Author's Note: Hi everyone! I know what you're thinking- she actually put up another update in a reasonable amount of time? Crazy, I know! However, I finally have some free time this summer, and so I was able to write a new chapter relatively fast. Like many previous chapters, this was originally one chapter that had to be split in two, though I hope you don't mind. In either case, thank you to Jaimesesshy for her messages and questions, as well as NeoMiniTails and Hana Sora for their messages and reviews! A special thank you to Hana Sora for reading on Dokuga as well! :) Thank you also to Aiyana, the kind Guest, The Path of Supreme Conquest, sverhei, and Sin of the Fallen. I truly appreciate your reviews and readership! Thank you to everyone else who read my story and continue to support it!

Enjoy!

~ladykikyo1792

Chapter 20: Shattered Illusions

It was over.

Finally, the civil war was all but over. Roughly ten planets were left among those who had to send in their decisions about the secession. Every other world had responded in record time, and most had chosen to stay. Kikyo could not have anticipated a better response.

She could hardly have anticipated her lover's survival, and was thanking Mars Ares profusely for both the end of the war and Inuyasha's life. She could not stop staring at him in awe, and she could not stop smiling.

For his part, Inuyasha gazed at her with utmost admiration. His yellow eyes were bright with love, and he knew then that being with her was the best part of his life. She was his life.

If he had remained dead, leaving her alone would have been his only regret.

Luckily, though, Inuyasha did not have to even think of that. And he had Kagome to thank. He glanced over at the Solarian princess, who was currently nestled in his brother's arms. Inuyasha still found Sesshomaru's affection for Kagome a bit strange, considering his brother's past, but he'd never seen his brother smile in his entire life. When Sesshomaru was around Kagome though, he did smile. It was only for a few seconds, but it happened. Kagome was bringing out a part of Sesshomaru that had been locked away for a long time.

Sesshomaru himself was currently lounging against the wall, Kagome resting in his arms. Absentmindedly, he stroked her long, black hair. Somehow, in the midst of one of the worst wars he'd ever seen, Kagome's hair remained incredibly beautiful. The strands reminded him of silk. She sighed, and relaxed in his arms.

Sesshomaru allowed a small smile to escape. His inner youkai was vastly pleased with the situation.

However, their idyll could not last forever, and the time for the broadcast was approaching.

Brushing off her gown, Kikyo stood up, facing Erinna. The demoness had just begun to advise her on how to explain her sudden change in mood when a button lit up and began flickering near one of the monitors. Then another, and another, until finally twenty buttons were flashing in various colors.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked, noting Sesshomaru's sudden tension. She looked up at him, and his face was stern and wary.

"Someone is trying to communicate with us," he said, "which is unusual, given that the broadcast was scheduled to give us a chance to communicate with the rest of the universe." Reluctantly, he disentangled her from his arms and also rose, approaching the buttons. The demon prince, Kikyo, and demoness stood by the consoles, uncertain. Sesshomaru did not seem pleased by the situation, and neither did his mother; Kikyo herself simply hadn't expected it and so wasn't quite sure how to react.

"Well," Sailor Mercury said, "You should answer. There's no other way to find out who it is, is there? There's too many incoming communications for you to read the individual identification codes; it's jamming the server." She frowned, typing in a few codes to try to fix the problem, to no avail. She shook her head, and the Andromedan princess sighed, then pressed one of the buttons.

Immediately, a reporter's image appeared on the monitor directly in front of Kikyo.

"Your Imperial Highness!" a reporter barked, her image flickering on the screen, "What do you say to the rumors of you cheating on Lord Sesshomaru with your bodyguard?!" She shuffled her papers, fixing hard eyes on Kikyo.

"Wh-what?" Kikyo asked, for the first time in her life stunned by a reporter's question. She had absolutely no idea what to say, and her mouth was dry. Finally, she tried, "I- I..." but could not find any other words. Her mind was utterly blank.

