Title: A Kiss In The Dark
Author: Princess Destiny
Email: In Profile
Author's Homepage: destinysgateway DOT com
Rating: M 15+
Summary: 'One Hour Challenge' #1 and 657 Combined: Response Fanfic. Eleven years ago, Mamoru's father married Usagi's mother. It's now almost Usagi's sixteenth birthday and she has to juggle her secret life as Sailor Moon, on top of school and a job at Motoki's shop. Her life is turned even more upside down when she begins to suspect the masked hero she is falling in love with is actually her awful step-brother!
Genre: Romance/UST/Comedy/Adventure/Action/Angst
Couple: Usagi/Mamoru, Rei/Mamoru
Category: SMTK
Chapters: 25/?
Status: Unfinished
Year Completed: N/A
Size: 638 KB

Comments: Hi everyone! It's been a few months since I last wrote for this Fanfic or any other, and I apologise. Too much work and stress and the flu gave me some major writer's block. But thank you for the reviews guys. I do read every one of them-as well as any personal emails you send-and I take your advice to heart. Actually, one of the events in this Chapter are thanks to a reviewer asking if Mamoru had healing powers in this Fanfic. I was intending to put Rei in a wheelchair, but that would have been way too angsty and would have been spread over quite a lot of this Fanfic and the next, but now I've changed my mind. It will work out nicely this way.

There will only be planned another two-three Chapters for this Fanfic, so we'll round it up at Chapter Twenty-Seven or Twenty-Eight. As I haven't written it yet, it's only a guess. Chapter Twenty Six is done already though! Oh, and for your interest, this Chapter and the next one is over 55 KB large each. Thwe last Chapter may be even bigger. This Fanfic has now passed 700 KB.

Reviewer Response: LOL, 119 wasn't a typo. In japan, that is the emergency number for Fire and Ambulance. Yep, it sounds like the opposite of the US 911. Here is Australia, we use 000!

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A KISS IN THE DARK

By Princess Destiny

Chapter Twenty-Five

The phone dropped from Ikuko's suddenly nerveless fingers and Shingo stared in surprise. "Mom, what's wrong?" He said anxiously, walking over and taking her hand. She had gone so pale. "Is it dad?" Or... "Usagi."

"Oh my god, my poor baby." The woman moaned, giving him her answer. She made a quick call to Kenji and told him to get to the hospital right now, and then she finally looked at her son. "Your sister got hurt in the cross-fire between the Sailor Senshi and those monsters who attack Japan." She said, feeling faint. She stumbled to the table and tried to gather her thoughts. She had strong suspicions on what had really happened today.

Damn it, if only she hadn't told Usagi the direction her brother and Rei had gone. "But it's alright, they did some tests and it looks like she just got her energy stolen like the other people in the park."

"Oh," He said, blinking in relief. Thanks to the news and the rare interviews the Sailor Senshi did with the media, everyone was aware that the aliens attacking the planet weren't out to kill people, just steal their life-force. Or energy. Whatever the heck that meant. "Is she...okay?" The boy said worriedly, his heart thundering in his chest. If his sister was hurt, he didn't know what he would do. He taunted her as much as Mamoru, but he did love her.

"She was unconscious for a while, but came around. The doctor said that she's not injured." Thank god for small mercies. She was however going to have a long overdue talk with her daughter about things. "Come on, we need to get over to Juuban Hospital." The two grabbed their jackets and headed out the front door.

Rei was badly injured and that alone would have been enough to have her rush over the other side of town. She quite liked the dark-haired girl. 'I hope her grandfather has been told what happened.' She thought, locking the door. She took her son's hand and led him down the bath, pressing the button to raise the door on the garage.

"Is dad coming?" Shingo asked innocently.

His mother shot a look at him and bit her lip. She was pretty sure that Kenji would be there when they arrived, however...it was becoming more apparent from their private arguments that the children were dissolving into 'my daughter' or 'my son'. Not our children. Would her husband have been much more concerned if it had been Shingo or his friend laying in that hospital bed?

