What Becomes Of Us
Chapter 18

"It seems it is our turn to join in the battle." She said with a small smile but the savage smirk that crossed the men's features made her feel almost sorry for whoever was attacking them, almost.

"Diamond, the moon is under attack, we need to fight the enemy off. Are you strong enough to join in the battle or do you need more time for recovery?" Serenity asked the silver haired prince.

"I can fight." He said.

"Are you sure?" Serenity asked worriedly and he nodded.

"Then let's go!"

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"Phantom Guardian Power, Transform!" Kyle called out his power incantation as soon as Serenity gave order to move out. A whirlwind of golden light blazed around him which was followed by a silver light reflecting off of the silver crescent moon with a clover leaf on his forehead. When the display of light died down, a golden uniformed man with golden long her to the waist stood in kyle's place.

"Shadow Guardian Maze, Transform" Leotti murmured and a dark liquid mist formed around his feet and he sank down as if sinking into mud. As soon as his head entered, a brilliant white light sparkled for a brief moment and Leotti reappeared as Shadow, prince of the shadow realm and Serenity's protector.

"Amethyst Moon Knight Power, Transform"

"Topaz Moon Knight Power, Transform!"

"Sapphire Moon Knight Power, Transform." The light or moon knights called their transformations and a minute later they stood in their silver armors differentiated by their individual colors.

"Malachite Earth Stone energize!"

"Jadeite Earth Stone Energize!"

"Nephrite Earth Stone Energize!"

"Zoicite Earth stone Energize!" the Earth generals called out their powers, their bodies surrounded by their guardian spirits energy. Soon they stood beside the moon generals in armors of blue-green and helmets in the shape of their guardian beast.

Kunzite wore a helmet of the northern ice dragon, Jadeite wore the phoenix of the south, Nephrite stood tall in the helmet of the gryphon of the west and Zoicite in the helmet of the eastern creature know as Unicorn.

"Shadow Moon Super Crystal Power, Make Up!" Nehelaniah called, her body engulfed in flames of gray clouds twirling around her legs and rising above her head as her hair stood up. One at a time a bluish gray light formed a ribbon around her body, each place that was touched would be covered by her sailor outfit. When the display was over, the shadow moon queen stood as sailor shadow moon, dressed in gray sailor skirt with white body suite and a gray cape with the symbol of a black crescent moon on her forehead.

"You guys go ahead; I shall be with you in a minute." Serenity instructed before pulling Nehelaniah aside for a private session.

"Shadow Moon, I know you've always done as I selfishly request and I am forever grateful for your patience and loyalty. This is going to be a hard battle, so I am not giving you the choice, you can sit out of this. This battle may claim many lives; please you don't have to feel that because I ask it you have to risk your life for me." Serenity said sincerely. Nehelaniah had the only one to never question her and followed her blindly. She loved the girl, her very best friend but she was not sure of Nehelaniah's loyalty to her. Did she do all she does because she felt she owed Serenity something for saving her life?

"I can see you doubt me." Nehelaniah said.

"Huh, not at all. I just rather you made the choice to fight on your own or not to."

"You never listen to me do you?" Nehelaniah said, her eyes sparkling with blue flames of anger, hurt and regret. "How many times must I tell you that I follow you not due to any moral obligation but because I want to be with you? You've known all along but you pretend you don't see, so not to face the problem. At first I had thought that was enough for me, as long as you kept me at your side it would be all that I want but I am tired of that now! I am by your side but it always feels like you are putting me at a distance! So I will say it in a way you won't be able to run away from!" Nehelaniah stepped forward and kissed Serenity. She pressed her full body up to Serenity and deepened the kiss as serenity's mouth opened slightly in surprise. She claimed that chance by diving her tongue into the moon princess mouth. Serenity not knowing what to do stood still and let the girl do as she pleased until she backed up for air.

"That is my feelings for you. I love you; I follow you because I want to be with you. After this battle is over and the enemy defeated, I will go my separate way." She said and turned to go. "I will protect the prince for you." she called over her shoulder as Serenity stood stunned looking at her retreating back.

"So it was you after all." Shadow said and Serenity turned to her startled.