Before the reporter could respond, Erinna slammed the button with her first, cutting off the transmission. Electricity crackled up her arm, but she did not react to it at all. The demoness disregarded the remaining buttons, which began to beep along with their flickering, all of them creating a cacophony of electronic tones, as though hundreds of people were demanding their attention. She ignored them all, fixed her stern gaze on her son and his fiancée, and ordered:

"When the next reporter asks you about this," Erinna gestured to the other buttons, "because these, I guarantee you, are even more reporters, you say the rumors are entirely untrue. You say you are engaged to Sesshomaru, you were always excited to marry him, and that he has won your heart even more after helping you protect your people and assisting you in your implementation of an innovative form of government. Then, you quickly change the topic and discuss how Alpheratz is now secure, refugees are landing safely, hospitals are treating the wounded, and how almost all other astral bodies in Andromeda have sent their responses to the secession question by electing to remain in the Empire."

At this, Inuyasha got to his feet, and demanded, "What are you talking about? You know as well as everyone else in this room that Kikyo and Sesshomaru were never in love with each other! They never wanted to get married! I love Kikyo, and she loves me! Sesshomaru-" at Sesshomaru's sharp look, Inuyasha didn't finish the sentence.

Don't even think of speaking, halfling. This is not the time to argue against my mother.

Really, Sesshomaru? You're going to keep up this stupid charade? What about Kag-

I SAID, Sesshomaru's face was expressionless as he raged at Inuyasha in his thoughts, DO NOT FIGHT AGAINST MY MOTHER. I will handle this, and I will not hurt Kagome. Don't you dare suggest I would hurt her again. And keep quiet; I can't have you ruining this.

Ruining what? Inuyasha retorted, but Sesshomaru ignored him. Instead, Sesshomaru approached Erinna and said:

"Mother, let me handle this. I will speak to the reporters," Erinna gave him a doubtful look, but Sesshomaru continued, utterly nonplussed, "Kikyo has had an incredibly emotionally trying day and is hardly in her best state to address questions of this nature. I, however, have not endured quite the emotional upheaval she has, and I know exactly what to say." At the certainty in his words, Erinna finally nodded. She stepped aside, and Sesshomaru activated the camera in front of him, beginning the broadcast.

Sesshomaru cleared his throat, and stated simply:

"I would like to address certain rumors that are currently flying about the universe that question Her Imperial Highness, Princess Kikyo's, integrity and loyalty. These rumors- false rumors -claim that she betrayed me and our betrothal after its inception by having an affair with her bodyguard. She did no such thing. As many of you know, Kikyo and I have been betrothed for the past year. As is the custom in many imperial and royal marriages, the match was arranged by our mothers, Empress Kikyuri, and Archduchess Erinna. I was told that Kikyo had agreed to the match before being asked myself, and as such, I had no idea that her heart already belonged to another."

Both Inuyasha's and Erinna's jaws had dropped. Erinna was clearly furious that this was what her son had chosen to talk about- however, she didn't dare stop him in the middle of the broadcast. He held the surrounding galaxies spellbound by his story, and if she pulled him offscreen, there would be an intergalactic uproar over what would be seen as a potential cover-up.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, couldn't believe his older brother had defied Erinna like this. It was wildly out of character, and the ramifications of what Sesshomaru was doing were incredible.

Sesshomaru, paying no heed to Erinna's fuming, continued, "Her current bodyguard, Inuyasha- who has remarkably survived horrific injuries today -has been her friend since she was young. He became her bodyguard when she was fourteen years old, and over the course of the next year, the two fell in love, and their love has only deepened since then," the demon prince swallowed, then said, "Had I known that she was in love with someone else, never mind my half-brother, I never would have agreed to the match. I am not one to destroy love. Furthermore, I later found out that Kikyo was told I had agreed first, and commanded to accept the betrothal by order of her mother. Kikyo could not refuse, as Her Imperial Majesty is both her mother, and her empress."

Kagome was stunned by Sesshomaru's ability to weave a story. While he was describing truthful events, he was phrasing them in such a way that simultaneously portrayed Kikyo and Inuyasha as purehearted lovers and himself as a caring, if oblivious, half-brother and prospective fiancé. All of them were innocent of any wrongdoing. He had transformed Kikyo from a vilified whore to a woman loyal and steadfast who followed her heart, regardless of rank, and Inuyasha from a perverted, lowly staff member to a man who had been her friend, guardian, protector, and lover for many years. It utterly refuted the ugly rumors about their situation, and in fact, made Kikyo and Inuyasha icons of true love who deserved to be admired for their devotion to one another.

