Act 34: ∞ – Sailor Saturn
The air whipped around the group. The sky was a myriad of colors, bulging against one another as space itself seemed to twist and warp. Pluto looked into the garnet orb on her Key of Time.
"Time and space are fluctuating!" she cried out, looking to the sky. Moon kept staring as she flew higher and higher into the sky. In what was left of the glass room was a woman with long, black hair. She stared up at them, her eyes wider than any human's. She looked like a demon from a nightmare.
"That's Hotaru-chan!" Moon shouted. Neo Mercury also looked down and tried to pull free of Uranus, who refused to let go. Once a safe distance up, Moon hovered in the air, keeping a tight grip on her friends. Mistress 9 laughed and a wave of energy erupted from her body, forming a done that blew up and out. The building ripped in half and caved in on itself, sending debris flying for miles. "The school!"
Something strange began to float up. From the remains of the Mugen School came a fountain, protected by a light that scared Moon to see it. Surrounding the fountain were five balls of light, a body in each one. Moon stared in horror to see it.
"Everyone!" she shrieked, flying towards it. She let go of the others as she did so. The Garnet Orb formed a shield around them to keep them from falling to their deaths as they watched her go off.
"Sailor Moon!" She didn't seem to hear them. Reaching a hand out, she was close, she would get them and leave. She wasn't prepared when she felt herself be blown back. A shield! Moon tried again to reach them, and again was thrown back.
"Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus! Earth!" she called out. They were lying strewn on the fountain that floated high in the air, unconscious. They looked to be in pain, and Moon saw the wounds of battle on them. It was almost too much.
"Another earthquake!" shouted Uranus, who looked to the ground. The buildings in the entire city quaked and shook. She could hear sirens going off in the distance, the Emergency Broadcast System. Her attention was turned back to the fountain, where Sailor Moon was still trying to reach her friends. Floating up from the remains of the building was Mistress 9, who was laughing.
"The time is now," she whispered, still cackling. "Now that the Master, Pharaoh 90 is filled with energy, it is time for him to merge with this planet! To force it to undergo Vessel Transformation!" Neo Mercury stared at her. It wasn't her daughter anymore, she had to accept that. She was startled, because she thought she recognized the being her daughter had turned in to. It was so long ago, though. In another life, when those monsters were making their way through…
"When it is complete, this land will be one with our master. It will become the new Tau Star!" the monster cried out in joy. "This will be our new home!"
Neptune's eyes caught her mirror and went wide. She spun around to face the harbor. Pluto looked at her and grabbed her shoulder.
"The sea is retreating," she pointed out. "This is the prelude of a Mega Tsunami!"
Uranus' attention was called to the sky, where the colors contorted more horribly. "The wind smells… wrong. This isn't a storm, nor is it a hurricane. Fire from the sky… something is crossing space to come here."
"An earthquake approaches," Pluto said. With that, the three separated. Uranus took Neo Mercury with her as the three outers landed on the roof of each building she shared a name with. Neptune paid no mind to Goten, who was unable to leave the area because of the shield. Omega groaned in pain as her arm began to fade.
"Uranus! Neptune! Pluto!" called Moon. They said nothing to her. They simply face the fountain and held tight to their talismans.
Pluto lifted the Garnet Orb. "This is the land where the future Neo-Queen was born!"
Neptune lifted the Mirror. "We will protect the land that will become the Silver Millennium!"
Uranus lifted the Sword. "That is our sacred mission!"
The weapons glowed in response and light shot forth from them. The barrier of Dark Kingdom energy evaporated and a new shield was formed. Omega cried out in pain as her energy returned all at once, though she was still weak. Goten was relieved to see she still had time left. The entire island was coated in the light, as they desperately strained to hold the power at bay.
"You're trying to contain me?" Mistress 9 called. "It's useless! When the process is complete, I won't need this body anymore!" At once, she doubled over in pain. "What is this? I can't move!"
"You won't escape here!"
"Who is that!"