"What do you mean?" Serenity asked with wide eyes.

"I asked her out be she refused me saying she loved someone else. I had thought she meant Kyle but obviously she meant you. How could I have missed that?" he wondered and serenity shook her head. She sighed and ran her hand through her hair in a troubled manner, her face reflecting the battle in her head. Shadow looked at her for a minute, his resolve hardening before moving down the path Nehelaniah had walked. A few paces away from Serenity with his back to her he spoke up.

"Serenity, we are like glasses. Fine wine glasses at your mercy. You could easily throw us to the ground and we will shatter or hold us gently and trust us not to break as you drink wine from us. Back in the silver millennium, I lived everyday happy because I had a purpose. You have allowed the betrayal of the scouts to close off feeling too much for anybody and as such you have kept us all at a distance. I now question what my purpose in life is. I was born to protect and serve you for as long as I live but I don't think I can do that anymore. Not because I don't want to but because you don't allow me to. So if you don't need me, please release me and like Nehelaniah, after this battle I shall go my own way. I am not a person who can work half-heartedly, so please make up your mind. You expect us to love and trust you, to believe in you and to be loyal to you, but we are all people. We too expect the same of you. Make up your mind Serenity, before you loose everything. You cannot treat us as if you blame us for the mistakes of the sailor scouts. It's like a woman hating all men for the mistake of just one." He said and walked off, leaving Serenity in silent contemplation. After a minute she sighed and headed into the heart of the underworld moon. She needed advice and the only one she knew she could talk to was her mother.

She could not pretend she didn't know anymore. She had deliberately kept them all at a distance, fear of betrayal and rejection dictating her every action. She had known of Nehelaniah's feelings, but remembering how her involvement in trying to help Rei had actually produced an unfavorable result, she had been afraid to face Nehelaniah. But she could deceive her self anymore. The thought that they might leave her filled her with horror. She was seeing all over the betrayals of the scout, Darien's indifferent attitude, Rei's cold and hateful gaze, Lita's disgusted face, Mina's anger and Amy's disappointed continence. How they had all left her one after the other, was that going to be her fate again? Sudden panic and memories clouded her mind, causing both physical and mental agony that rocked her body to the ground.

"Stop it!" she screamed but the memories reopened the wound on her chest, her heart bleeding and tears falling from her eyes. She held herself as if facing against the world on her own ash her body shook with sobs.

"No, leave me alone!" she screamed, seeing all over the uncertainties from the silver millennium, the hesitant approach of the new future and the ruined future of crystal Tokyo. Rini's spiteful attitude and the scouts annoyance of her. She began to doubt herself, see herself as the real monster behind Serena's death. She had betrayed Darien first. If only she had went to him to inquire about his feelings for Serena instead of sneaking around to Rei and causing all those unnecessary pain. Her betrayal, she had not trusted Darien. That was worse betrayal, to have the person you loved doubt you.

I am a monster. She thought, loosing herself in the darkness of doubts.

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Outside on the surface of the moon, the earth and moon generals with phantom and shadow and shadow moon and prince diamond were engaged in a fierce battle that had not been seen since the sailor wars. The enemies full of vampires and werewolves counting to the thousands fought at incredible speed, power and strength that surprised the moon allies. Yet they did not quake or back up, the fought back with equal if not greater power and strength. Strategizing in teamwork and cunning performance that awed their enemies.

Phantom, haven been known as the best swordsman in a silver millennium demonstrated that true to fame he was no novice with the sword, running and teleporting, he demonstrated speed and rolls of skillful moves and power that was unmatched by any. He would cut down twenty to thirty enemies at once then appear just as fast in a different position, delivering the same blows. His movements were and seen, his blade just a brief flash that did not give the direction to which it headed yet all the while he was conscious of the suffering of his princess. he wanted to go to her, but he knew there was nothing he could do. She had to over come her struggles all on her own.

