A/N: So nothing really big happened in the last chapter except for a random character popping up. I didn't bother to explain it during that chapter and I'm not going to explain it in this one either, because this time I want to focus solely on Kousagi. Don't worry though, all the questions you have so far shall be answered...at some point. Muhahaha!

Special note: Thanks so much to all of the new reviewers that popped up since my last post. This story jumped from 65 reviews to 91 and honestly, I couldn't be happier. (Say do any of you fabulous reviewers want to visit my other works of fanfiction art? I've got thirty-five of them...located on my profile. And before you ask, yes, this is a shameless advertisement for all of my works. I regret nothing!) Ahem, anyway...uh...who here has seen Sailor Moon Crystal?

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or Sailor Moon.

Warnings: This chapter is Kousagi centric which means angst, and a twinge of comedy if you squint.

Chapter 10

Battle 1: Kousagi v.s. Piccolo

February 15th, Age 765

2:00 a.m.

"Reverse psychology Kousagi! That's what I was going for when I said, 'Kousagi, I am a tool, a mere object, even if I am part of you. If you've made up your mind, I won't stop you from doing this.' You were supposed to say, "Well, maybe I'm overreacting a bit and perhaps there is still a way to get back home and blah blah blah! Not go all emo on me! Sheesh! Why do you have to be such a blockhead!"

For the thousandth time tonight I rolled my eyes as Crimson continued to rant on and on about what an idiot I'd been. For once I actually agreed with her about being an idiot, but not for the reasons she was dishing out. Right now I felt like a moron because I didn't heed Pluto's warning to stay in my timeline and simply wait for the next new moon cycle to travel. One month of waiting really wouldn't have done me that much harm, but unfortunately for me and everyone else involved, impatience got the better of me.

And thanks to this, I've given that deplorable snake Anaconda the opportunity he's been waiting for. The vast majority of the kingdom of Crystal Tokyo hates me; however, the one thing I had going for me helped me to at least gain the cooperation of the soldiers.

That one thing being my battle skills.

Through constant training I've become a fierce and ruthless warrior no enemy would dare come to blows with. My elemental powers are pretty strong, even with the seals, but more than that I'm a master swordsman...woman, thanks to Crimson's help. My reflexes are inhumanly fast and I never let my guard down on or off the battlefield. Thanks to my somewhat abusive childhood my tolerance level for pain is extremely high, so flesh wounds don't even slow me down.

All of these things combined make me a nightmare of an adversary. I don't take pride in this. It's just a fact. There's a mile-long body count to prove it. My life may hold no value to anyone, but the skills I've obtained and my powers are great assets to the kingdom and more importantly to my sister. Without me the overall strength of our army drops significantly. Anaconda knew this. He probably knew that I wouldn't listen to Sailor Pluto continuously warning me that going through the timeline would be dangerous.

Even knowing this I kept making these trips, never even considering the possibility that I could end up stuck in the past. As it stands, I don't even know what year I'm in now. Anaconda must have known that I made these trips and he probably knew that Pluto would try to warn me again and that I wouldn't listen to her, even if she told me that the timeline was unstable. I was a fool.

Unfortunately I don't have the time to dwell on my poor decisions as of late. The most important thing is finding a way back to my own time and saving my world from destruction at the hands of Anaconda. At the very least I have to make sure I save my sister.

"You're not even listening to me anymore are you?"

"Not at all," I mentally replied while placing my duffel bag onto the covers of the bed. The sheets were still stained with my blood from when that young boy's mother had tended to my self-inflicted wound. Frowning I pulled the covers against the pillows so I wouldn't have to look at my mistake.

I can't explain how I know, but I'm certain you have a family and friends who love you And no matter the circumstances you should try to see the good things about your life instead of what's wrong, if not for yourself then for those people. Life is one of the most precious gifts given to us. I can't understand why you'd want to throw it away.