Sesshomaru went on, "Kikyo and I were both coerced into a betrothal without being aware of the other's feelings. Even in arranged matches, both parties are aware of the match being made beforehand. This did not happen in our case. That makes the betrothal invalid from its inception. As our betrothal was invalid from the start, Kikyo cannot have possibly broken it, or betrayed me. Neither she nor Inuyasha have done anything wrong. In either case, I hereby release her from any remaining ties of the betrothal, false though it was. I wish her and Inuyasha all happiness in the stars, and have no feelings of anger towards either of them. In fact, for quite some time, I have had feelings for another lady-"

Kagome gasped. Oh my Mars, he can't possibly be thinking of saying this on an intergalactic news broadcast! The other senshi's faces whirled around to stare at her in shock. She shrugged, indicating that she had had no idea Sesshomaru was going to say any of this. While Sailors Mercury and Jupiter appeared rather stunned at the whole turn of events, Sailor Venus was suppressing a giggle at Kagome's aghast expression, and Sailors Moon and Mars were smiling at her.

"-and I was lamenting that any match between her and I could never be. However, it is now my intention to pursue this lady, and hope that as much happiness between myself and her as exists between Inuyasha and Kikyo. I only hope you wish each of us the same happiness," Sesshomaru's golden eyes switched to the console, which was beeping and had nearly a hundred buttons lighting up in all the colors of the rainbow, then trained his gaze on the camera, and said, "While I am sure you all have questions, and I promise I will answer them later, now I would prefer to focus on the more important issue at hand, which is the state of the Empire of Andromeda and the safety of its citizens."

With that, Sesshomaru changed topics as if nothing had ever happened.

On a starship bound for Earth, Queen Equinity, Prince Endymion, Beryl, and the Shitennou Lords were engaged in deep discussion. A mortified Equinity had profusely apologized to King Savitr and Queen Mohaka for the disruption, and for the terrible behavior of her son and his friends, then quickly excused them from the celebration. Although a part of her hoped that their leaving would allow the Federation royals to forget the horrible incident, she knew that it was highly unlikely. In fact, her son's brawl would probably reinforce their already negative opinion of Earthans.

In minutes, they had destroyed everything she had worked for.

As such, Queen Equinity was furious. The normally placid queen stalked back and forth, yelling at Jedite and Endymion with such force that the pilots, seated in the cockpit, ten feet away, winced:

"Do you have any idea what you've just done!? All our efforts at acceptance have been ruined! We will never regain an opportunity like the one we just lost, I guarantee you that! Even our honorary membership of the Federation is gone after tonight. And do you know what else that means? Queen Serenity's protection and aid are gone! All of the medical supplies they give us, all of the help with demons...our people are going to suffer and die because of your arrogance!"

Beryl had never seen the queen in such a state, and couldn't help but stare at her in a mix of fear and admiration. Arguably, she never wanted Equinity to be mad at her- being on the receiving end of her anger seemed terrible -but she found the way the other generals, and even Endymion, responded to her anger slightly fascinating. Endymion was cowed both because Equinity was his mother, and because he knew that he had singlehandedly embarrassed his own kingdom. Jedite did not seem to regret his actions, but at Equinity's mention of how the Earthan commoners would suffer, a slight glance of pity flared across his previously inscrutable face. Kunzite's face was white, hardly knowing how to react around his enraged monarch, while Zoisite and Nephrite's faces were grim. All four generals were deathly aware of the consequences of the fight this evening, and none of those consequences were good.

"I can't even bring myself to look at you," Equinity snarled at her son. Turning to Jedite, she added, "And you! Jedite, as talented a general as you are, and as good a friend as you are to my son, you know I have to bring you up on military charges. There is nothing I can do to change that."

"I know," Jedite said, the words razor sharp. Noting his tone, Equinity's eyes narrowed, and she added venomously:

"Though those charges are absolutely warranted in this case, given its ramifications for our people. In fact, Endymion, if you were not my son, and the only heir to this kingdom, you would also be brought up on charges. However, as there is no other heir, you will simply have to bear the brunt of the humiliation and try to somehow salvage our reputation in this mess, though how you can do that without the expense of your own I can't begin to imagine."

"The hypocrisy of this is ridiculous," Jedite muttered under his breath. Equinity didn't look at him as she said softly:

"Jedite, Endymion is the supreme commander of the Kingdom of Earth's military forces. It would normally fall to him to discipline you. We all know what the outcome of the charges against you will be, and what the penalty is. You should be grateful that I will not have him be the one to carry out the penalty against you."