"This is still my body! You won't get out of here! I won't let you free!"
"I thought you had finally disappeared. It doesn't matter, though. I took the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou and now I have no reason for you! I will shatter this worthless body to pieces!"
"I don't care what happens to my body anymore! You can destroy it, but I will protect Chibi-Usa-chan's soul, and the crystal! I won't let you have them!"
"Impudent human! Nothing will stop me!"
Sailor Moon flew forward, holding the Moon Heart Rod. "Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"
Mistress 9 raised her arm and struck Moon. She flew back, righting herself in the air. Her crystal eyes glared.
"This is the power of the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou!" the monster cried out. "You can't take it back! Give me more power!" She smiled and turned her gaze to the fountain, where the Inners and Earth were still unconscious. "More power!"
Moon's eyes went wide and she shrieked for Mistress 9 to stop, and for her friends to awaken. It was no use. She flew for them, but Mistress 9 was too fast. Balls of light flew up from each Inner and into Mistress 9's mouth. A smaller one, one not as bright as the other four, came from Earth. Moon couldn't tell if it was her soul or not, but she got to it first, grabbing it to herself. But it hurt her to hold it. Emotions she couldn't begin to describe filled her. From that tiny light, the thing that couldn't possibly have been a soul, pain and anger ran through the Moon Princess. Emotions so big, this soul couldn't possibly have held them all. Mixed in somewhere, was happiness and joy. This had to be Terra's soul. When Moon looked back to Earth's body, she could have sworn that Earth's eyes were opened and tears formed in them. She seemed to see the soul and was smiling.
Moon made her way back to Earth and tried to return her soul, while Mistress 9 screamed.
"Worthless human!" she shrieked. "Give me their souls!"
Hotaru wailed in pain. "With the power I have… I don't know if I can save them all," she lamented as she held fast. "It's strange… my body was stolen and all that's left is my soul. So, I'm dead, right? Why am I fighting so hard? Papa is gone… there's nothing left for me to hold on to. So… why do I feel this way? Why do I still have this power? Was I really this strong?"
'You have to stake your life to save them. Don't worry; I won't let anything happen to you.'
"Yes… all I have to do right now… is to take these five souls and the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou… and rescue them from here!"
A bright light erupted from Mistress 9 and flew away. "No!" Mistress 9 shrieked. "She stole their souls from me! But now I am free!"
Moon looked back to where Mistress 9 was, after reviving Earth, who wiped tears from her eyes. Moon turned back to her and saw the light settling down. It erupted over the Inners, showering them. The four balls of light returned to them, and each opened her eyes, groaning. Moon set Earth down gently and went to her friends, crawling over the stone and scraping her knees as she did.
"Everyone!" She said happily. A figure floated above them, clutching something to her chest. Moon looked at it and saw Hotaru there, a shadowy figure looming behind her. The girl smiled at them, holding the items in her hands to her chest even tighter, before the figure behind her placed a hand on her shoulder. They both vanished into nothingness. Mars sat up, helping Jupiter and Venus.
"Hotaru…?"
Mamoru was startled awake. He sat up quickly, feeling something hold on to him. When he looked down, he saw Chibi-Usa. Remembering what had happened, he reached to brush her hair from her face. 'Must've fallen asleep…' he decided. Going to settle back into his chair, his heart caught in his chest as he felt a disturbing presence. Turning around, expecting an enemy, he instead saw two figures in his window.
"Who are you?" he demanded, standing, being careful to not let Chibi-Usa go. They said nothing, and the one in front held her hands out. A ball of pink light descended into Chibi-Usa. She inhaled sharply and sat up, pulling her hand away from Mamoru.
"Huh? Mamo-chan…?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. He looked at her in shock, before smiling.
"Chibi-Usa! You're alive!"
"Good." Hotaru said, smiling. Chibi-Usa turned, still on the bed, and watched in fascination.
"Hotaru-chan?" she asked. Hotaru smiled.