Shaking my head I open the duffel bag, grabbing my Mp3 player to test if it was still working. I remember the kid...Gohan I think his name was...saying that to me before I completely passed out from the blood loss. He also said something about what I'd done being selfish too. Perhaps it was, but what would someone as young as him know about suffering? From what I gathered in the short moments I talked to him before losing conciousness and falling down the stairs, he's just a normal boy living a normal life. He has a mother and I don't think that short bald guy was his father, but for all I know that could be the case and the kid just took after his mother. Doesn't really matter though, because in the end it's clear that the boy has a fairly happy life.

"I only wish I could have been fortunate enough to know true happiness," I thought, briefly stopping in my search for the extra clothes I'd packed. "Maybe then I could have died in peace and without a care for Anaconda's sadistic plans for my sister and the Sailor Scouts."

Again I shake my head and toss the Mp3 on the bed. Thankfully it still works, but the other electronics I'd brought with me were all completely useless. The clothes I'm currently wearing are a bloodstained mess and I can't find the extra clothes I packed in my bag.

"You could wear those," Crimson stated offhandedly. Blinking I shifted my gaze to the nightstand. On top of it lay a folded training gi, though it honestly looked more like a priestess kimono without the puffy long sleeves. I guess the kid left this for me given the fact that his mom passed out the second I woke up.

"Question...where do you plan on going from here?"

After unfolding the clothes left for me I shrugged. "Don't know. I believe we're in a mountain region which means there should be some caves around. We can hideout in one of them until I come up with a plan." Without another word to Crimson, I started changing into the clean clothes.

A few minutes later I quietly strode over to the full length mirror in the corner of the room to appraise my reflection. The white sleeveless kimono top was slightly too big, but thankfully the kid had left a black sash for me to tie around the middle. At least the red hakama pants fit right though...

"Hey Kousagi! I found the sleeves. Look by your feet. Haha!"

After rolling my eyes at Crimson's spastic behavior I bent down to the floor to pick up the white sleeves. Studying them I guessed that having the sleeves detached from the actual garment was just the style here. Shrugging I decided to roll with it and shoved one of my arms into the first sleeve. The top of the sleeve was tight around the upper part of my arm. Once it was secure I put on the other sleeve.

"Well, don't you look cute."

"Shut up Crimson," I whispered, retrieving my brown fingerless gloves from out of my bag. After putting them on I zipped up the duffel bag, having already checked my food supply. If I eat smaller portions I should have enough to last me two days. After that I'll have to either start fishing or hunting. Gathering herbs and fruit would be more convenient, but I don't know much about the time I've stepped into. There are dinosaurs here but there are people around here too...and the ones I've stumbled across are clearly advanced in medicine so there's no way I'm in the stone age. Even so, that doesn't mean that there might be some berries and herbs here I don't recognize that could be dangerous for me to consume. I'm probably being paranoid, but it's better to be cautious until I know exactly what I'm dealing with.

"We know one thing," Crimson began, "we know that Anaconda isn't going to strike for another six months in our timeline. All we have to do is survive here long enough to find a way back."

"Don't be so sure he's actually going to give us that much time," I mentally responded, tossing my duffel bag over my shoulder and grabbing my annoying sword before quietly walking to the window. Carefully opening it, I continued, "We have to assume that he'll strike at any time. In other words, we can't afford to waste any time. We'll need to come up with a plan and before that we'll need to train to make sure that we can actually beat this guy."

Crimson was silent for a moment, allowing me enough time to concentrate on making my escape out of the small house the kid and his green friend had brought me to. She didn't speak again until my feet landed on the grass.

"Kousagi, how soon do you think he'll attack if he was lying? And besides that, how do you know for sure that he was real..."

Taking off in a run I answered, "Dream or no dream, that threat was real and Anaconda exists. You already know that Crimson. You saw the dream in my mind and felt the terror I felt. There's no way to doubt his existence. Believe me, I wish that I could."

Darting to the left to avoid running into a tree I continued my mental explanation. "Clearly Anaconda takes pleasure from making people suffer. He'll want to draw out my pain, but from what I gather the snake is impatient and he won't wait for as long as he said. I'd give it three months before he attacks possibly four if we're lucky."

In the distance thunder crackled. Noting the potential danger a storm could bring I quickened my pace, racing toward the tall mountains a few miles ahead. Crimson stayed silent as I continued to run towards them, my mind racing as memories of Mina's mangled corpse filled my mind.