From his side shadows ability to blend into any shadow was his greatest weapon. He would shape shift and shadow maze himself as one of the enemies, leaving them no way or suspicion that he was working for their opponent. His speed was even greater than Phantom's his touch leaving burning fleshes and torturous moans. He fought with both sword and magic, his magic most efficient of all. a blink of his eye would blow up enemies as if they were flies crowded together in a small space and swatted with a fly swatter. The stretch of his hand would deliver a punch of black magic and a thought would spread a shield to protect his friends against the on slaughter of the enemy. He was without mercy, using his anger at the pain his princess was suffering through as a boost of raw energy to annihilate the enemy as if they were the cause of it.

The moon generals also demonstrated their power, the reason why they were the only warriors held in strong esteem and in equal power as the sailor soldiers thousand of years ago. Their teamwork was flawless, the covering for each other, their movement and energies a bewildering blur to their opponent. The enemies began to realize that these warriors were nothing like the sailor soldiers they fought earlier. These were trained fighters, serial killers to their enemies. They did not hesitate nor held back, and most importantly, they all had their own individual that they mastered in that complimented each other well. These were fearsome warriors who cared nothing for themselves and dove into battles like soulless puppets with no regard for themselves only to do the bidding of their master.

The earth generals were no amateurs either, thought their skill and teamwork were not as professional as the moon generals, they did not lack the it either, they fought with swords and the magic of the earth behind their every strike. They fought with hopes of surviving so that they could fix the gape between their prince and princess. They fought with the hope of restoring order and harmony into the distorted music and starting again the peaceful flow of time. They would not lose.

On her own, Shadow Moon also fought with the confidence of one having authority at her own home. The Moon was her home, she knew how to cause shadows and illusions, how to fracture the light and how to deceive her enemies. She drew on her powers, calling out incantation that produced dark attacks that first would torture her enemies before mercilessly dricing them to their death. Her pain at her words to Serenity drove her to a degree of madness. She had said she would leave Serenity's side at the battles ending but she did not want that. she feared she could not take her words back and if so, she would rather give her all to the enemy, destroying them and herself in the process. She would not live in a world where she is not by the side of the one she loved. She didn't expect Serenity to suddenly make her her lover; she just wanted to be trusted by Serenity. For Serenity to have faith and confidence in her, to confide in her.

But I've ruined it all. She thought bitterly, tears rolling down her face. this forced her to thoroughly throw herself into the battle, not caring when she was hit by the enemy. At one point she stood before an enemies attack, with deliberate need to be hit but Shadow dove down and scooted her out of harms way.

"Don't be a fool. Do you think this is what Serenity wants? Have faith in her, she will change and things will get better. Besides, I am not ready to let you go. You said you love Serenity more than me and that is fine, but in the end I will be the only one you belong to." He promised before leaving her in a shadowy place to compose herself. She thought of his words and mastered her nerves, putting aside her despair and believing in his words. Serenity would most definitely make the right choice!

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Right after Keri had regain control over her body, the scouts had split for their own personal business. Darien had taken Keri for a walk in the park; Rini had gone to see the other friends of Serena that weren't sailor soldiers, Lita had returned to her shop with the two Amazon girls, Amy to the hospital, Mina to the studio and the outers back to the battlefield along with Seiya and Galaxia.

Rei had gone home, and sat on her bed to give thoughts to what Helios had told her. In order to repent for her crimes and seek Serena, she must banish the darkness in her heart and in doing so she would loose her powers, her legacy. Was it worth it? Could she give up everything just like that because of one stupid mistake she had made. Sighing in frustrating, she picked up an album and began looking over it. It started with pictures of her mother, her relationship with her father then to her birth, her mothers death and to the very first friend she ever made; Serena. Under the picture of Serena there was a piece of folded paper. She was confused at first for what it may be but when she opened it, she remembered writing that letter a week after getting to know Serena. She read it out loud.

To myself -

This is a picture of the very first good friend I have made in my life. Or she made me her friend. It was funny, I mistook her for some evil spirit but I couldn't be far from the truth. On the surface she is like a child, whining and crying and eating a lot. She is a failure in school and she has no grace. At first she had just been an annoyance to me and even now she is still annoying but I have realized something since I meet her. That I can change myself from this bitter and spitefulness of living with no parents and having not had a single friend to a person who cares for others.