No, she was just in a bad mood. Of course Kenji would rush there just as fast as her. It was his daughter, after all. "Quickly," She instructed Shingo, unlocking the car and slipping inside. Moments later the car was speeding down the road at an alarming rate.

She never noticed the long-haired blonde standing across the road from their house with a regretful expression.

"I guess things are a lot worse than I thought," Minako bit her lip and absently patted the cat on her shoulder. Fear suddenly blossomed in her heart. "Do you think the Princess-?" She didn't finish that thought just in case.

"We should have stayed there!" Artemis berated himself. He leapt from her shoulder and started to run flat-out down the path. The blonde flew ahead of him suddenly as if on wings, and then she took to the roof without her usual care of looking out for people who might be watching.

'Damn it, what was I thinking? I left the Moon Princess laying there on the ground!' Minako's voice shrieked in her head, giving her no piece. Luckily she had a faint bond with the other Senshi and could follow it, because she had no idea where the hospital was. If she was responsible for not giving her Princess the proper care, when she had been more concerned over being recognised by Endymion, she would never forgive herself.

Meiou Setsuna lowered the Garnet Orb and sighed. "Is nothing going as planned?" If things were going to go so crazy with the Timeline, she would truly have liked being informed before the fact. It made her job all the harder.

She had almost stepped in to help Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen, which would have been disastrous. It was one thing to meet them as Setsuna, the school councillor, but another to appear before them as Sailor Pluto. Help had fortunately arrived in a very unexpected form.

Sailor Venus had arrived early because of her heartache over a guy called Alan in England. The Senshi had used the explosion and her supposed death to cover up her leaving for Japan to become Sailor Venus and the Moon Princess.

"Honestly, these children," She said in exasperation, resting her head back against her chair. She had been doing the filing work that was her job as the school councillor, when the Time Key had aroused her attention, letting her know there was a time anomaly.

She would have much rather dealt with an older lot of Senshi, such as Uranus or Neptune, but that meeting wasn't to take place for another few years. Those two weren't even aware that they had powers hidden within them yet.

"Please, no more surprises," She directed her voice upwards, to where she was sure her god Pluto was listening. The gods forbid that something terrible should happen, such as Mamoru and Usagi realising that they were the Prince and Princess before they were ready! As if those two meddling in Usagi and Mamoru's dream-world wasn't earth-shaking news enough.

"Sailor Mars will be fine," She said firmly, wondering if she was trying to convince herself. Unfortunately, this incident wasn't something she had seen. Or Endymion emerging before Serenity. Or Usagi and Mamoru being related by marriage.

Frankly, it was wearing her nerves down and if she hadn't been millennia old, she was sure a lesser woman would have had a nervous break-down by now.

Setsuna gave a humourless laugh, and then her red eyes closed and she tried to concentrate on the flow of time all about her. In her. "Yes, Mars will be fine," She murmured. Her lids slid up to reveal a disturbing glint. "But things will change because of it." Yet another thing to worry about.

The dark-haired man headed down the long corridor and around a corner to the drink machine. As he popped some coins in, he fished about in his jeans pocket for his cell phone. "Hideki will want to know what happened." He muttered to himself, taking a deep breath before dialling the familiar number.

His friend picked up instantly, as if he had been waiting with his finger on the button. "Well?" He practically growled, apprehension and anger in his voice.

"Usagi is okay. She woke up in the ambulance, and didn't seem to have any bad effects from being partially sucked into the Dark Kingdom. They did some tests on her to make sure. It looks like her partial trip inside the Dark Kingdom just drained her energy. Not wonder Zoisite gave up so quickly, I'll bet Sailor Moon's energy was potent," And boy did Mamoru feel a massive amount of relief over having gotten her back before more damage was done.

On the other hand, he sincerely hoped that his step-sister's energy had not been enough to help the Dark Kingdom do...whatever the hell it was that they did with all the energy they stole from people.

It was even more frightening when he considered that she was Serenity. If the aliens who attacked them had done a scan on her and realised that she was Lunarian, it wouldn't have taken them very long to figure out they had gotten their filthy hands on the Moon Princess! It would have been all over by then; the Earth and humanity would have fallen without a hope.

