was. They halted, surprised to see Sine bawling her eyes out. The woman's tears clashed with the anger in her face, as she looked to the soldiers in an accusatory way.
"Go ahead!" She yelled, trying to fight her tears. "Look all you want!" She tried to stand up, but couldn't gather enough energy. "Judge me all you want!" She bowed her head, gripping her fingers to her white dress, tainted by her tears. "You never had to deal with the void that is not being able to dream!"
"Sine..." Usagi felt bad, seeing her enemy in that state. All her fighting spirit disappeared at the moment she realized that those tears, that feeling, it was all real.
"Where were the Sailor Soldiers when I needed protection from the solitude?" The Dream Reaper punched the ground, infuriated. "What did you dream in the nights that I was haunted by the despair? Knowing that something was missing, unable to tell what it was?"
"That doesn't give you the right to steal and feed of other people's dreams!" Makoto said, fiercely, although disturbed by the woman's speech.
"Tell me, then! Why can everyone dream, but I have to conform with being a monster?" She looked at Sailor Jupiter, genuinely looking for an answer. The Sailor Soldiers hesitated, unable to react. Usagi looked at the other girls, and exchanged a swift gaze with Mamoru. They all nodded, knowing what was about to come. Sine saw her enemies lifting their crystal, ready to finish her.
"I'm tired, Sailor Moon." She sighed, finally able to stand up. "I'm so tired of the hate, tired of the nothingness in my chest." She stared at the girls' faces, accepting her fate. "Just end my suffering, Moon Princess!" They fired at her, using the last strands of the dream energy they had harvested.
Sine was bombarded by images of those girls dreams: Usagi and Mamoru's dreams of marrying each other, living happily together; Ami as a doctor, having a united family; Makoto's dreams of having a bakery shop; Rei becoming the head priestess of Hikawa Shrine; Minako as an idol. All of them dreamed that their friendship would last forever. That energy tore Sine apart. For the first time she knew what was like to have a dream, and it changed her.
"Thank you..." Usagi heard Sine say in a feeble voice, before fading away. The castle crumbled as if it was made of sand, disappearing in few seconds. They could see the energy being dragged back to its real owners, as the city started to wake up. Slowly, the sky normalized without Sine's corruption.
"I can't believe it's over..." Minako sat on the middle of the deserted avenue where the castle once was. She was exhausted. Luna came running into their way, pleased to see them.
"You did it, girls!" She jumped onto Usagi's shoulders, barely containing her excitement. "You won!" Luna noticed that there was a sad smile in each of those girls faces. Victory like those always tasted bitter. Usagi felt gloom, walking in a slow pace, still a little disoriented.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, as Mamoru held her close to him. "I know what you're thinking." He spoke in a low voice, as if whispering to her. "But you can't blame yourself for Sine's mischievous behavior." She held tight onto him, trying to cope with that guilty feeling she had. "Maybe if we had met her earlier, this could have been avoided, but it wasn't your absence that made her choose her way."
"Thanks, Mamo-chan!" She rested her head against his chest, thinking about his words. It felt somehow better. It took only a second, though, for the tension to return. Ami had ran towards Andrus as soon as they saw the silver dust returning to its rightful owners, but the boy hadn't woken up yet.
"Andrus?" Ami held the boy in her arms, shaking him in a gentle motion, but he didn't respond to her efforts. "Please, wake up!" His eyes were still a pit of darkness, reflecting his surroundings like a deep purple mirror.
"Why don't he wake up?" Makoto and the other girls surrounded the couple, worried. "We won, right? He should be back by now!"
"He's barely breathing!" Ami had her head close to his chest, hearing his heartbeats. "And his cardiac rate is really low. It's like..."
"Like what?" Rei said, concerned.
"Like he's in a coma!" The blue soldier felt desperate. He should be back by now. They defeated Sine, all the energy was returned to their proper place, so why was he still under the Dream Reaper's spell? She trembled in a mix of fear and anxiety. She caught her transformation pen, standing up in front of the boy.
"What are you going to do, Ami?" Usagi was worried, and had an urge to try and help out.
"I'll go inside his dreams!" She didn't give much thought to the matter, all she cared for in the moment was bringing her friend back. The rod shone bright with the dream energy. "I'll find him!" Her words were feeble, as she couldn't form a portal to Andrus' dreams. "Why it isn't working?" There was pain in her voice, which was shared by the other Sailor Soldiers.
All the girls and Tuxedo Mask drew their own crystal, trying to help with the portal, but they had used most of the energy they gathered in the dream realm to defeat Sine, making it unable to form a proper gateway. Without it, and with Sine gone, it seemed impossible to rescue the dream walker. Ami stared at her friend, still unable to believe this was happening, still hoping that he would wake up at any second, laughing and teasing them for worrying about him. But it didn't happen.