"I was able to save you. That's good," she said. "I know this sounds weird, but… I think it was destiny that we met."
Chibi-Usa smiled and grabbed Hotaru's hand. "Me too! I thought that, too, Hotaru-chan!"
Hotaru's eyes went wide and she suddenly shrieked in pain as she felt her body, though far away, mutate. The figure behind her moved in and knocked Chibi-Usa back with a deadly looking weapon, placing it protectively in front of Hotaru. Hotaru smiled through the pain and reached for Chibi-Usa again.
"I'm glad we met. You were my best friend, Chibi-Usa-chan. Thank you for being my friend. Sayonara…" she whispered, fading just as Chibi-Usa's hand reached hers. Tears formed in her eyes, and pain that she thought she had felt before coursed through her heart.
"This…" she whispered, the tears streaming down her face. "How can God be so cruel? For people to have such a fate…" She clutched her fists and pounded on the bed, screaming in anguish. "How can anyone be cursed with an existence, to be fated to die like that!"
Mamoru knelt down next to the bed and took her hands into his. "Chibi-Usa-chan. Will you fight to help Sailor Moon?" he wondered. Chibi-Usa looked at him, before frowning and nodding.
"I can't cry anymore, can I Mamo-chan?" she asked. "I'm a Sailor Senshi, too."
Pulling her hands away from him, she held them into the air. Her Moon Compact formed in her hands and she held it close to her. "With this life that Hotaru gave hers for, I will fight with all my heart! Moon Prism Power! MAKE UP!"
In a bright flash of light, she transformed into Sailor Chibi Moon once more. She wiped her eyes, and though she was still crying, she smiled and held her hand out to Mamoru.
"Mamo-chan, you gave me strength. I am a Sailor Senshi, too. We aren't like Sailor Moon. You and I are royalty of the Earth. We might not have power like Sailor Moon, but let's go fight together."
Mamoru smiled and as he transformed into Tuxedo Kamen, he took Chibi Moon's hand.
"Let's go to Usa!"
The monster rose over the land, roaring loudly. Earth stood up and used that unfamiliar word again, her eyes narrowed. Jupiter frowned.
"Sailor Moon, what the hell is that!" she demanded. Moon narrowed her eyes.
"That was the monster inside of Hotaru-chan." She grit her teeth and tightened her grip on her Moon Heart Rod.
"It looks strange," Mercury noticed, putting her visor back on. "Is it in pain?"
"Who cares!" Mars shouted. "We should attack while it's weakened!"
"Oh, yeah, bright fucking idea!" came Earth's reply. "It'll still chew us up and spit out the bones!" She began swearing again. Her shouts caught its attention and it reached a hand for them. Mercury shrieked and felt Earth wrap her arms around her waist. Before Earth could take them to the air, something sent the monster back.
"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" Chibi Moon called out, dropping from the sky with Tuxedo Kamen, who landed on his feet on Neptune's building. Earth looked at Chibi Moon with a smile on her face.
"Chibi Moon!" Moon looked at her, almost in disbelief.
"Chibi Moon?" she asked. Chibi Moon nodded and bit on her knuckle.
"It was Hotaru-chan," the girl admitted. "She gave up her life to protect me…" Neo Mercury began to cry when she heard that. Earth wanted to go to her, they could tell, but she was almost afraid to. Venus went to her, instead, and rubbed her back.
"Hotaru-chan…"
"What are you waiting on?" Tuxedo Kamen demanded, catching Moon's attention. "Hurry and transform back into Super Sailor Moon! If you don't hurry, this planet will be eaten away! Those three are using too much energy to sustain that shield!" He stood before Goten, almost hiding him from view. He was sure by now his family would have sensed the disaster, not sure if Earth's block of their ability to detect them had held while she was incapacitated. Everyone looked at Sailor Moon with urgency in their faces.
'Yes,' Moon thought. 'I won't fail again. I will save this world again, no matter what.' She raised her hands to the sky and watched as a bright light formed in them. "Holy Grail, come to me! Gather the sacred power of the holy senshi! We are Sailor Soldiers!"