Beryl gasped, lifting a shaking hand to her lips. Although the queen was not specific in what she was saying, her meaning was clear: Jedite would be sentenced to death for his crimes, and he should count his blessings that Endymion, his former friend- who would have been the one to carry out his execution, as his superior -would not be the one to kill him.

The next day, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune were patrolling the borders of the system, as per Setsuna's instructions. They had been patrolling for the past eight hours, and had seen nothing unusual. Finally, the two exhausted senshi had decided they could break for a brief lunch. They had just settled into their pilot's and copilot's seats (Uranus in the pilot seat, Neptune in copilot), when Sailor Neptune spotted what appeared to be a black starship zooming towards her planet, zigzagging to avoid Neptune's standard orbital security starships. Unlike other starships she had seen, it bore no insignia or identifying markers, and she knew at once that this was what Setsuna had been warning them about.

"Follow that ship!" she commanded, and Sailor Uranus floored it, sending their own starship chasing after the black one. The black ship had noticed that they were following it, and had given up any pretense of stealth. It shot through an orbital security checkpoint, and the senshi barely had time to register the shocked faces of Neptunian guards in their patrol ships as they too ran through it.

Abruptly, the black ship changed course, and then began to fire lasers at the planet.

"Neptune Poseidon, it's aiming at the capital!" Sailor Neptune shrieked, panic filling her voice. She pressed her face to the window, praying she was somehow seeing incorrectly, but knowing in her heart that she wasn't.

Neptune's capital city, Atlantis, was located on the planet's only landmass of any significant size. Though it was a single island, it was where almost all of its population resided. Any large-scale attack on Atlantis would cause massive loss of life.

She whirled to Sailor Uranus and demanded, "You steer the ship, give me control of our guns! I'm going to shoot it down!"

"Are you crazy?!" Sailor Uranus barked, "We've entered the atmosphere now! If you miss, you'll be firing on your own city! Even if you do shoot it down, the debris are going to be flaming and set the city on fire. I don't care how much water it's surrounded by; if you hit that thing, Atlantis will burn before the end of the day, and you'll be responsible for killing your own subjects!"

"Then what, exactly, do you suggest I do, Haruka?! I can't stand here and let these bastards attack my planet!"

"I suggest you take the controls, and get as close to it as you possibly can!" Sailor Uranus got up, then yanked Sailor Neptune into the pilot's seat, situating her lover's fingers around the controls.

Sailor Neptune demanded, "And what are you going to do, while I somehow get close to it and try not to crash into it!?" Her aquamarine eyes flashed with fear, anger, and concern all at once.

Sailor Uranus replied, "Wait and see." Before Sailor Neptune could get a word in edgewise, she closed her eyes, pushed open the emergency escape hatch in the ceiling, and climbed on top of their starship. She ignored Sailor Neptune's protestations and questions, then crawled towards the front, gripping the nails embedded into the starship's surface in a desperate struggle to hang on. Wind whipped by her face, and a few stray tears flew from her eyes. She forced herself to focus on the black ship that was getting closer and closer by the second.

Come on, she thought, Come on, Michiru, just a little more! Almost as if her lover had heard her words, her starship closed in on the black starship. She sucked in a deep breath, then flung herself forward.

In the back of her mind, she noticed that Sailor Neptune was screaming her name.

In Andromeda, the fighting had stopped. Each starship that landed bearing refugees also brought supplies to assist in rebuilding Alpheratz, which was ravaged beyond almost all recognition. Although the senshi had helped where they could- Sailor Mercury had been responsible for putting out the majority of the fires spreading around the city, while Sailor Mars and Kagome had worked with doctors in trying to heal the wounded -it would still take days to make the star bear even a passing resemblance toward its former self.

Still, maybe that wasn't a bad thing. Perhaps the rebirth of the city would also be the rebirth of the Empire, or so Kagome told herself. She hadn't had a chance to discuss what Sesshomaru meant exactly by his "intention to pursue this lady" -who was, of course, her -but she was thrilled that he had mentioned her anyway. Kikyo and Inuyasha, meanwhile, were both thrilled that she was free of her betrothal to Sesshomaru. Kagome wasn't exactly upset about that, either.

Now, if only we could get the Imperial House marriage laws to change...she thought to herself.