She has a good pure heart and mind, her smile is warm that I find myself smiling; her eyes would sparkle like a kid opening a Christmas present. She is always worrying about me, Molly and Amy, and making sure we have fun. With her I cannot seems to maintain my mature behavior, it's like she is teaching me how to be the child I never was. Trying to create for me a childhood that was denied to me. With her I find myself on a roller costar of emotions, smiling one minute, angry the next, worrying in a heart beat and jealous the next. She is a ray of sunshine and I know I don't deserve her friendship but she loves all people, if she didn't how could she put up with all my hurtful words? Even after being mean to her so much, she still loves me, but someday I hope she would rub off on me so I can show her just how much I love her too, until that day come I will annoy the heck out of her!

Rei at 14 -

After reading that a soft smile crossed her lips with a tint of bitterness yet loaded with joy. She looked at the picture of Serena again, her smiling face and sparkling blue eyes. She was wearing a kimono with her hair down and holding a small purse with her hands before her. She was beautiful. Rei flipped through the album, looking at the other pictures of the sailor scouts and reading what she wrote about each of them. Then she just viewed all the pictures of their fun activities and time spent together.

Serena I want you back!

The thought startled her. It suddenly became so clear her decision. She didn't care about her powers or legacy or whatever, all she wanted was her friend back. To put to right all the wrongs she had make. It didn't matter anymore; nothing did if Serena was not there. She started laughing out loud, her tears falling from happiness instead of sadness. She was happy, her heart felt so light for the very first time. She could let go of everything in the world if only for Serena. Nothing mattered other than her.

Her grandfather entered the room and he smiled at her.

"Welcome back, Rei." He said and left the room quickly, tears of happiness flooring down his face. He was so happy that he couldn't stop crying, his prayer had finally been answered. After almost nine years, his granddaughter had returned back to the sane and caring girl she had once been. Now if death came for him he would embrace it knowing that everything would be ok. He remembered the picture of Serena he had glimpse on Rei's bed and shook his head in wonder.

Serena, child only you can make Rei human.

After her grandfather departed, she quickly scrambled up to her feet and ran to the sacred room and knelt several feet away from the fire and closed her eyes, her thoughts were best expressed through her mind.

"Sacred fire, I know of the wrong I have done against you and my princess and I am in deed sorry for it. I regret all my evil deeds. I have come to banish away the shadow of darkness within me at the cost of loosing everything. Please give me one more chance." She prayed but the fire did not answer her.

"Please! I beg you." she said again, bowing her head to the ground. For a minute she felt disheartened then she began to feel the temperature in the room shift a little bit to the hotter side.

"You are sure that are willing to loose your essence in other to right the wrongs?" the fire asked her and she nodded.

"Then swear to me that you will never abuse my power again!" it roared.

"By the oaths of blood, let me fall to my death on the immediate ground I stand on should I ever betray you again." She said that, taking out the small knife on her key chain and cutting just a little part of her hand and moved forward to the fire slowly but when the fire did not reply her, she dripped three drops of her blood into the fire and it roared to life.

"Very well priestess. I cannot forgive you yet until your princess have forgiven you but I know you need my power. For this one tiem I will make an exception." The fire said and Rei smiled widely, knowing that if the fire had been human she would have hugged the daylight out of him. Like she used to do almost 9 years ago, she knelt before the fire, her hand before her face and closing her eyes for seeking of wisdom and visions.

"I am flame, flame is sight. I am fire, fire is light." She chanted over and over until a dark cloud formed in the sacred fire. The vision displaying before her was horrible. It was a cloud of mass darkness and hopelessness and evil. It felt dead or dying, a rotting energy with foul scent and consciousness. The fire died down immediate and Rei sat there stunned. About 20 minutes later the fire restarted itself but it could no longer show her the vision. It seemed to shiver at the idea.

"What was that all about?" she asked, noting the shakiness of her own voice. She had felt absolute terror gripped her, as if something infinitely evil taking control of her.

"I do not know" the fire answered her.

"Maybe I should start seeking from what happened to her when she left years ago." the her as a reference to Serena.