It had been four days. The city had returned to normal, and the Dream Reapers were a feeble remembrance of nightmares and bad dreams, except for that boy that slept in the guest room of the Hikawa Shrine. He had been a yankee, a delinquent, and a dream walker, but the girls looking out for him called him "friend".
They took turns, watching him closely, but in all of those days he hadn't presented any changes in his sleeping or breathing pattern. His blank expression and faint respiration anguished his caretakers, who were unable to help. Ami spent most of her free time reading in the library, and researching on the internet about dreams, in hopes of finding something useful. She read all she could find, be it fiction or scientific, from Michio Kaku to Neil Gaiman, she had read it, and still there wasn't much useful material.
She was leaving the library that fourth day, when her cellphone rang, startling the distracted girl. She picked up, it was Makoto. She was supposed to be on the temple that evening. "Makoto?" Ami spoke in a defeated tone that seemed constant that week. "Is everything alright?"
"Ami," The girl's voice was so serious that Ami was alert in a split second. "You have to come to the temple right now!"
"Is everything okay?" She asked, hurrying her pace, and then running at her fastest. "Your voice..."
"Something's come up, and I think you need to see this!"
"I'll be right there!" They hung up, and in a few minutes Ami was leaving the stairs of the Hikawa Shrine behind her. When she arrived, Usagi and the other soldiers were already there, with a confused look on their faces.
"What's going on?" Ami could see Andrus still laying on the bed, sleeping heavily. Rei entered the room, followed by five young women. It took few seconds for the blue soldier to recognize them, but she realized soon enough that those were the demon guards of the Dream Reapers. They were different, looking as human as the Sailor Soldiers, but it was undeniable that those were their former enemies. Ami took a defensive stance, ready to transform at the slightest movement of the group.
"Please, sit down." Scáthach spoke in a gentle voice, disarming Ami's attitude immediately. "My name is Moira, and we're here to help." She was the oldest of the group, with brown wavy hair that went down her shoulders.
"M...Moira?" The girl was baffled. The woman was so polite and emanated such genuine kindness that Ami was caught off-guard.
"Now that you are all here, we can explain." Cendrillion said, sitting next to the Sailor Soldiers. "My name is Brianna, and I, much like your friend, am a dream walker." She differed the most from her demon guard form. Without the ashes covering her face, they could see how pretty she really was, with her long red hair and green eyes.
"That's how Sine formed her demon guard." Adare sat next to Makoto, as if she wanted to reconcile with her former adversary. "She took people with the talent of entering other people's dreams, and corrupted them. My name is Killeen" she shook hands with Makoto, with a kind smile across her features.
"I'm...I'm Makoto!" The girl felt awkward in that situation, but appreciated Killeen gesture.
"I'm Ciara!" The younger girl with blonde hair said, energetically. "But you knew me as Caitriona!"
"And I'm Nuadha." The girl with short brown hair stared directly at Ami, as they have fought each other the most. "I faced you and Andrus as Chenelle."
"We discovered our skills a few days before that whole situation started." Moira took the lead, once more. "I think Sine's desire to be free forced our talents to reveal themselves at almost the same moment." She saw Andrus, and sadness took over her. "Andrus, on the other hand, had been able to walk into people's dreams for a much longer time. He must have told you that, right?"
"Yes!" Ami spoke, still suspicious of that whole situation. "But how do you know that?"
"I met him in the dream realm before this whole ordeal took place." She said, resting her elbows on the center table, with her hands on her cheeks and a nostalgic look on her face. "He was helping me with my powers. I wonder if he suspected of who Scáthach really was."
"Sine tried to make him a demon guard as well." Nuadha interrupted Moira's nostalgia trip. "But he wasn't as green as we were at the time, so he was able to resist her spell."
"So that's why Sine really hated him!" Ami concluded, analyzing all the information they received. "I remember him saying that Sine wasn't able to corrupt him, so that's what he meant!"
"AH!" Ciara yelled, as if something was wrong. Everyone looked at her, embarrassing the young woman. "We forgot to thank you!"
"You're right!" Killeen laughed at the girl's spontaneity, and then turned to the Sailor Soldiers. "We're really thankful that you saved us!" All bowed their heads, in appreciation.
"We didn't even know you were being used by Sine!" A flustered Usagi spoke, laughing. "But I'm glad you are okay!"
"So" Moira said. "Now we are going to help you!"
"You can bring Andrus back?" Ami was excited, almost crossing the table as she spoke to Moira.