The Grail formed between her hands, as the senshi gave their power to her. Chibi Moon watched in envy.
"Sailor Moon… I wish I could be like you. But… as Princess of the Earth, what can I do?" she wondered, putting her hands to her face. The crescent moon burned on Moon's forehead as Chibi Moon's tiara lit up. She looked up to Moon. From the light of the strength of the combined sailor soldiers, another grail formed. It was smaller than the first, and it flew to Chibi Moon. "Another Holy Grail?"
She took it carefully in her hands, as Moon tipped hers back and drank the power. "Crisis, Make Up!" The light engulfed them both, as it had engulfed Sailor Moon the first time. When the light shattered away from their uniforms, both Moon and Chibi Moon were in super sailor suits. Moon smiled and opened her eyes.
"Super Sailor Chibi Moon." Chibi Moon looked astonished as Moon held her moon rod out. With a fierce look of determination on her face, Chibi Moon crossed her rod to Moon's.
"Let's go!" she demanded. Moon kept smiling, before it turned into a smirk.
"We will join our powers together! Rainbow Double Moon Heartache!"
The monster shrieked in pain and held its head as the attack connected to it. It thrashed violently against the shield. Banging its hands against the wall that held it back, it began to grow larger. Earth's eyes went wide as she watched.
"Because it was able to merge to Hotaru, someone with a Shining Will," she realized "we can't harm it in the usual ways. These are different from the ones Aniki fought…"
The outers strained to hold their weapons up and keep the shield formed. The monster's raging, though, was making it difficult. Moon growled when she saw the attacks having no effect.
"It was exposed to the crystal for too long. It's absorbing the power and growing!" She raised her Heart Moon Rod. "More power! Enough to shatter it to pieces!" Chibi Moon raised her weapon as well and they strained as the forced more and more power towards it. The monster shrieked in pain.
"Everyone!" Venus called out. "They can't do this together! We all have to attack together! Venus Wink Chain Sword!"
"Mars Snake Fire!"
"Jupiter Coconut Cyclone!"
"Mercury Aqua Mirage!"
"Amavasya!"
"Soul Rend!"
"Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!"
The attacks connected to the monster, which didn't react. "This is the power of those who carry the planets' protection! More power! Give me more power!"
"It didn't feel a thing!" Jupiter shouted. Earth swung her sword again, but again it did nothing.
"You will all be assimilated with this planet. You have no reason to blow me apart!" It roared and flew up; only to hit the top of the shield the Outers had placed. "I still can't budge it!"
"We won't let you get outside of the Delta!" Neptune cried out.
"This will be your grave!" came Uranus. The monster laughed insanely and looked to the sky. Everyone followed its gaze and watched as the colors in the sky swirled away, revealing the dark sky beneath. Stars gathered in a swirling mass.
Mercury's visor lit up and went wild, forcing her to remove it. "The Tau star system!"
"It's one of them, too!" Earth cried. "Just like this system was once! They can still transform entire systems, without use of the Original! This is bad; this is very, VERY bad!" Everyone looked at her in confusion, but their attention was called back to the monster.
"The forgotten distant Tau star system! Merge this planet into your self and it will be our new home!"
"If… if only I could use it. This damn human body is limited and inconvenient…" Earth moaned. Moon heard her words and understood. She held the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou before her and raised it up. Light exploded forth and engulfed the monster. It exploded from the barrier and in some way was able to stave off the Tau System. It wouldn't last long, but it would buy them time enough.
"I won't let you take this world, too!" Moon said. "You will not have this planet!"
Chibi Moon groaned in pain as she reached the limit of her power. "My power…" She fell from the air and hurtled down to the ground below. Before anyone could react, Earth shot towards her and grabbed her, crashing into the roof of the Meioh building, next to Pluto. She skid slightly and cut her shoulder, but she kept hold of the girl. Setting her down, she flew back into the air.