The Moon Princess was a mighty prize, and the only being in the entire universe capable of wielding the Mystical Silver Crystal. They would either have brain-washed her into the darkness, or made a clone from her DNA to use the Crystal.

"And Rei?" His friend demanded harshly, when Mamoru didn't immediately follow up on his report.

"She's-damn it, Rei has some bad damage. Broken bones, a concussion and her back...the doctor thinks that she will be paralysed."

There was a long silence from the other end of the phone, in which both men experienced a moment of anguish for the girl they had been unable to save.

Hideki cleared his throat, as if it was suddenly tight. "Is it permanent?" He finally asked in a strangled tone. Oh god, not that. She was so young and beautiful.

"They aren't sure, Hideki. More tests have to be run, and the biggest one will be when she wakes up," It would be absolutely horrifying for the priestess to discover that she couldn't move her body. That she might be in a wheel-chair the rest of her life. Mamoru bit down hard on his lip. It was his fault. However he looked at it, going over and over the incident in the park, it was all his fault.

"Do any of the Senshi have healing powers?"

"No," Mamoru replied, wincing. His friend was right to blame him; all the girls were. He was amazed that they hadn't yelled at him, but they didn't know he was Tuxedo Kamen and had been in the position to save their friend. If they were aware of his secret, he was sure they wouldn't be so forgiving. "And Sailor Moon's wand only seems to heal the Rainbow Crystal carriers. Not normal people."

Although, they hadn't exactly tested that theory.

A brief hope bloomed in him and then died. Who knew what that thing would do to someone of alien physiology? If it destroyed the Dark Kingdom Shadow Warrior inside of a human host, what would happen if it was aimed at Rei? Would it kill the Senshi inside or her...or even kill her? "I'm not willing to risk Rei to find out if that Moon Wand would heal her."

"No...absolutely not," Hideki practically roared. "Damn it! I want to rip Zoisite's throat out."

"Yeah," Mamoru said, feeling wretched. Neither Rei, nor Hideki had witnessed his betrayal and he couldn't say a word. If they knew what he had done, letting go of the raven-haired girl in favour of his sister, they would hate him. And if that made him pathetic, that he couldn't bear their animosity, then so be it.

The dark-haired man fed coins into the drink machine, and collected the drinks up absently. As he straitened up, he saw Rei's Grandfather and some other guy rushing past. "I have to go, Rei's Grandpa is here." He told his friend quietly.

"Okay man, you keep me informed," Hideki ordered. "And Mamoru-it's not your fault." He said before hanging up.

Usagi's brother stood there for a moment, stunned. How had his friend known what he was thinking? Then again, Hideki had always seemed to know Mamoru quiet well. They got on like a house on fire. The trust between them was a tangible thing. But this wasn't the time to think about the past.

Mamoru juggled the drinks in his arm, then put the cell phone back in his pocket. It was time to face the music. He walked quickly back down the hall towards his girlfriend's room. But outside the door he hesitated, frozen with guilt.

Rei's Grandfather was a holy man and have a scary insight sometimes. What if he took one look and knew that his Grand-daughter's new guy was a-a murderer. No, not that bad, but honestly, he had been fully aware that she might not make it at all once the Dark Kingdom had their hands on her.

Wait a minute. Had the dark-haired girl even told her guardian that she and Mamoru were dating?

Usagi's head swung around when she sensed his presence and surprised a haunted look on her step-brother's face. He was looking at Grandpa and his blue eyes were so sad and guilty. God, he must really care for Rei to feel that depth of emotion. Her heart clenched and she wasn't sure if it was in sympathy for his emotions, or because it...hurt. Somehow, her chest ached when she saw his feelings for her best friend.

"Are you okay, brother?" She whispered in concern as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his arm. Poor Mamoru. He must feel so bad being Tuxedo Kamen and not having been able to prevent his girlfriend was being harmed by the Youma and Zoisite. She wanted to give him a big hug and tell him every time was alright, but it wasn't her place to do this. She was only his sister, not the girl laying in the bed who was dating him.