"Kinda." Moira sighed. "We already tried, and actually managed to enter his mind." She stood up, walking towards the young man. "But Sine made a serious damage, as she ripped his ability to dream and locked himself in the darkest corner of his mind. He didn't respond to our pleads, but we think that you can bring him back, Ami Mizuno." Moira extended her hand to Ami.
"What are we waiting, then?" Ami grabbed the woman's hand, impatient.
Moira smiled, surprised to see that girl ignoring any difficulty it might cross her path. "Are you ready to know the deepest and most disturbing secrets in that boy's mind?"
"There is no other way, right?" Her fierce stare showed how much determination she had. The other former Dream Reapers stood by Ami and Moira, and without even realizing, she was already in the boy's mind.
It was dark and cold. She could hear a dripping noise but couldn't pinpoint the exact position of that sound. Every step she took felt soft and fluffy, like walking in a cotton path. She could see a faint light in the distance, carefully approaching it. The scenery changed to a school hallway, much like the one in Juuban High School. She heard a feminine scream, and before she knew she was racing towards one of the classrooms, opening the door in a haste. "That voice, that was Hana's voice!" She heard Andrus, but couldn't see him anywhere. Hana was one of the boy's only friend, but Ami wondered how she could have known that.
"Takuma!" Ami spoke, but in Andrus' voice, to a boy with short dark hair. That was another close friend of the boy. "What is going on?" She looked to the ground and there was a girl, crying, with a red mark on her face. Ami could hear Andrus' thoughts: Takuma had just hit her. "What did you do?" She walked towards Takuma, grabbing him by his collar. "Answer me!" The whole scene turned into a blank. Ami punched the boy's face, knocking him down, and proceeded to a severe beating. She heard Hana's screams for her to stop, but she wouldn't listen. She stood up, breathless, as she saw Takuma's face beaten to a pulp. She felt disgusted. She was now seeing the same scene from an outsiders point of view. Andrus' hands were covered in blood, as he stood over Takuma, disgusted by what he had just done. She could see that he was much younger than when she met him.
All changed around her, and she saw Andrus sitting by the stairs of a place she soon recognized as the Homura Ryu Kendo dojo. He had his head down, and couldn't seem to stop crying. An old man appeared, with a gentle look on his face.
"Takuma is out of danger, Andrus." He sat beside his grandson, trying to comfort him. "He is in a coma, but he will survive."
"Why do I have to be like this, grandpa?" He sobbed, making a huge effort to speak. "I couldn't stop myself, and when I saw him..." He hugged his grandfather, holding him tight as the tears rolled across his face. "I wish I was dead!"
"Don't be silly..." The man said, his voice began to fade, changing to a different scene. He was in the presence of a serious man, he looked like Andrus, but older. He also had dark hair, differing from the boy's blazing red.
"I'm sending you to Brazil." The man said, nonchalantly. "You almost killed your best friend, you have been expelled from your school. This isn't working. You need a fresh start."
"Will you be coming with me, dad?" The boy said, angered upon hearing the man speaking to him.
"No, your grandfather will go. We will trade places for a while."
"Then I'll gladly go with him." Andrus didn't disguise the wrath in his tone. He wanted to provoke his father, he wanted to create that animosity. Still, he felt awful when he saw the disappointed and saddened look in his father's face. "Why do I have to be like this?" His thoughts echoed through his mind. Seeing those images and hearing those thoughts made Ami's heart heavy.
She tried to walk away from those visions, as they appeared to be part of Sine's punishment that Moira and the others spoke about. She wandered pointlessly for a few minutes, seeking for her friend. She suddenly realized there was a thin red string attached to her pinkie finger. She was puzzled at first, wondering how she could have missed it before that moment. Without giving much thought, she followed the red line, eventually finding the boy carrying his bike, the other end of the red string attached to his own little finger. It should be the real Andrus and not just a figment of his memory, as he stood with the same appearance he had when they fought Sine. He walked, but didn't seem to move out of his place. She noticed the busted tires on the bike, and the broken chain.
"Andrus!" She said, happy to see him, but he didn't react. He stared at the scenes from his past being played out in front of his eyes. "Andrus! Look at me!" She tried to stand in his way, but even then she couldn't get his attention.
The scenario changed once more, and Andrus was in a more familiar classroom this time. Ami saw the boy sitting in his chair, trying to get some sleep. "This is Juuban High!" Ami realized. The boy woke up with the sound of the door being opened. He looked up and saw five students staring at him with a suspicious look in their faces. "Here we go." He thought, Ami listened. They avoided the boy and sat in the other side of the room. Andrus sighed. "Well, Ami did warn me about that." He stood up and went to talk to those boys.
He introduced himself, and explained what had happened to him: the whole bike ordeal, and his friendly manners actually compensated, as the students ended easing up on him and soon were having a cordial talk with the red haired boy. "This is working out better than I thought!"