"Ah…" the monster said. "Master Pharaoh 90! I am the master's partner, and I will do all I can for this planet, the master, and for all of our plans!" Blackness shot from its forehead as it crashed into the ground, causing the buildings to shake for three miles inland, and sending tidal waves through the sea to soon crash into America.
"It's bringing forth darkness!" Moon realized.
"What is happening to my body…" it demanded.
The Outers groaned and lost strength. They dropped to the floor, losing hold of their Talismans. As they fell from alignment, the light above went out. Moon gasped in horror and looked to them.
"Uranus! Neptune! Pluto!"
"I can't take it," Pluto whispered. "I can't put out any more power…"
'Damn it…' Uranus thought, tears in her eyes. 'So far… we came so far…!'
Above them, the Tau system loomed, as though waiting for a moment of weakness. Earth coughed and covered her nose.
"That black lava reeks of death," she cursed. "I won't let them take this planet, too! That would be an insult to my Aniki, who fought them all his life! I won't give you this planet! Rune Blade!" Earth swung her sword, sending a wave of energy crashing into the monster. The others attacked once more, using up what was left of their power, but nothing happened. The energy they sent forth was swallowed whole.
"It was devoured by the darkness," Mars whispered, before collapsing. The others followed, including Earth. Each crashed into a building. Earth and Venus fell into the Tenoh Building, Jupiter into the Meioh Building, and Mars, Mercury and Neo Mercury into the Kaioh Building. The Outers stood and went to tend to them, while Chibi Moon groaned in pain. Goten had watched in fascinated horror as he kept hold of Sailor Omega, who was still too weak to help. She was still fading away as her soul was losing its power.
Sailor Moon looked down as she floated in the air. She watched the Outers tend to the Inners, her uncle tend to the dying Sailor Omega, even Neo Mercury tend to Earth. It was a scene from a nightmare.
'Everyone is at their limits,' she thought. 'They have no power left to them. No… there's power left. It's the power they all gave to me to let me transform. It has to be enough. I can still fight with this energy. Only I… using the crystal can still fight…'
"Holy Grail, appear in my hands! The human race, fearful in its weakness, built this world in a futile attempt to elude the abyss they call mortality! Death will not be the end, not here, not today! Give your power to me!" Moon called out, holding the Grail in her hands. She held it close to her and stared down at the black mass beneath her.
Goten stared up at her. "Sailor Moon! What the hell are you planning?!" he demanded.
Moon smiled down to him, facing him. Without a word, she dropped back, falling into the ruins of the Infinity Zone.
"BUNNY!"
The senshi stood and looked over the edges of the buildings they were on and screamed in horror at the sight.
Moon fell. "I am going to release the power of the Sailor Senshi, and the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, inside of this monster!" She fell into the blackness and was swallowed whole. Light exploded from the spot at once and shot to the sky.
The Talismans began to react. Unsure, the Outers grabbed them in hand and raised them up. They interacted to one another and a chiming noise was heard. Neptune gasped, as she remembered. Her breath caught in her chest as she watched as a hole opened in the monster's forehead. A ball of light floated up from it and from that light formed a person in a sailor suit, holding a deadly weapon in hand.
"Oh my god…" was all Neptune was capable of saying as she saw it. The light of the talismans died down as the figure rose into the air on her back – higher and higher! – before righting herself. The symbol of Saturn burned bright on her forehead, before a tiara with a gem of fluoride formed before it, hiding it. Her color was purple, her shoulder guards were feathered, her brooch was a crystal of many points, her boots were laced up, and she looked exactly the same as the Outers remembered her.
"I am the messenger from the depths of death; I carry the protection of the planet of ruin, Saturn. I am the soldier of silence who takes all to nothing, Sailor Saturn."
No emotion was on her face as she spoke, holding the glaive in her hands. Everyone stood and not a sound was made in her wake. Uranus was the first to find her voice.
"She… she's awake, now."
"Sailor Saturn," Pluto said, almost in awe.