"I am flame, flame is sight." I am fire, fire is sight! She started chanting again. The fire slowly filled with a street, the same street Serena's body had been found on that day. Rei watched as one step at a time the street moved on as if following the movement of a walking person. Then she saw the car coming and…

"Rei!" Mina burst into the room, dissolving the vision in a flashed.

"What the heck is your problem!?" she snapped, her eyes flicking with anger. Mina took a step back and noting this Rei took a heavy breath to control herself.

"I am sorry, I was in a moment of an important vision and you breaking in like that sort of messed me up." She apologized and rouse to her feet. Mina nodded in uncertain understanding.

"So what is it?" Rei asked curiously.

"Um…that is…yeah…we are need to go to the place they are fighting. I think the enemy is over powering them. It seems the final battle had come a little earlier than they expected so now they need all available hand to join in the fight. We were going now so I thought I ask if you wanted to come too." Mina said, the last part coming out in a shy creak. Rei looked at the fire, then back to Mina and back to the fire. She wanted to stay and find out what happened to Serena but she knew after finding out what she needed, she wouldn't have the transformation power needed to help the scouts fight.

"Give me a minute" she said and Mina nodded before stepping outside.

"Go and come back." The fire made her decision for her and so she run outside and joined Mina and the waiting group. The inner scouts, Tuxedo mask, Keri, Rini and Helios stood waiting for her and she joined in the circle. A flash from the golden crystal teleported them away from the temple grounds and into space before flying them off to the direction of the scouts battle. But Keri stopped the movement.

"What's wrong Keri?" Darien asked. When Keri opened her eyes from their closed state, it was not her eyes but that of Silver.

"It is time I go. My other self need me right now. Go ahead, I shall join soon." After saying that she disappeared. The others looked on in worry before continuing on their journey.

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The battle had started well enough but soon the sailor scouts found themselves pressed by the enemies. Their thinking that the enemy would attack few at a time had backfired. The enemy had attacked with all it's forces and now they realized the folly of arrogance of having to fight an enemy with numbers of thousands compared to their small number not even reaching one hundred. Yet they fought with all they had until one by one they dropped like birds from the sky. There was only fifty active scouts left standing and even among the fifty half was really wounded and the other half disheartened at the sheer impossibility of the battle. Galaxia and Star Fighter tried to lift their spirits and for the better half of the battle they had succeeded but as the battle dragged on they had to focus on fighting than tending the moral stroking of the fighters.

This was the scene the remaining earth scouts and the prince arrived upon. Without delay, they joined in the battle.

"Mars fire bird strike!" the fire soldier called, sending a blizzard of fire in the shape of a bird to block an attack that was meant for Uranus. She landed near the older scout and with a wink let out her rings of fire. Uranus blinked and a smile crossed her face. Mars realized that she felt stronger somehow, her movements lighter and in seeing this, the other scouts blinked and wondered where she had acquired that much power when they still had their powers cut in half.

"Supreme thunder!" Jupiter screamed, sending her attack as a shield to counter an attack that was heading her way but her lightening strike was over powered and she had to jump away to avoid that attack.

"This isn't good. We could do this for as long as we want but it wont change anything!" Mercury said, typing furiously on her computer.

"So what do you suppose we do?" Galaxia asked her softly.

"Give up. There is nothing we can do, if we retreat then maybe later we will be strong enough to fight back" a green haired scout voiced out the thoughts in their heads.

"We can't do that! The minute we back down Chaos would take over the world!" Galaxia said passionately.

"No matter what we do we are screwed anyway!" the scout argued back and this started arguments on whether the battle was hopeless or not.

"Shut the hell up!" Mars screamed, drawing all their attention to her. They had been so focused accusing each other of being brought into a hopeless battle to loose their life that they had not noticed that they were not being attacked in the moment they let their guard down fighting among themselves. Mars pointed up and they looked to see and gasped at what they saw. Seven children were fighting the enemy on as if their equals, where else the scouts had failed, the children displayed powers unseen before.

"Aren't those…" Seiya asked.