Eventually, the boys went out of control, attacking Andrus. "Oh, come on!" He evaded their attacks until they cornered him. "Don't make me do this!" She could feel the anxiety taking a hold of the boy. She could feel his hesitation, as all he could think about was Takuma. He fought back, feeling like a monster that whole time. When he knocked every single one of them, he looked at the door and found himself surrounded by the students of that classroom.
"Not this again..." Ami then appeared by the door. Seeing herself through Andrus eyes felt really weird. "Oh, no!" He thought, as his heart raced. He saw the terrified look in her eyes. "Please, no! Not her!" He couldn't breath. "She's afraid of me...What have I done?" His hands were shaking, the rage he always fought against was taking over.
"Andrus!" She screamed, trying to get a hold of him. "I wasn't afraid of you!" She held his bike's handles, and for a second he looked directly at her. "I was afraid for you!"
"I know!" She heard him thinking. The scene disappeared, as if her words worked. She figured out that that memory only appeared because of her voice, and that her words were getting through him, somehow.
"Andrus" She had a soft smile in her face, realizing how she could assist him. "Do you remember how we met?" That sentence. It wasn't by chance that he said that to her when they were trapped in the dream world. He had enough experience by that point to know that this one sentence could trigger her mind, and now she would do the same for him.
"Not a problem." She heard him say, after they bumped into each other. She saw him getting farther, as he thought to himself: "Come on, man. The girl have nothing to do with your crappy day!" He continued walking, until he stopped. "You want to change, don't you? Start changing now!" He turned around, and his heart raced faster than ever.
"Oh, my god!" He thought. "She is so cute!" His hands started to sweat, he trembled. "Stop staring! Say something before she thinks you're weird! Say something smart! She looks like she's into smart guys!" Ami didn't realize his shyness and his stuttering when they met. She blushed by seeing that scene through his eyes. "It's okay to be afraid!" the boy said. "What are you doing?" He thought. He followed with his speech about how he fell off his bike, the kids laughing. He talked about sincerity and friendship. "You hypocrite! Talking about sincerity, but not a single mention about how you can walk into dreams!"
"You're a little weird, aren't you?" He saw a smile appearing on the girl's face, and a joy took over him. "Yeah! I am the weirdest and luckiest man in this world!" She laughed, unable to contain her delight every time she heard his thoughts.
"Andrus" She continued. It seemed to be working, as she saw the bike chain and tires had been restored. "Remember when I met you at your dojo?" They were now walking side by side. He pushed his bike beside him, Ami was really surprised to see how much shy and awkward he felt in those moments that he was with her and, even though she felt a little guilty for invading his privacy, she couldn't deny she actually enjoyed seeing him through that light.
"Go on, man!" He thought, as she saw him staring at her, then staring at the bike. "Offer her a ride!" His hands were shaking, he gulped, unable to say the words he wanted to. Ami took the place of her memory self, standing next to Andrus. He stared at her once again. She had to take that chance.
"We can go on your bike, Andrus!" She said, looking at him. He paralyzed, his heart felt like it skipped a beat. They stared at each other for a long moment. Ami was anxious to know if her tactics were working. "Eu gosto de você, Andrus!" She spoke softly. She researched more than only dreams in those four days. She needed to know what he said to her before they parted their ways in Sine's castle. The words she said were real. They came from the real Ami, and reached the real Andrus, and, upon hearing them, the darkness in his mind broke into a million pieces. "I really like you!" She said once more, as she held him, squeezing him. "Even after seeing your darkest times, I really, really like you!" He hugged her, she could feel his heartbeat, she could feel his breath on her neck. "So please, come back to us!"
They were back at the shrine, still hugging one another. He looked at her, held her chin, and gave her a tender kiss on her lips. For a single moment, they ignored the whole crowd of Sailor Soldiers and former Dream Reapers surrounding them. Ami nested her head on his chest. "Welcome back, Andrus!"
"How long was I out?" His voice was weak and drowsy. His head was light, as if he had too much to drink the night before.
"Four days." Rei said, getting the couple's attention.
"The old demon is going to kill me!" He laughed, followed by Ami. "And my father he is going crazy, he says I'm living in a trance..." There was a cadence in his voice that goes unnoticed by the crowd.
"What?" Ami asked, confused at first, but relaxing as she saw a smile on his face.
"But I'm dancing in the moonlight." He sang, completely off-key. She laughed, hugging him once again. Usagi held onto Mamoru's arm, cheerful. She rejoiced seeing Ami laughing, and seeing Rei, Makoto and Minako with a satisfied smile on their faces. The nightmare was finally over. They were finally all together.