Goten stood up, looking at her. "Where is Sailor Moon! Is she… is she dead?!"
Saturn turned her attention towards them, before flying down to the blackness, slashing it with her glaive. It roared and cried in pain. "I was called once before, long ago. From the looks you have given me, I must judge that it was only a short time ago. Of course… I am always uninvited."
"I can't move! My power is being taken from me!" the monster cried out, trying to fight back. Saturn spun behind its reaching hand and slashed it. The blackness exploded where she hit it.
"I was not meant to be. Through the wheels of fate, I was meant to die. But the destined flow became stagnated somewhere. Through the accident in this Infinity Zone," she said, "the one I was supposed to sleep eternally in, 'Hotaru', began to live without life as a cyborg. I was never meant to awaken, and it shocked my spirit. Then, she began to live under the utilization when Tomoe's twisted heart summoned them back here."
The blackness reached up and grabbed her, though she swung the glaive and pulled free, floating up into the air.
"That could not be helped, though. This was the land they surely came from, the place where the Original slept, undisturbed for eons. This is a holy land, to us and to them. The destined flow has branched away from what was meant to be, and now we walk to ruin once more. I will stop history from repeating itself. Now that I have awakened, I will drop the Silence Glaive."
"NO!" Goten screamed as he was held back. There was nothing his power could do.
"Do we have no future?" Chibi Moon asked.
Saturn raised the glaive high overhead. "Death Ribbon Revolution!" Ribbons shot out from the energy in her glaive and surrounded the monster and her, almost shielding the others. The blackness shot up from the ground, surrounding Saturn like a funnel. It reached for the sky, but the ribbons held it fast.
"My power is being sucked away!" it shrieked. "The huge negative aura was you! You were the sleeping power in the Omega Area! The power of the stars has awakened you!" Its cries of pain went unheeded.
"Hateful thing! Invader! Return to nothing and bring the ruin of this world!" Saturn called out, swiping her glaive again. She spun around and flew high in the air. As everyone watched, she dropped the Silence Glaive.
Tuxedo Kamen threw himself on top of Chibi Moon to shield her, while Earth stood before Omega, forming a shield around them. Buildings on the island began to collapse as tidal waves struck them. Goten flew into the air and watched everything in horror.
"Everyone is disappearing!" he realized. "Everyone is dying… and the world is ending. I couldn't protect Bunny. I promised Trunks, and in the end, I couldn't do a damn thing!"
"Auntie Sere!"
"Hotaru's power was the soldier of ruin. This is my fault. If we had only healed Earth," Neo Mercury realized "none of this would be happening. The world is ending, we will all die here." Her transformation was undone and Keiko looked to the dying imposter. She had always hated this woman for using her power, but now she saw a girl who had been unwilling to fight. Captured because the Dark Kingdom sought her father. Kneeling down next to her, she took her hand.
"You've come… to torment me, then?" Omega asked, smiling as her body continued to fade.
"No. I've come to ask for your help," Keiko said, lifting her up gently. "Only one of us will survive this, friend. I fully intended to steal away your power to give myself another chance at life, to live with my daughter that I was taken from before my time, but I can see now how selfish that would be."
"What are –"
Keiko smiled as her symbol of Omega formed on her forehead. "I will give you everything and keep only enough for one last attack. I was angry at Earth and at you, and now I can see neither of you were truly at fault. She was tricked and you were forced. I should have been angry at the Dark Kingdom, not at you. Will you take my gift?"
A point of light formed in the dead center of the Infinity Zone. It shot forth and cleared everything from its path. It formed into a sphere and in the middle of it was Super Sailor Moon.
"SAILOR MOON!" Goten shouted, so ecstatic he fell from the sky before catching himself. As she opened her eyes, the moon on her tiara blazing brightly, the costumes of the senshi changed as well. Their back bows grew out and their bottom shoulder guards became long and transparent. Earth's front bow and boots went blue, while her skirt layered, the bottom layer turning a lighter shade of blue.