She heard Sesshomaru's voice almost chuckle in her mind, Not so fast. We need to have the Senate restored first, and elections to replace many deceased senators. Then we have to figure out how, specifically, your new form of government is going to work. They will also have to pass the creation of a Committee of Citizens, and the citizens must be chosen- there's a lot to do before anyone considers Inuyasha as a prospective husband for Kikyo.

Kagome smiled at him, and answered him out loud, "I know. Can't stop a girl from trying, though." She paused, admiring his handsome features- made even more handsome when he returned her smile -though then, her own smile faded, "Of course, this means you're going to be needed here, doesn't it? I'm probably not going to see you again for a while." Her heart sunk at the thought. It was the engagement tour all over again...but somehow worse, because this time, she knew it was for a noble cause, not just Kikyuri's and Erinna's ambitions.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Sesshomaru replied, his voice light, "While I will be most certainly needed here, I would argue that you will be requested to visit very often."

"Oh, really?" Kagome said, her own voice flirtatious. She leaned towards him and gazed up into his eyes, curious to see what he would do. Surrounding citizens might gossip about how near she was standing to him- barely an inch away. Perhaps they would realize she was the mystery lady, and that would make the news. Perhaps word would reach her father, and he would be inclined to agree to a betrothal to avoid any insult to her honor...

She could dream, anyway.

Sesshomaru's inner youkai flared with longing, and the demon prince hurriedly squashed it down. Not the time, he warned it, though he didn't quite disagree with its pronunciation of: But she is so beautiful, and so close, and ours...

It was a temptation that he desperately needed to resist, at least for a little while longer.

Sesshomaru sighed, running a clawed hand through his long hair, "Yes, really. Particularly considering you were the one who came up with this insane idea for a governmental system, you're also the only one who can be considered an expert on it- and therefore, essential for us in knowing exactly how to implement it."

Kagome crossed her arms and said, "I was hoping for a slightly more romantic answer than that, but that works too, I guess."

Sesshomaru grinned, kissed her lightly on the forehead, then went off to supervise some workers who were trying to rebuild a shattered portion of the palace. Their painfully inept efforts quickly became concentrated and concise under his direction, and already she could see how the rooms would be reshaped. She sat down on one of the steps of the Senate- amazingly enough, the stairs leading to it had survived, though the building itself had long since collapsed -and raised her face to the sky, savoring the view of stars without them being backed by laserfire.

"It's crazy to think, but do you realize that we stopped an entire war?" Sailor Mars said, coming over to sit next to Kagome. Her black hair blew softly in the wind, and while her uniform was dirty, she was smiling, and looked beautiful anyway.

"I know," Kagome answered, "and in just a few days!" Had the senshi not arrived when they did, Kagome knew without a doubt that the war would still be ongoing and bloody. It probably would have been for a very long time.

"Can you imagine," Sailor Venus added, approaching from their left, "what our parents are going to say when we get back?" She giggled, and Sailors Mercury, Moon, and Jupiter, who were accompanying her, couldn't help but crack smiles. The four senshi all sat down on the steps next to them.

"Oh my Mars," Kagome whispered, "Father!" A part of her had forgotten that her father's wedding had only been a few days earlier. Although she knew that coming to help Kikyo had been the absolute right thing to do, she was fairly sure Savitr wasn't going to be happy about her leaving his wedding, never mind throwing herself headlong into danger.

"Don't worry, Kagome," Sailor Moon said, squeezing Kagome's hand, "I'm sure your father is going to be very proud of you. You made some incredible political decisions that helped end a major war, preserve many lives, and save a galaxy itself."

"As a politician, he may be proud," Kagome conceded, "but as a father...somehow, I feel like I'm going to get a very long lecture from him." She put her head in her hands, and groaned. While Savitr was a majestic, noble king, he was also her father. He didn't normally discipline her- he'd never had any real cause, as she was always a "good" daughter -but she had seen him discipline her siblings. He was famous among the royal children for his lectures. Kagura claimed that the shortest lecture she had earned from him was two hours.

"I'm certain we all will," Sailor Mercury chirped, "and I'm also certain we'll be confined to our home planets for a few days. Still, that's not quite so bad. One thing I've learned from this whole mess is how to hijack teleportation systems." At the others' confused grins, she winked, "I can make sure we all see each other anyway. We're not going to be as 'confined' as they think."

At the normally angelic Sailor Mercury's blatant disregard for the rules, the others laughed.

