ZT: Whee!!! (Runs around) WHEEEEEE!!

Kuja: Um…I've got nothing. What are you doing?

ZT: Running around. WHEEE!

Kuja: Dare I ask why? This is crazy even for you.

ZT: My finals ended. WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Kuja: And…?

ZT: We celebrated with a class of 100 people having a potluck, and everyone brought sugary stuff! WHEEEEEEEE!

Kuja: Oh great.

ZT: I know I know! Wh-

Kuja: I GET IT! "Wheeee"! Can "wheeeee" start the show now?

ZT: Oh! Right. Thanks for being so patient everyone. Here's the next chapter of OSCAF. I don't own Sailor Moon or FF9. Enjoy!

Of Silver Crystals and Feathers

Chapter (Um…sugar made me lose track)

"Ow…" Serenity rubbed her head and sat up. Darn tree; why'd it have to go and attack her like that for?? Slowly getting to her feet, she glanced around the area. One look told her she was definitely not Thumbelina playing Tarzan anymore; the new surroundings slightly resembled the moon kingdom palace, although it had more of a white hue to it than silver. She had awakened near a white fountain, shaped like three women holding up what looked like the star of Cosmos with water cascading around them. Curiosity got the better of her and she stepped closer to the marble structure. The liquid sparkled with multiple colors, looking as if it was catching the last rays of sunlight as it fell. This caused the moon princess to narrow her eyes in confusion; it was night… Okay…so this isn't water. What is it then? Serenity wondered, reaching out her hand to touch the mystery liquid. It was warm, and sent a pleasant sensation through her hand and up her arm. It also had an energy signature that Serenity knew very well. "It's Star Power…" she gasped, pulling her hand back and looking at the droplets forming a small pool in her palm. Of all the things the scout of the stars had seen in her life, this was a first. Power could control the various elements, and make those elements do anything in any of the four stages of solid, liquid, gas, and plasma but power itself was not matter! Yet somehow, this power had been put into a liquid form. Was that even possible? Science says no, but that sure didn't stop this stuff from being around. But then again, science didn't exactly explain how she was here in the first place.

"Where is 'here' anyway…?" she wondered aloud, glancing around again. She wasn't sure why, but being here felt so…right. It was different than anything she had felt before. Perhaps as the Moon Princess in the Moon Kingdom or as Neo Queen Serenity in Crystal Tokyo she would have felt this way, but not as she was now; not as Sailor Cosmos, who was the reincarnation of the Moon Princess and bypassed the Neo Queen stage when her future kingdom was destroyed. Serenity crossed her arms, Well…as Princess Serenity I was princess of the moon, and as Neo Queen Serenity, I was supposed to be queen of Earth. Now I'm a scout of the stars…is this a star kingdom? She blinked in surprise as the thought came to her. A "star kingdom"? There were so many stars out there though, which one would this be? And why was she brought here? "Hey! Anyone wanna tell my where I am and how I got here?" she finally shouted. Serenity wasn't exactly expecting an answer; the place looked deserted. However, lately the unexpected had been happening a lot, so she decided to take the chance of looking like an idiot anyway.

Her luck held out as she heard a small giggle from nearby. Turning, she pinpointed where the sound had come from. A small stream of the star power liquid flowed into what Serenity could only guess was a shrine of sorts. It was across a marble bridge and elevated slightly on a hill, seeming to shine in sync with the stars in the background. Four orbs of light danced around the shrine, but as the scout took a step forward, they flew through the entrance and out of her sight. "Hey wait!" she called out, hurrying over the bridge and into the shrine. As she stepped through the entrance, Serenity stopped and stared in awe. The inside of the shrine was circular in shape, with a large walkway around the walls before two steps led down to a pool of the star power in the center of the shrine. Around the pool were various flower and trees, full of color and life, and each one shimmering as if it held the power of the stars itself in them. "An oasis inside a shrine?" she wondered aloud, stepping closer to the pool.

"It's lovely isn't it?" The scout of the stars looked around for the owner of the voice. What she found was one of the four orbs she had spotted earlier.

"Yes it is," Serenity replied carefully. Normally she wasn't one to talk to balls of light, but she decided to let it slide today. "Where are we anyway? Do you know why I'm here?"

The orb laughed lightly, "Of course I do; I am one of the four who brought you here Usagi."

She blinked in surprise, "Usagi…? I haven't been called that in millennia…"

"True, but that is your name is it not? You call yourself by so many titles even I find it hard to keep track. Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, Messiah of Light, Sailor Cosmos, the future Neo Queen Serenity…yet despite that, when you were born to the Tsukinos, they gave you one name and said that was what you were going to be known as: Usagi Tsukino. Strip away all the layers which have been draped over you for millennia, and Usagi is what there will be, so that is what I shall call you."