Did he believe he had failed them? Her throat closed tight with emotion. 'Poor Mamoru.' The blonde girl took the drinks from his arms and put them onto a table at the side of the bed. And then she went right back to his side. Usagi couldn't shake the feeling that she should be the one to offer him comfort. To be there when he needed her. She had to be there for him. It was a feeling that she would never fight. Her hand slipped into the crook of his arm and made no move to remove her hand.

'Brother'? Damn, she had no idea how much that word hurt him. Almost as much as the fact that he had failed in his duty to protect Usagi and Rei. What good was Tuxedo Kamen now? "I'm fine," He choked out. No, he would never be fine again.

Grandpa turned from the beside, and his grand-daughter's still form, with a frown between his brows. "Mamoru, my boy," He said gravely. "How are you doing?"

Oh god! Mamoru quickly looked down at the floor before he did something embarassing like bursting into tears. They would have been as much out of gratitude as from the guilt that was overwhelming him. Rei's Grandpa was being kind to him. Kind. When it had all been his fault. How could he ever tell the man?

Usagi's fingers tightened on his arm, and then she let him go hesitantly. She had wanted to touch him, to comfort him, but she could sense his withdrawal. Inside, he must be chewed up with guilt and fear. It had not immediately occurred to her that her brother would feel badly about not having saved his girlfriend, but after thinking about it during their ambulance ride to the hospital, it hit her that having been Tuxedo Kamen, this would be the ultimate defeat. The worst humiliation and failure as a superhero. Especially to one who was dating him.

If only she had not fainted when her body was being sucked into the Dark Kingdom. If only she had moved faster when that Youma had attacked. If only Rei had never gone on a date with Mamoru and had been the first and only Senshi to battle the Youma. The priestess had immediately moved to defend her boyfriend and all the people who had been drained in the park. And her friends had not moved fast enough.

A hand closed tightly about her own as it dangled beside her, and she almost jumped out of her skin before she realised it was Mamoru's. He gripped her small fingers as if she were the only person who was stable and sane in a world gone mad. The Senshi felt her spirits lift at this, but when she looked into his face, Usagi saw that he wasn't even looking at her. His blue eyes were dark and troubled as they met Grandpa's.

"Yes, I'm okay," Mamoru finally replied to the question Rei's Grandfather had asked. For a while there, he hadn't known what to say. What he might blurt out and confess. It had been a struggle to keep it all back and his hand had reached for his love's without real thought. As his fingers had closed about hers, he had a moment to wonder what she would think about it, and then there was a deep comfort. His connection to his Princess was soul deep, and even when he hadn't known her as anything but a sister, she had always been a solace.

Grandpa watched him for a long moment, and then nodded. "That is good." He looked back at Rei. "Because it wasn't your fault."

If only...that were true. It was strange that both Grandpa and Hideki had said the same thing. Was he so transparent? Mamoru's lips parted, but then he sighed and looked towards his girlfriend. She looked so frail and wounded laying there, with none of her usual fire.

Memories from the past began to stir, and his heart ached all over again. She was important to him, more than anyone ever knew. 'Rakshayla...' He thought in anguish. His beautiful, firey, kind-

A nurse bustled in then, startling them all. They stepped back as she silently attended to the priestess and then left.

Not long afterwards, Ikuko and Shingo visited and were so delighted that Usagi had not been harmed. Kenji, did not come at all. His daughter was disappointed he hadn't come, but assumed he was too busy with work. This made Mamoru absolutely furious, but he didn't tell her the reason. She would probably never be prepared to hear that her parents were fighting all time time.

Ami's mother even stopped by, but they could see by the expression on her face that not much could be done. Her daughter, however, was very grateful that Mizuki had cared about Rei enough to come and do a check up.

When night fell, Yuuchirou and Grandpa left with reluctance. They were going to pray before the Great Fire and ask that their gods protect the girl.

And the Senshi, after a brief hurried consultation between each other, also departed. Only Usagi and Mamoru remained there, side by side on chairs at the end of Rei's bed. The girl had not woken up and ever moment they all waited for her eyes to open was pure torture.