Sailor Uranus landed with a thud onto the black starship. Somehow, she grabbed onto one of its wings, fought for purchase, and swung herself on top of it, gritting her teeth. She had to do this. Not only for herself, or any of the innocent people on the ground, but for Michiru.

Please, Uranus Caelus, she thought, please let me do this. Her entire haphazard plan depended on this one thing...

Closing her eyes, she thought of her desperate need- of the people's need, of her lover's need...then she gasped.

Clasped in her right hand was the Space Sword, the talisman for Uranus- the very weapon that her parents, Luna, and Artemis had denied her, allowing only her brother to access it. Clearly, Uranus Caelus held no such prejudices against her, else she would never have been given it.

"Thank you!" Sailor Uranus whispered, then screamed as the ship suddenly rolled to the left. She fumbled, almost dropping the sword, but managed to hang on as the ship righted itself. Apparently, the pilot had noticed she was on top of the ship, and had correctly guessed she was out to sabotage him, but she couldn't get a good look at his face, no matter how hard she tried.

Just then, the ship lurched to the right, then to the left again.

The damn guy is trying to shake me off and kill me! she cursed.

Sailor Uranus scrambled, forcing herself to hold on and do the impossible. Beads of sweat wrung her brow, and her fingers felt as though they were on fire. Each time the pilot tried to throw her off, she held on even harder. Her grip was so tight it felt as though as her fingers would break.

Enough of this, Sailor Uranus thought, I need to bring this guy down! She began to scan the landscape, hoping to find somewhere- anywhere -that she could bring down the starship somewhat safely in the crowded city. She spotted a few fires in the distance- the result of the earlier laserfire, no doubt -but they didn't seem to be spreading. Guards likely had those under control, so she had the luxury of worrying about them later. Fixing her eyes on the ground beneath her, she realized with a sudden start they were approaching the royal palace- in fact, they would hit it in just under a minute if she didn't act.

Luckily, leading up to the palace was a rectangular shaped pool, about one hundred feet long and twenty feet wide. It was the centerpiece of an elaborate garden, and so away from any other important buildings.

It was also the only place she could hope to do the least damage with this starship.

Sailor Uranus took a deep breath, then pulled herself towards the front of the ship. Praying this crazy stunt worked- if not, she'd end up dead -she put one gloved hand on the nose of her ship, and swung herself underneath at. She held the Space Sword, and neatly sliced the bottom of the ship with it- destroying the engine. The ship immediately began to whine, and plunged towards the water, smoke billowing from the engine. There was no way the pilot could regain flight.

Satisfied, Sailor Uranus now had to consider a second part of her plan: where she herself was going to land. She hadn't thought it through before, and realized abruptly if she hit the water at her current height and speed, she'd severely injure herself.

Oh well, she thought grimly, I've got no other options. She braced herself for impact, but instead of hitting the water, she crashed into the back wall of her own ship's cockpit, Sailor Neptune screaming at her:

"What the hell, Haruka!? What in Neptune Poseidon's name was that!?"

Sailor Uranus pulled herself to her feet, and spat blood out of her mouth. While smacking into the wall had hurt, it had hurt her decidedly less than if she'd hit the water. Evidently, Sailor Neptune had stayed close to the black ship even after Sailor Uranus had jumped on it, and when Sailor Uranus had flung herself off it, dropped her own ship down, sped it forward, and opened the glass covering the pilot's windows, leaving the cockpit exposed to the Neptunian air- and providing Sailor Uranus with a somewhat safe place to land.

"That would be me, saving your planet with minimal casualties. I think I only destroyed a few orchids," she leaned over the control board, "and you learned how to work the convertible feature, I see. Nice."

"Not the time, Haruka," Sailor Neptune snapped, "Remind me to kill you later, after we kill him!" She pointed a gloved finger to the figure who had just emerged from the downed black starship. He was followed by about two dozen other figures- figures who looked eerily similar to the bizarre monsters who had appeared at Rei's debut. Still, the head figure was absolutely human. Like his ship, he was clothed in black- although, on closer inspection, it appeared to be a dark grey...

Sailor Neptune began to bring their own ship down as fast as possible, and her eyes narrowed:

"Oh, my Neptune...is that?"

She couldn't even complete the sentence, even though she recognized the figure clearly: a man with long blonde hair, sporting a dark grey, Earthan military uniform.

Zoisite.