Serenity nodded slowly, "Alright then…but what do I call you? And how do you know me?"

"My dear, I know you because I have always watched over you. Had there ever been a shrine for my sisters and I, we would have wished you to be the high priestess with how much of ourselves we see in you. So much of us flows in your heart, that it eventually turned into that power which makes you the great warrior Sailor Cosmos, yet never lose that personality which makes you Usagi as well." Serenity opened her mouth to speak, but the orb stopped her. "I know, you are wondering about your other questions," the orb laughed, "Patience always did say she lacked a share in you the size we four have, but I suppose even she can only take our lengthy talks for so long. Usagi, I am one of the great elements of the spirit and heart. I am Justice."

"Justice…? But, you said there aren't shrines honoring you. Yet I know of shrines of gods and goddesses of Justice…" Serenity replied, confusion evident in her voice.

"Those gods and goddesses are filled with my element, but they are not Justice. I am the essence of the concept itself if you may," Justice explained.

"I think I get it…" the scout said, letting the words sink in. She had to admit, even she, who used to say she stood for "justice" before starting every battle, never thought that 'justice' actually existed as a being; she had thought that it, just as the orb had mentioned, was just a concept that people treasured. But then again, she had heard many times before that if you believe in something enough, it becomes real. And justice was definitely believed in… "Why was I brought here?" Serenity asked after she felt she was ready to swallow down more news.

"Well, technically, we are not 'here', but on another plane which has been replicated to look like 'here'. You're physical body is still on Gaia," Justice answered.

"So…this is kind of like when I would die and see my mother on the moon kingdom," Serenity clarified.

The orb bobbed slightly, which Serenity took for a nod, "Exactly."

"So am I dead now?"

"No…the reason why my sisters and I brought your spirit here was because we wanted you to survive. We could not move you physically because it would have taken too much time, but here is the place where your Cosmic powers would activate the swiftest," Justice answered.

"So I was right about who's behind this…Justice please send me back! If my star powers are what kept me alive that means my friends need my help!" she pleaded.

"Your friends are fine. If you wish to help them, you need to know where you are and why we brought you here," Justice replied, floating towards the door, "Come, things will be better explained outside."

"But-"

"Rest assured, dear, none of your friends will be harmed while you are away," a new voice said. The voice was sweet, gentle, soothing…like a loving mother to her child. To accompany the new voice was another orb, this one having the slightest pink hue to it. It floated around Serenity in a comforting manner, and the scout felt her heart lift from the sudden crash it had taken when she realized the danger everyone was in. She looked at the orb and smiled, "Love, right?"

Love glowed a little brighter, her way of beaming, "I thought you might figure me out that quick. Now come; the others are waiting outside." The two orbs flew out and the scout followed quickly after.

Serenity blinked in surprise; the other two orbs were floating around the same fountain she had been at earlier! Am I running in circles today? Serenity wondered, walking up to them as Justice and Love joined the other two. She watched the orbs dance around each other, the softest musical notes floating from them, sounding like wind chimes in a slight breeze. She figured they must be conversing with one another and glanced back at the fountain. She let her gaze fall on the statue right in front of her. She wore her hair back in a heart shaped bun, much like Serenity's was in her Cosmos form when her hair was long, with the rest of her hair pooling from it down to just below her neck. She had a small crown resting on her head, with a heart shaped center and small wings spreading out from it. Around her neck was a chocker with three straps, coming to a point in the center of her neck and spreading outwards as they wrapped around. The scout narrowed her eyes; it almost looked like a symbol was supposed to be where the chocker was, but was never carved in. She shook her head and continued examining the statue. Her gown was strapless and form fitting, hugging every curve until slightly below her hip where it pooled out enough to give the person room to move. There was something that resembled a sash/collar of the sailor suit, starting from the right top of the woman's gown and circling around to the back. Again, Serenity thought it looked like something was missing where the collar and dress met, but brushed it aside for now. At the waist were three sashes which wrapped around form one bow on the back of the dress. Here, Serenity knew for a fact something was missing; each sash wrapped around at a different place, yet looked as if it was supposed to be connected to something at her waist. She frowned; why did someone set up this fountain when they hadn't finished this part? Who was this woman anyway? Serenity looked up at the face and blinked in surprise. There was none; the face had not been put in either…

"That's the queen of this kingdom." Justice's voice made the scout jump. How long had they been done conversing with each other?

"Why is her statue incomplete?" she asked, looking at the four orbs in confusion.

"It will complete itself once the queen herself is complete," Justice explained.

Serenity opened her mouth to ask something, anything! But, the last bit confused her far too much. "…What?"