If he plans on doing that to Mina...then what does he have planned for my sister?

"Oh I'll show you dear...in tonight's nightmare..."

My feet came to a halt and I turned, my eyes searching the dark forest for him. In the distance I thought I heard the sound of maniacal laughter as well a horrible blood curdling scream.

Instinctively I reached for Crimson's hilt, taking more careful steps forward as the laughter echoed in my mind.

Yes, my mind. That's right. Anaconda's voice is only in my mind. There's no way he can actually be here right now. He can't travel through time. Sailor Pluto is the only one that can freely travel through time...

"That's it!" I inwardly shouted, a small smile beginning to lift the corners of my mouth. "Sailor Pluto! Certainly she knows I'm stuck here. It'll only be a matter of time before she comes to get me. Knowing her she'll most likely come tomorrow to chide me for not listening to her, but I'll gladly take the lecture if that means going back and warning my sister about Anaconda's impending arrival. And then..."

"What are you so giddy about?"

The smile immediately left my face. Why is it that my joy is always short-lived?

"Beats me sweetheart. You're annoying and all but you aren't THAT bad. Honestly, I wonder if God is punishing you for something."

I suppressed the urge to glare at the rude sword attached to my back. "Crimson you are not helping matters." Letting out a sigh I turned around. My gaze fell on the green Yoshi from earlier. He wore a dark colored gi with a red sash around it, a white cloak with extremely pointy sleeves, and a white turban on his head. His onyx gaze bored into me, making it clear that he'd been watching me, waiting for me to make a move.

"See, if you hadn't freaked out earlier you would have figured out that Sailor Pluto would eventually come to retrieve your sorry behind and you wouldn't be in this mess."

Crimson was right, but again, not helping the situation at hand.

"I'm not giddy about anything," I answered finally, narrowing my gaze on him. "Not that it would be any of your business if I was, as you so eloquently put it, "giddy", about something. Now if you excuse me, I'll just be on my way."

I turned away from the green man, only to find him standing directly in front of me the second I took a step forward.

My instincts kicked in immediately and I jumped a good two feet back to gather my bearings. I willed my expression to stay neutral even though my heart was thumping rapidly. I didn't think he'd be able to move so fast with that bulky cape hanging over him but I should have guessed that he wasn't going to let me leave without an explanation. After all, he was around when the kid found me in the bloody state I was in. Judging by the look on his face he's probably upset with the fact that I could have potentially traumatized the kid...

Wait a minute. Is this green...thing...that kid's father?

No, no that just isn't possible...though that would explain why the kid's heat signature...no I'm being ridiculous. That kid is one hundred percent human and has no relation to this guy in front of me.

I was halfway tempted to turn back to the house and check the kid for any traces of green spots.

"Sorry, but you aren't going anywhere until you answer some questions," the green man stated, cutting into my thoughts.

Groaning I took a step forward, angling my hand toward the hilt of my sword. "Look, I don't want trouble. Normally I would humor you and answer a question or two, but right now I have absolutely no patience to spare on trivial matters. Just let me pass quietly and you will never see me again. Are we clear? Will you please stand aside Mr. Yoshi?"

The green man gritted his teeth at the nickname I'd given him. "Stop calling me a Yoshi! My name is Piccolo!"

"Don't care because to me it doesn't matter," I replied, moving into a fighting stance. "Are you going to move or not?"

"Definitely not," Piccolo answered, uncrossing his arms. "Your arrival here is anything but good news. I can sense the kind of power you wield so there's no use in playing dumb."

My mind blanked for a moment. "He can sense my power? What does he mean by that? Is he saying that he knows how strong I am? How would he know how to do something like that? It took me months to clearly distinguish the differences between the heat signatures of humans and animals, nevermind all the time it took to identify different species of animals individually."

"What's your purpose here?" he continued when I didn't do anything. "Was harming yourself part of a ploy?"

"A ploy?" I asked dumbly, almost as if this were the first time I'd even heard the word. "Excuse me, but I didn't sign up for an interrogation. Like I told you a few moments ago, I just want to get out of here quietly. You won't have to see me again to worry about anything I may or may not do. Is that a hard concept to understand?"