"It's bad, Mamoru," She said, finally breaking into tears. Usagi felt as if they had been plugged up since the battle and she had wanted to be strong for everyone's sake. But in the near-darkness of the room, with only her step-brother at her side, she broke down. Oh god, was there nothing they could do for Rei? "We can't do a thing. We're the Sailor Senshi, and we can't even heal a friend! What good are we?"

The dark-haired man scooted his chair close to hers and drew her into his arms. She was stiff for a moment, holding onto her pride, and then she melted against him and sobbed. Mamoru's hands smoothed over her back, and he rested his face briefly in her warm hair. If only he could kiss her and make her forget, but for now, he was only her step-sibling.

If anyone had glanced in then, they definitely would have seen the vision of two lovers in an embrace, and he could be forgiven for momentarily forgetting that he had to keep a respectable distance from Usagi. His lips smoothed over her forehead and trailed down to her cheek, breath hot.

Usagi's eyes closed and she leaned in closer, but then it abruptly hit her what they were doing. What he was doing! They both froze.

Mamoru winced, realising that he had crossed the line. He released her instantly and pulled back, putting a sheepish look on his face for her benefit. "Sorry," He muttered, not meeting her eyes.

"Umm, that's okay. You were only comforting me, so that's alright. Like a brother. Not anything else. And-" The blonde stuttered out, cheeks wet and red with embarrassment and tears. She blinked at him, seeing a flash of heat in his eyes before he looked equally embarrassed. Had she imagined it? His lips on her face, hot and forbidden. Damn it, they were siblings! What were either of them thinking?

That kiss. That stupid bloody kiss of the other day had changed things between them. The Senshi of the Moon had thought that it was all pushed to the background, forgotten and forgiven. It looked like she was only dreaming. It was so awkward between them, and she was sure it had occurred to him also at some stage that they weren't really related.

The two stared at each other, not knowing what to say...or feel.

Rei groaned, shocking them both. Their heads whipped in her direction, but she was still unconscious.

"I thought she was waking up," Usagi's voice trembled, but she kept it together this time. Her hands went to her face to wipe off the tears. Poor Rei, here her boyfriend and her best friend were thinking about other things and she was laying there gravely wounded. The blonde suddenly hated herself.

"We'll think of something. You four are the Sailor Senshi and I am Tuxedo Kamen. There must be something," He promised, expression stern. He felt a tick in his left eye and pushed back a headache. This was no time to wallow, and Rei needed help. Was there something that they hadn't thought of?

Wait-there was Endymion.

Vaguely, in the far reaches of his mind, Mamoru recalled something important. The Prince of Earth had been a healer. His planet had given him powers to undo damage done to the body, be a natural antidote to poisons and a few other things that seemed just beyond his reach. Even if the two of them had merged, some things were still not clear.

"Usagi..." He whispered under his voice in excitement. The dark-haired man could heal. A glance at his step-sister's curious eyes and his thrill deflated in moments. She could not be told. Usagi was not Serenity yet and would not understand about their past and his feelings for her. Especially not what he might or might not be able to do for Rei. Damn. "Maybe you should get some fresh air." He said unconvincingly.

Usagi looked at her brother's face searchingly, trying to understand the brief note of excitement she had heard in his voice. The tone had been at odds with the situation. "What is it?" She asked him, leaning close. When he leaned back from her in his chair, she felt a surge of hurt and then humiliation. Of course he didn't want to be too close. After their hugs and his lips-no, she wasn't going to think of that.

The blonde leapt to her feet. "I'm going to wash my face." She announced, eyes averted from his. She felt painfully embarrassed, and her fingers fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"Perhaps you should go home? You look really tired," Mamoru suggested gently, tempted to brush the hair from her eyes. He had made it worse between them by not being careful. She looked so uneasy in his presence now.

"I'm fine!" She snapped at him, looking up. Her eyes locked on his for a moment and a slight smile curved her lips. They were being stupid, weren't they? This wasn't the time to think about what was becoming of their relationship. And he was right, she was feeling very drained. "I'm not leaving you alone here." Her eyes went towards the ceiling. "And neither are the Senshi."