The monster shrieked and roared in pain, trying to reach upwards, to the sky above. "I must escape from here! I must return to our home world, the Tau System! Where even darkness cannot escape the tomb of gravity!"
Saturn smiled, chilling the blood of those who saw it. "So beautiful," she breathed. "The suffering that comes at the moment of destruction…"
Keiko flew up at once, past Goten who couldn't grab her in time. Reaching her hands out, she grabbed the monster in her own gravity attack, using up what little was left of her power, and dragged it with her to the sky as Sailor Saturn followed her. Omega stood up, calling out for Keiko to stop.
"We, the guides to death and hell, will take you away from here and seal you away into the Abyss!" Keiko screamed out.
'They're going to trap themselves with him!'
"I feel no despair," Saturn explained as she turned back to face Sailor Moon one last time. "I am so glad to finally see the face of the beautiful princess. One thousand years ago, my greatest wish was to see you, just once. Your beauty captivated me, but I was never allowed outside of my own castle. My wish has come true. Remember, Sailor Moon, remember. Always with the end, comes hope and rebirth. That is what you will bring."
Saturn smiled and flew forward.
"Sailor Moon, because you chose to open the power of the Holy Grail, along with the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou, you can save this planet. I am the soldier who takes all to nothing. I bring the death that is necessary for rebirth. This holy land that they covet will become your kingdom one day, where surely the Original will sleep once more. Make it beautiful once more."
Saturn flew straight up with Keiko.
"Sailor Pluto!" she called. "Use the power that gave birth to you! Your Key of Time holds the power of the Angel! Use what is left of those combined powers to seal the road forever!"
"SATURN!" Pluto shrieked.
"NOW!"
Pluto lifted the key over her head. "Great and benevolent angel! I ask for the power you used to destroy that which gave birth to me! Seal shut this tainted roadway! I call upon you as the Solitary Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto!"
The Door of Time appeared in the air, sucking in the Tau system, the monster, Keiko and Saturn. They smiled as they flew into the door.
"DARK DOME, CLOSE!"
The door shut and faded away. Everyone stared in silence. Sailor Saturn and Keiko were gone, like that. The sky slowly returned to its true color as Sailor Moon stared at it, a tear running down her face.
"Always with the end, comes Hope and Rebirth…" she whispered. Her sailor suit glowed brightly and it became her royal dress. Princess Serenity stood and raised the Heart Moon Rod high into the air. Energy poured from it and down to the buildings and people below. The buildings were reconstructed and the people began to wake. Everyone stood and watched her.
"The city," Goten smiled. "Everything is being resurrected! Bunny created a miracle!"
"Not Odango…" Earth explained, looking around as she sheathed her blade. "The princess." She looked to the princess, who stood amidst the devastation. She remembered the vision she'd had when she and Bunny came into contact not so long ago. "How could I have mistaken you for her? You're nothing alike…"
As everyone went to check on one another, a sound caught Earth's ears. She jumped from the roof and landed on the ground, amidst the remains of class rooms and offices that had been Mugen. Curious, the Outers followed her, hopping down carefully as they didn't have her strength to survive long falls like that. As Uranus helped Neptune down from a large pile of debris, Earth moved what had been a wall away. It was the sound of a baby's wails.
She stared for the longest time. "A baby?"
Neptune pushed past her, knocking her into one of the ruined walls. Earth went to hit her, but Uranus got between them. Neptune knelt down and lifted the small child up into her arms. The symbol of Saturn burned on her forehead before fading away. "She was reincarnated… how sad, she must be all alone now."
"Neptune?" Uranus asked, uncertainly. Neptune smiled up at Uranus and Pluto.
"Let's raise her ourselves."
Pluto smiled and knelt down as well. "The three of us are parents."
Super Sailor Moon ran to the three of them, tailed by the others. Earth floated after them, followed by Goten. "Guys!" she called out. The three Outers looked up at her.
"We'll be going, then," Uranus explained, helping Neptune to her feet. "Now that we have a new mission, apart from our princess."