"If that's the truth then why did you come this way at all," Piccolo asked, his body tense. "Why inflict bodily harm to yourself? Based on the smile I saw on your face, you seem pleased to be alive."

My grip tightened around the hilt of my sword. "Back off. You don't need to know anything about me. I simply made a mistake earlier. I miscalculated. Get out of my way or I'll be forced to plow through you."

Piccolo smirked, the slightest hint of fangs peeking out of his mouth. "Well, you really do have a death wish don't you? And to think the kid, his mother, and the bald one went through so much trouble to save your pathetic life. You're ungrateful."

"And you're aggravating," I answered, barely lifting the blade from out of its sheath as droplets of rain began to pelt us. "I'll ask you one last time. Get. Out. Of. My. Way."

"Or what?"

The blade was fully withdrawn from the sheath before Piccolo had time to finish his question. I leapt forward, watching the slight smirk on his face disappear as my blade barely nicked the top of his left shoulder. A small bit of purple blood leaked out as he surged forward to hit me.

Dodging I leapt toward the ground, sweeping his legs from under him with my foot before taking off in a sprint. He was right behind me though, and then suddenly right next to me. A fist collided with my abdomen, sending me flying backward into a nearby tree just as thunder echoed through the forest.

"Okay, he's faster than I thought he'd be," I muttered inwardly, quickly rising to my feet even though my stomach was throbbing with pain. Right now I'm trying to keep my powers under control, but at this rate...

Before I could finish the thought a patch of ground lifted behind me. Piccolo happened to standing on it when my powers lashed out, sending him flying through the air. Served him right for egging me on before, but again these random power spurts aren't a good thing...well I can't say that having my powers sending my enemies flying is such a bad thing either.

Despite having sent Piccolo flying though, he was able to catch up to me in no time at all. How on Earth was he moving so fast? He's almost as fast as I am.

"You aren't going to be able to outrun him," Crimson stated from within my mind as I continued to move forward. I had placed her back in the sheath after wounding Piccolo earlier. I regret doing so now. Finishing him would have been my best option but the stupid kid said this guy was his friend. That shouldn't have mattered, but for one reason or another it didn't feel right for me to kill him outright.

"But if he keeps at this pace you might be the one ending up dead," Crimson continued. "You have to survive remember? You have to get back home to warn Rini about Anaconda."

Withdrawing Crimson from the sheath again, I resolved in my mind to do just that. Ragged breaths fell from my mouth as I picked up speed, clutching the hilt of the sword tightly as I suddenly darted to the left. A green blur flew across my sight then stopped to where I could fully see Piccolo's silhouette. When he spotted me he held his index and middle fingers in front of his forehead. Electricity sparked from his fingertips.

This development would have surprised me had I allowed it to, but instead of giving his attack any attention, I focused on mine.

"Ready Crimson?" I whispered, extending my sword out in front of me. It began to glow.

"Yes."

Nodding, I focused all my energy on the sword. Lightning struck down on the sword from the black clouds high above my head, causing immediate flames to dance around me and Crimson. Piccolo's gaze widened, but he didn't move. He was still charging up his attack but mine was already finished.

"Take this!" I shouted, flinging the sword out. "Raging inferno!"

Piccolo dodged the first attack, immediately following by sending out his own attack toward me. I used Crimson Shakugan to shield me from the blast, but the aftershock of his attack left my fingers feeling a little numb. Of course, losing a little feeling in my fingers wouldn't be enough to stop me.

"Raging inferno!" I shouted again, flinging out another fire attack before following it up with a series of swings toward Piccolo's head. He narrowly escaped being decapitated, retaliating with a roundhouse kick to my ribs that I was thankfully able to dodge. The ground shook as we fought, most likely a result of my powers beginning to go haywire. I couldn't control them in the middle of battle without the seals I had placed on myself and since they're gone...

"I'll just have to finish this more quickly then..."