Makoto and Ami were currently on the roof, transformed and keeping a watch out for the Dark Kingdom. It might have been an over-kill, but Zoisite had been entirely too smart today. Usagi knew that it also gave her friend something to concentrate on. They felt as guilty as Mamoru and Usagi did about not having been able to save Rei from harm.

"I'll be back in a minute," His step-sister said softly, closing the door behind her as she left.

"I'm sorry," Mamoru whispered to Rei. He got to his feet and took one of her slender hands into his own. "I wish I could help you. And I will. With Endymion's help." He reached deep inside to his connection with his past self and let the Prince take over.

All of a sudden, there was a gentle push inside of his mind, and he felt Endymion take over. Everything took on a dream-like quality and he watched and listened as if it were happening to someone else.

"Mars," Endymion said tenderly to the unconscious girl, looking down at her with soft eyes. He felt the power of the Earth beneath his feel and summoned it into him. A glow began to radiate out from his body, and then along his hand to Rei's. It was absorbed into her skin and spread along her arm and then into the rest of her form. The blue symbol for the Earth flared on his forehead, glowing a brilliant blue and a few minutes, both of their bodies were glowing as if the sun were inside of them.

The Prince felt the powers of Mars rise up to meet his own as the Senshi's body fought to repair the damage done to it. Most likely Mars could have healed herself if she had been in possession of her memories of the past. The girl had always been in touch with the more unseen forces in the solar system, the power to heal and read minds and sense emotions. It was her gift from her god and she really had no idea how powerful she was. None of the Senshi knew even fourty percent of what they were capable of.

Before his eyes, the dark bruises on Rei's face began to vanish, and he could feel her body repairing itself. A few moments more and he sensed all was well-except...with a rushing sound in Endymion's ears, the Symbol for Mars appeared on her forehead and he abruptly sensed her. With shock, he realised that the girl was regaining her memories.

A moment later, the glow faded from them both, along with their planetary symbols. The raven-haired girl's eyes opened slowly, blinking as if she had not been awake for many months. He sagged against her bed and then slid down to his chair, completely exhausted. Well, as things stood, he had in fact not healed a person in over a thousand years. Mamoru's body was also not completely capable of bearing the powers of the Prince of Earth. Endymion had been trained all of his young life to master the forces gifted to him by his god, but this human's body was not ready for it all.

"Endymion?" Mars said, opening her eyes wide and staring at him in surprise.

The Prince had been prepared to try and speak to her as Mamoru would have done, but to his shock, it was not Rei in there. Not the priestess who had spoken to him. It was the Princess of Mars!

"Mars?" He whispered, feeling both happiness and astonishment. How had this happened? Was it because their powers had merged and her memories had surfaced as a consequence? She had felt his soul inside of her and her past self had responded.

"Did you expect someone else?" She said in amusement, voice rich. It was a tone that Rei had never used, smooth and confident, he voice of a Princess of the courts. Of an older girl, who had been the avatar of Mars since she was a child. She slowly sat up, and then fluffed her pillows behind her and settled back. Confusion briefly filled her, and then she realised why he was staring at her as if to a ghost. "Oh, you expected Rei."

"That is correct, but I should have known that connecting in this manner would awaken your memories, my dear," Endymion smiled, feeling warmth fill him. A warmth of an old love. She was alright now, and he would make sure that nothing happened to her again. He thanked his god that his powers were able to work in Mamoru's body, or Rei would have been doomed to a most terrible life.

She frowned at him. "Prince Endymion," Her voice was crisp. "Do you call this a proper greeting?" Mars spoke with a fire in her eyes, an unquenchable spirit.

Minako closed the door carefully and backed away, her white cat clinging to her shoulder. She quickly moved back across the hall into the spare hospital room locked it so that no one could get inside. "Endymion, I'm very impressed." She said with a slight laugh.

Artemis went to the chair on the other side of the bed, in case someone tried to get into the room. His ward could pretend to be a patient, but pets were not allowed!