"You're leaving?" Chibi Moon asked. Earth grinned.
"Thank god," she said. Uranus just smiled.
"Maybe. We'll see," she said. "Maybe far away… maybe close by…"
"Am I ever going to have to look at your hideous face again?" Earth asked. Uranus just kept grinning. Pluto laughed at them.
"Of course we will come back. We are allies. Surely we will meet again."
"Yes," Neptune said, holding out her mirror. "We are allies, and we will meet again. Little princess… we will return to you some day. Take this as a sign of our promise."
Carefully, Chibi Moon took the mirror and looked into it, sharing its reflection with Neptune.
"Look in this mirror. Until we meet again, become a much stronger soldier. You are the daughter of a great warrior, and you are a princess as well."
And with that, the three Outers turned and walked off.
The next morning was uneventful. Bunny had crashed at Capsule Corp. after the battle. She had been ambushed by her worried father and grandmother. They had been terrified something had happened to her.
"Where were you all day?" Trunks demanded, taking her by the shoulder. Bunny just laughed, a little nervously, and pulled away.
"It was okay, papa," she explained, looking a little guilty. Her grandmother would not leave it alone, though.
"We were so worried about you!" Bulma shouted. Bunny waved her hands a little.
"Don't yell so much, 'baa-san! You haven't been well!" she reminded. Bulma frowned and put her hands on her hips.
"Don't try and change the subject!" she scolded, before taking Bunny by the ear. "Serenity Briefs, if you think my health is bad, just imagine how I felt yesterday! You wouldn't answer your cell phone, we couldn't get hold of ANY of your friends, and you just waltz in here in the middle of the night and GO TO SLEEP?"
Bulma began coughing and had to let go. Bunny became worried, but the coughing subsided and she found her grandmother's finger in her face. She backed up into her father.
"You are so lucky I don't let your grandfather in here! He doesn't show it, but he was worried sick!" she continued, as Trunks held her in place. "I know you hang around Mugen, but there was a TERRIBLE fight there, between the Sailor Senshi and an enemy no one could detect! We had no idea what happened, until Gohan went and looked!"
Bunny's eyes went wide. They'd had no idea that Gohan had been there! What if he had seen Goten? Her secret would be out, and she didn't want to explain it to everyone!
"He couldn't even get past the shield they had put up! What if you'd been caught in it?" her father demanded, sounding angry. "You can't use Ki, you know that!"
"I wasn't in the battle, papa!" Bunny insisted. "A monster came after me, as everyone was evacuating! So, I got caught in it with Terra-chan, and we went and hid!" She truly hoped he would believe that. Trunks let her go and frowned. As he opened his mouth to speak again, her cell phone went off. She answered it and ducked as he went to take it from her.
"Terra-chan!" she greeted. At once, her happy mood vanished as quickly as it'd come. "They what!"
Bunny ran with Chibi-Usa, into the Tenoh building and up the flights of stairs. Minako and Makoto went up the Meioh Building, and Ami and Rei up the Kaioh Building. With a swift kick, Bunny knocked Haruka's door down and went inside. It had been cleaned up, and it was now empty. As though no one lived there. She and Chibi-Usa went inside to look around.
"Find anything?" Rei asked over their Com units. Bunny responded with no, as Minako chimed in they, too, found nothing.
"Maybe we should spread out more to find them," the princess suggested, when the sound of helicopter blades whirring caught her ears. She took Chibi-Usa and left out the window, flying to the roof of the building. As they got three stories up, she noticed three helicopters taking off, one from each building. The three Outers were flying off. With a smile, Bunny sat Chibi-Usa on the roof and went after them, leaving her bewildered soldiers behind.
"Haruka-san!" she called out, catching Haruka. Haruka grinned and waved carefully, as she held the infant Hotaru in her arms. Bunny waved back and stopped, letting the three fly off into the distance.
'We'll meet again, I just know it. Until then, Haruka-san… Michiru-san… Setsuna-san…'