"Yes, my siblings and...Your children." Galaxia said mischievously and that was when they realized that Seiya is one of the fathers of the children. Now he began to understand why he had felt he knew them. The scouts watched the children in awe and felt ashamed at themselves for what they were doing, if these kids could put the universe above themselves why could they? Wings suddenly sprouted from Mini moon's back and she looked up in surprise. She looked toward Helios who was joining the children in battle and she knew the wings were a gift from him. With this she shot up to the sky and raised her hands up but what appeared for her was not the silver crystal but the golden crystal. With that she fought along side of her siblings. Galaxia and Fighter were the next ones to join the battle followed by the inners and outers then the rest of the scouts. They now fought with a new determination born of a need to preserve life. But even with new determination and the strength of the children fighting, it soon became clear that the battle wouldn't be won by the scouts.

"That's it, if we hope to have any hope we need to combine our powers." Darius said to his siblings.

"But you know that if we use this attack we are about to, we won't have the strength to fight anymore." Derek reminded.

"Yeah but we would have at least cut the enemy forces into half." Darien Jr. said and with this agreement they spread out in a half circle formation. Keeping a great deal of space between them and covering the front of the enemy.

"Everyone, come behind us, now." Darius informed the scouts and without question they scouts followed. The kids raised their hands up and they began to glow in all the colors of the rainbow.

"By the power of Light" Darius said.

"By the truth of Justice" Derek, his twin added.

"By the faith of life" Darien echoed.

"By the hope of the future" Daniel, Darien's twin said.

"By the love of humanity" Selene intoned

"By the Belief of living" Selena added

"And by the light of hope" Kousagi ended the ritual.

"We call upon the vortex of space and the strength of the planets, the light of the stars: Universeeee….Hemisphere!" the children screamed and a huge disk of power in all the colors in existence formed before them and with a great yell, the pushed the disk or ring of pure magic towards the enemy. Even before it physically touched them, the rawness and strength of the power burned them, rotting off their skin from the bones and disintegrating all bones into aches. They arched the disk with great difficulty until they could not hang on it any long and it burst, blasting half the enemy into oblivion. By the time the smoke died down, half of the enemy were gone and the kids were heaving hard. They seemed to float, completely drain out of energy.

But to their shock a new ship brought a huge batch of enemies a few minutes later and they countered the kids attack with a copied dark disk of their own. Haven seen the devastating power of the disks, they scouts said their last prayer as it headed to them but before it could reach half a mile of them, Chibi Chibi teleported in front of it out of no where.

"Chibi don't!" Galaxia screamed, flying at top speed to the child but the shield just lifted up her hands and a powerfully big shield formed before her. When the disk reached her, she faced it with the erected shield, pushing back with all the strength in her. Galaxia stopped half way to watch, not knowing what she could do to help the girl. They watched in shock, awe, worry and horror as the little girl fought off the enemy's attack though chibi was being pushed back, her breathing labored and her hands shaking from the straining effort. Her shield snapped and she watched in horror as the dark disk gained speed toward her. The dark disc dissolved into nothing a few spaces away from her. This was followed by serious assault on the enemy, pushing them back in no time at all.

The scouts looked back and gazed upon the armored dressed figures of the moon and earth generals, the cloaked figures of Shadow and Phantom, the sailor suited lone soldier of shadow moon and in their middle stood the most beautiful woman in existence. Her silver really long hair stretched passed her feet, (would have spilled on the ground in extra waves like water if she had been standing on the ground than floating in space) swayed in some unknown wind in its heavy curls with some framing her heart shaped face. She was wearing silver breeches and top with a cape at her back like Shadow and Phantom and her eyes were pure silver reflecting nothing and everything.

The scout watched them in open astonishment and fear, the power coming from each one of them was enormous and even the least sensitive scout could feel it like a burning flame. Except the silver figure in the middle, from looking at her you could tell she was the most important in the group yet there was no living light or any kind of power coming from her at all yet they knew she was probably the strongest of them all.

The silver dressed woman stretched out a hand and seven of the disks formed by the children formed with none of the effort the children had to exert. The woman sent the disk flying toward Chaos's forces and Chaos and his evil group sent several to counter the silver disks.

The two powers crashed in brilliance of light and darkness……………………………

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You Belong To Me

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