"I can't believe the Prince actually merged with his future self to heal Rei. Brilliant," It had been a long time since she had been this happy.

Quite a while earlier, Venus and Artemis had arrived at the hospital. They kept inconspicuous and to the background as people visited the hospital room to check on Rei. Mars had a lot of friends and family and Minako envied her for it. The day her parents cared for her would mean the world was ending and they felt guilty for ignoring her most of her life.

Later on, not wanting to leave the Princess and Prince unguarded, the Senshi had settled into the room across the hall. The other Senshi had gone to the roof. And then there had been that explosion of light and it had taken her mere moments to investigate. To her astonishment, Mamoru and Rei were glowing brightly blue, clearly in the healing process. Afterwards, they had a conversation which clearly indicated that Mars had regained her memories of the past. And Mamoru-he was most definitely Endymion. Not that she had doubted it, or wouldn't have trailed him down the hall as he went for drinks, in order to protect him.

"Usagi will have to step down," Artemis said, breaking into her thoughts. "With Serenity emerging inside of her, it could be dangerous."

"I'm sure she is a girl of good sense," The Senshi nodded in approval. Actually, from what Luna had been telling 'central control' for months, the girl was an airhead. At the very least, she could be understanding, and she would not deny a request from her beloved Moon Princess.

"I really need to sleep," She groaned, rolling onto the bed and burying her face into it's softness. Sleeping her would be a bad idea. No, she would wait till the others left and then she could go back to her hotel.

Ikuko sat in bed trying to read a book, and still feeling her blood boiling with anger. After having visited Usagi and Rei in the hospital many hours before, she and Shingo arrived home. They had a dinner consisting of toast and cheese, then settled into watch a little TV.

Kenji had not arrived home till eleven at night.

After a huge fight, in which their son finally saw what had been going on under his nose for months now, Kenji had gone to the spare room and his wife had stormed into the kitchen. Thanks to her worthless husband, Shingo was looking stunned and upset. He had walked into the kitchen a little while later and sat at the table, staring at her with huge hurt eyes. She hadn't known what to say to him...

"Kenji why...why did you have to do this today? Does your work really mean more to you than your daughter?" She whispered, anguished. Her family was falling apart and she couldn't do anything. Ikuko had genuinely tried to ignore what Kenji did when he was over in the US for a few months a year, tried to turn a blind eye to the way her husband was working later all the time, and not making it to family dinners or outings.

But it looked as if there was nothing more to be done. "Usagi, Shingo, Mamoru," She whispered, covering her face as tears finally fell. "Your mama has had enough. I'm so sorry."

Up on the roof, Sailor Jupiter and Mercury shared a cup of coffee they had pilfered from the hospital kitchens a few minutes ago. It was pretty cold there on the roof at night, despite being summer.

Mercury typed away at her keyboard, eyes grim. "Are you sure we should do this, Makoto?" She asked her friend. "With Rei injured so badly..." They had decided finally, that Usagi should be taken away from the Leadership of the Senshi. Perhaps even from being Sailor Moon. Something inside the blonde's mind was not a part of her. It was someone else.

"You said there was another spike today, just like there has been almost every day for the last few months," The brunette said, crossing her arms and rubbing at her chilled arms. "We decided that if this happened again, we had to do this for her own good." Luna had not been consulted, but they were sure that the cat would agree with their decision.

"But we're a Senshi short now!" Her friend protested. She was arguing as if this hadn't been her own idea, which was just pathetic really. But any way they looked at it, they were going to hurt their best friend. Poor Usagi would be devastated.

Jupiter's green eyes flashed with anger. "I know that, and it's all the more reason we can't have a loose canon. That battle today has permanently injured Rei and even Usagi was hurt. The Dark Kingdom is closing in on us." At least their Princess had turned up. Now, if they could only find all the Rainbow Crystals, the tide of the battle could turn.

The Mercury computer suddenly exploded with activity, making wild beeping noises and flashing lights. A brilliant blue glow lit up the sky and they rushed to the side of the building to peer downwards. It was emanating from a window down below and the two had a horrible feeling that they knew who's room it was.