Narrowing my gaze I twisted my body as he sent out a flurry of punches. A few of them connected, but I stood my ground, willing my feet to stay in place on the shaky ground. Then, crouching down, my eyes locked on the target of my next attack. Without thinking I swung the blade, the immediate sound of sharp metal slicing through muscle and bone echoing in my ears as purple blood gushed out, staining the soaked clothes I wore. The sight of a green arm lined in pink, red, and purple appeared above me, falling back behind me while purple blood rained down over my head.

Piccolo screamed out in pain, but his scream didn't register in my mind as I went for the next arm in silence. Again blood rained down on me. The sickening sound of flesh tearing was the only thing I could hear for a moment, reminding me of all the other times I'd done this exact same thing.

He fell back on the ground with a thud and I fell to my knees, breathing hard upon realizing that I'd won. There was nothing he could do to hurt me now but I still felt on edge. A part of me wanted to finish him off. Another part felt compelled to call for help. The side that won out was the side that told me to wait for him to bleed to death. I didn't have any energy to move, and after twenty minutes of fighting in this maze of a forest I was completely lost. He'd be dead long before I could get any help for him anyway.

"God, what did I go and do that for?" I breathed, staring at my hands, now stained purple. A slight chuckle escaped me upon seeing it. Though morbid and disturbing to think about, a part of me was happy that Piccolo's blood wasn't any shade of red. Something about the color purple spilling over my hands was so refreshing, uplifting even. Perhaps it's because crimson blood has poured through my fingers far too often. I've lost count of how many people have died at my hands...including my own mother.

Before I knew it I was laughing harder, the sudden downpour of rain becoming like tears on my face.

"What am I doing?" I asked out loud, not caring that Piccolo was slowly bleeding to death right in front of me. "Why am I here? Why am I alive at all? What can I offer this world other than suffering?" Laughs continued to slip from my mouth as I stood, turning away from the soon to be corpse. "The little good I do amounts to nothing. I've caused so much pain for hundreds of people. I foolishly thought I could eradicate that pain by making it so I never existed but... I messed up and now everything will fall apart because of the horrible decisions I made." Staring up at the sky I continued, saying, "And to make matters worse, I've killed a complete stranger for no reason at all..."

"Don't talk...as if you've won this fight."

My breath hitched as the sounds of harsh breathing reached my ears. Seconds later a sickening splat sound echoed in the air. Instinct told me to turn around and face my opponent again, but instead I stayed rooted in place, not daring to turn around and face something I'd rather not see. The chuckles that had spilled from my mouth only seconds earlier died in my throat. Being able to breathe properly escaped me.

"My limbs regenerate," Piccolo stated, noting my shock. "You should have finished me off instead of babbling nonsense to yourself."

"It wasn't nonsense," I replied, offended by his choice of words. "It was the truth. The truth of my existence. I should have died a long time ago..."

My voice trailed off as Piccolo's new hand grabbed the back of my shirt. An irritated grunt escaped him as he flung me into the grass where he'd been laying only a minute ago. More of his purple blood stained my clothes. To anyone else it would look like I had grape kool-aid splattered all over me. His blood was certainly sticky enough.

"If you want to die so badly then why did you fight?"

"Because for now I'm forced to survive," I thought, recalling the nightmare all over again. I could see Mina's headless body strewn across the grass, the blood splattered on the white roses...I saw everything all over again. I can't let the same thing happen to my sister. This isn't a question about what I want, but what has to be done for her sake. There's no time to be selfish.

"What I want doesn't matter anymore," I told him, barely lifting my gaze. "What I attempted to do earlier was a mistake. That's all."

Piccolo sneered. "You're lying."

"Believe what you wish," I answered, slowly rising to my feet. "I really don't care." Sighing I placed Crimson back in the sheath and began walking around him. "I'm leaving now. Please don't pursue me."

I almost passed completely by him without incident, but then I heard his body shift. He was turning toward me. My hand was still wrapped around the hilt of my blade just in case he decided to go for another round. I sincerely hope he won't though.

"Fine," he muttered. "I'll let you walk away on the condition that you keep your word."

"My word?" Confused I barely inclined my gaze toward him. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, someone's forgetful."

"Just spit it out Yoshi," I sneered, sending him a death glare while tightening my grip on Crimson's hilt. "I'd rather not waste anymore time here."

Piccolo's expression soured significantly as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Earlier you said that I would never hear from you again if I let you leave. I'll hold up my end of the bargain for now. However, should I ever catch a glimpse of you anywhere in this area, I'll deliver a permanent solution to this problem."

Shrugging I turned away from him. "That's big talk, but should you attack me again you're the one that'll end up dead. Just because your limbs regenerate doesn't mean that the rest of you does. As aggravating as you've been, I'd love to test that theory out on your head, but to do so now isn't worth the energy. I have more important matters to deal with, so I bid you farewell."

For the next few minutes I kept my hand on the blade as I walked in case the green idiot decided to keep chasing after me. After another five minutes had passed I finally lowered my hand and let out a long sigh.

"I don't see why you didn't just finish him off Kousagi," Crimson stated, breaking the silence. "You're not one to give an enemy the upper hand. Seriously, what's with you today?"

"A lot of things," I replied, stepping around the puddles that had gathered in the grass. "I'd rather not talk about it now. We still need to find shelter. Thanks to this storm and that pointless fight, I'm not sure which direction I'm going in. From what I can tell, we're not headed toward the mountains anymore which is where we needed to go."

"Why not use your powers?" Crimson questioned.

Sighing I stopped walking for a moment. "Just a few minutes ago I couldn't keep my powers under control. My powers are directly linked to my emotions. Right now I'm too on edge to concentrate on the tectonic plates beneath us. Using them as a guide would be great, but to do so is too much of risk with Mr. Yoshi still lurking about. He may not be following us, but he said he could sense our energy."

"Perhaps that is how he and the boy found us earlier."

"Most likely it is," I answered, glancing over the area. "Using my powers here would only cause unnecessary problems for us. We can't afford to draw any attention to ourselves." Letting out another sigh I added, "We're in for a long night Crimson, though an extended search for shelter out in this storm is better than the nightmares that are sure to plague us once I'm asleep." Taking off in a sprint I wondered aloud, "Did you hear Anaconda's voice earlier?"

"Of course I did, but unlike you I'm not terrified by the mere thought of him," Crimson responded nonchalantly. "You need to calm down some. If you panic we aren't going to get anywhere. If Anaconda reappears in your dreams, try to gauge some clues out of him. After all, it's clear that he's only toying with you right now. He's not ready to make a move just yet."

Crimson was aiming for the record of finely made points, but her advice wasn't something that sit well with me. In the last dream I watched Anacanda impale one of my friends and then eat their eyeballs. There's no doubt in my mind that he'll show me what he'll do to Rini next and...I'd be better off not knowing the details. Mentally I'm just too fragile to handle psychological torture. Facing the enigma of this timeline is enough to deal with on its own.

"And just what are you going to do?" Crimson asked, sounding annoyed. "Are you just going to stay awake for days on end? Kousagi, you'll wear yourself out trying to do that. You know as well as I do that being rested and alert is top priority now. You're just going to have to face..."

Shaking my head I cut off Crimson at mid-rant. "That's not something I can do yet. Crimson, you can feel my emotions. You know that seeing another vision like that, especially if it's Rini..." trailing off I stopped in my trek through the woods to look around again. At this rate it'll be morning before I'm even able to see the mountains.

Groaning I turned back around, deciding that backtracking a bit might be helpful.

"If it's Rini then..."

"Seeing Rini in the state Mina was in or worse would send me over the edge," I finally stated, keeping my gaze on the ground to avoid deep puddles of mud. "I need some time to recover from the last trauma I endured before plunging myself into another. Just a few days should be enough."

"But Kousagi, you already know that sight is something you'll never be prepared for," Crimson pointed out, breaking the all-time record of good points to be made in this situation. "Listen, it's better to face this sooner rather than later. If you don't it'll destroy you."

Crimson is probably right for once but I want to wait for as long as I can. Still, I appreciate her attempt to talk me out of my fears. I can't remember a time when Crimson was THIS concerned about my well-being. Part of it is probably because I nearly killed us both earlier...in fact that's probably the main reason.