"Come on, it must be the Dark Kingdom!" The brunette exclaimed, whirling about. Usagi, Rei and Mamoru were down there!

"Wait-" Mercury stopped dead and checked her computer. The Senshi quickly typed in some data and her eyes widened. "This can't be right-it's not Usagi this time. It's Rei." Her eyes rose to her friend's. "I don't think it's the Dark Kingdom." They had to go and check this out!

The brunette's jaw dropped in pure shock. "You've got to be kidding me. Rei?" Not the enemy...their friend.

"I wish I was," She said in a concerned tone. They went down the stairs from the roof to the top floor and stepped into an elevator.

Mercury's eyes became apprehensive and her gloved hands clenched on either side of the laptop. She didn't want to see her friends harmed and if she could have stopped this war with the Dark Kingdom single-handedly, she would have. Anything not to have her friends hurt like Rei was. The girl knew all of the Senshi felt the same way.

Something was slowly changing around them, and it frightened her. It wasn't only the Dark Kingdom, it was...well, everything. Even her own Senshi powers made her uneasy sometimes and the 'why' of it all bothered her. Why had Ami, Rei, Makoto and Usagi been chosen out of all the girls in the world to wielding Senshi powers? Why were aliens trying to invade their world? Who was the Moon Princess really and why had Luna told them she was the only hope to the peace of the solar system?

"Ami, what's wrong?" Jupiter asked quietly, worried by the frozen look on her friend's face as they descended in an elevator to Rei's floor.

The air about them tingled with power, and then it was gone. The two of them looked at each other and the Senshi of water confirmed on her laptop that there was no more energy in the air. They knew that they would not be the only ones investigating that blue power, and so they had to hurry. Anyone looking up from the street below and the buildings about them would have seen it.

"I just-wonder why we were chosen and why the Dark Kingdom is attacking our world." Sailor Mercury whispered. And also what was happening to her friends. The different brainwaves overlapping Rei's own, and the surge of power that had spiked on the chart were like Usagi's in that another being seemed to be taking control "We're the only ones left. Can we trust our friends? I mean...god, I can't detect any dark energy inside of them, but what else could it be?" Oh god, it really hurt her inside to say those words, because she trusted Usagi and Rei with her life. They were her only friends, the Senshi. The only ones who cared what happened to her, other than her mother of course.

Wasn't thinking this way, and even talking this secretively behind their backs, a terrible betrayal?

"What's this?" The Senshi of Jupiter pointed to another flashing light at the top of the computer. She wanted to go and find out what was happening below, but something held her back. The apprehension in Mercury's eyes perhaps? A fear that their friends were no longer themselves.

A few keystrokes later and the two were staring at yet another spike of power and an unknown brainwave. "Who's chart is this?" She said in surprise. The lift doors opened and the two stepped outside, ignoring the startled patient that almost ran them down with her wheelchair. People were starting to notice them, but then, they weren't being very careful. "There aren't any more Senshi left to-to take over and it's not one of us-Sailor Venus?" Damn it, she had forgotten about her. The new Senshi, who they knew to be the Princess. "Please tell me it's not our Princess?"

The two of them felt rather ill at the thought. Two Senshi were bad enough, if they had been infected by the Dark Kingdom, or possessed somehow, but the Moon Princess was something else entirely. It was a frightening thought that only the two of them were left standing against the aliens attacking their world. The only two that didn't have someone else invading their minds, that is.

"No!" Mercury exclaimed in surprise and relief after typing in the computer for a few minutes, trying to isolate the unknown person who had a two-brainwave pattern. "I don't believe it, but it's Tuxedo Kamen."

To Be Continued...

Write me if you liked! Comments are adored and much appreciated.

A huge amount is going to be stuffed into these last few Chapters, so be prepared and I hope that you like it. :) Chapter Twenty-Six will be out in a day or so, as it is already written. And unless something happens to get in my way, I will be completing AKITD tomorrow.

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Hugs,
Princess Destiny