"Hey give me a little more credit! I'm part of your soul stupid! I care about the same things you care about!"

And that's because Crimson never gives me a minute to have any mental privacy. She's always in my mind, causing needless trouble.

"I do not..."

And she loves to leave a comment about anything and everything I think about. It grates on my nerves a great deal, but in times like this her company makes me feel the tiniest bit better. At the very least, I'm not going through this craziness alone.

Which makes me wonder...how long will it take for Pluto to spill the beans about what happened to me to Rini? My sister can be a real worry wart when it comes to me and there's no doubt in my mind that she's noticed my absence from the palace by now. It's been over twenty-four hours since I left the palace. Most everyone knows that I disappear from the palace and Crystal Tokyo periodically, but I always come back after a days time. So I can only imagine what'll happen when Rini wakes up and goes about her morning routine only to realize around breakfast time that I haven't come back yet. She'll probably wait for a couple more hours and then...

Back in Crystal Tokyo

Inside the Palace Library~Midday

Setsuna Meioh, a.k.a. Sailor Pluto groaned in agitation as walked through a portal into the palace library. For the last twenty-four hours she had been stationed near the gates of time, trying to pinpoint Kousagi's location. She had searched through countless timelines and dimensions but still couldn't get a clear trace on the disobedient princess. At first she thought finding her would be a simple task granted that Kousagi had placed forbidden seals on her powers. All the Sailor Scouts could sense the dark power of the seals save for Kousagi who clearly believed she was smarter and more sneaky than everyone else. Setsuna laughed at the thought. The only reason no one called Kousagi out on working with forbidden magic was because the magic had helped keep Kousagi's Earth-shaking powers under control as well as given off a good trace. Should there ever come a time when Kousagi became a threat to the planet, she could be easily done away with, not that the queen would ever allow it. In fact, most of the Sailor Scouts wouldn't either.

Setsuna herself was on the fence about Kousagi and whether to protect her or plot her destruction now while she was weak. Setsuna's love for Chibiusa had won out on that front. However, that didn't mean that all of her comrades were on the same page. For instance, Uranus and Neptune planned the attack on the castle a year prior when the Sailor Starlights arrived as a means to get rid of Kousagi permanently whereas Jupiter was on the fence just like Setsuna was and had decided to keep Kousagi safe for the sake of the queen.

The rest of the Sailor Scouts couldn't care less if Kousagi's birth was an omen for the destruction of their world. Mercury, Mars, Venus, and Saturn all cared deeply for Kousagi and would give their lives to protect her from harm.

Of course, thanks to her inability to keep the stubborn child under control, Crystal Tokyo's princess is missing and the state of the space time continuum has become completely imbalanced. Plus, to make matters worse, Setsuna sensed a dark phenomena in one of the dimensions she had searched through. The presence felt familiar, so in a haste she had come to the palace library to look into the magical archives.

Unfortunately, the second the portal disappeared from behind her she heard a loud scream that only a daughter of Neo-Queen Serenity could muster, coming from the direction of the kitchen...which happened to be on the other side of the palace.

"WHERE IS MY SISTER!?"

Setsuna let out a long sigh. "It might be a better idea to come back later..."

A/N: Yeah...that's an odd place to end it, but what I have planned is better suited for the next chapter. I may have to make it a chapter of exposition since I've left all of you with major questions and have given little to no answers so far. My updates on this are slow, so it'll be a little while before the next chapter comes out. I was actually going to wait a little longer to upload the chapter, but I just couldn't hold it back anymore. Thanks for reading and for leaving me reviews. You guys are so awesome! Really, I can't believe how the review count for this has shot up. (Feel free to visit my other works. I mean, this'll take a little bit to update so if you want to, take a peek at my other stuff and leave me a review. And if my other works isn't your cup of tea, there's plenty of stories in my favorites list that'll be sure to grab your attention. Go check them out too.)

Special Thanks: Before I forget, I'd like to extend a special thank you to Princesa De La Luna for being an awesome friend and for recommending my work to so many people. Seriously, girl, I can not thank you enough. You are super special awesome! God bless!