One of the orbs giggled, letting Serenity know this was the one she had heard in the first place. The voice sounded like it belonged to a child, maybe a preteen, but no older than that. "Justice, Usagi-chan doesn't know the story yet! You can't expect her to understand your meaning." The orb danced around Serenity, in a playful manner, "Hi Usagi-chan! I'm called a bunch of things: Innocence, Purity, Virtue…but you can call me Light."

Serenity nodded, "Hello Light."

"Hi! Justice kinda threw that at you without telling you the story of this place and its queen. So I'll tell you, then it will all make sense…I think."

The scout raised an eyebrow, "You think?"

"Sometimes it is difficult for us to explain things to beings that are not omnipresent and omniscient," Love explained, "We see and know so much; sometimes we forget when explaining that those we are speaking to don't see all we do."

She nodded, "I understand; I'll try to keep up."

"Great!" Light danced around in excitement before stopping in front of the scout, "See, this kingdom is called the Star Kingdom. It's new and for the time being is hidden away by our powers. It was created by the power of the queen's heart as she transitioned through the stages of her life."

"Stages?"

"Oh! Guess I better talk about those. People have three stages in her life, sometimes people call it past, present, and future. I don't get why since technically there is always a future and people are always in the present, but since you know about your past life and have traveled to the future before, I think you get the idea." A confirming nod from Serenity pushed Light on, "Anyway, the queen needs to reach her third stage still; she's kinda in a transition between Present and Future, and got stuck."

"Stuck?"

"Things happened," Justice explained, "It might have been a smoother transition if things had gone as she thought they would, but her Present stage was cut short of what she was expecting, a repercussion of looking through time and expecting something when time is a fickle thing anyway. She was forced into the transition stage between Present and Future well before she was ready. Her own power tried to wait it out, hold out on the Future stage until she was well prepared to handle it. Unfortunately, that took a few millennia to do. The queen now thinks that the transition phase is her limit. Because of that, she doesn't consider what the future holds in her own life after her stage is complete, as she had before, and because of that cannot make it to the Future stage."

"I see…so this fountain symbolizes the queen's progress in life." Serenity summed up, "What does this have to do with me? Is she whom I'm supposed to serve? Being the scout of the stars and all…"

"The other two statues are of her Past and Present stage," Light began, "Take a look."

The sailor scout hadn't realized until that moment that she had yet to take a good look at the other statues. Moving counterclockwise around the fountain, she looked at the next statue and gasped. This woman had a long, sleeveless gown with a massive bow tied on the back. Her hair was tied up into two buns with streamers coming out that reached her ankles. A crown similar to the star queen's, minus the wings, rested upon her head. In the center of her forehead was an upturned crescent moon. "Neo Queen Serenity?! But, that would mean the star queen is-!"

"Now you understand," Justice said, watching as the scout moved to look at the last statue, which was of Moon Princess Serenity.

Serenity shook her head, "No, there has to be some mistake. I mean, even if it was true, I never reached my 'Present' stage at all! Crystal Tokyo never came to be!"

"True…Earth was destroyed before you married Endymon," Love replied, "However you did reach the Present stage, if only for a moment." She saw the woman open her mouth to speak, but stopped her, "Think back to your battle all those millennia ago with the Dark Moon Kingdom. When the final battle came, there was only one who could save Small Lady from the Death Phantom's grasp. Neo Queen Serenity was still trapped in her deep sleep, so you used the silver crystal to become your future self in order to save that child and your world."

No doubt, Serenity remembered that fight. She didn't think a temporary transformation technically was supposed to count, but who was she to argue with these spirits? She crossed her arms and looked at the fountain, letting her mind process all that she learned so far.

"I don't know…" she began, letting her mind go back to Zidane, Kuja, and the rest of the crew on Gaia. They were in danger; she should be giving 110% if 100 wasn't enough, not sitting in an illusion of a land trying to awaken some power. She had to admit, every time she went to another stage, she was much stronger, and having more strength might come in handy in that fight. But how long would it take to transform from a scout to a queen? Was it a matter of minutes or hours? Maybe even days? Could her friends hold out long enough for her to come? Was she willing to take that chance?

"Terra Homing!" The holy power of Madeen flew at Mikoto as Eiko summoned her moogle-turned-Eidolon friend to attack. The scout reborn threw a dark spell at the wave of light coming her way, cancelling the attack out.

However, she quickly had to dodge thanks to Amarant throwing a wing edge at her. She frowned slightly; that former mercenary had chakra techniques, one of which could restore the magic supply and health to some extent should the group run out… he needed to be dealt with quickly. But dealing with him would have to wait, she concluded, as Freya's spear shot down at her from the sky. She was about to move out of the way again when an idea struck the genome. She moved only slightly so that the spear landed beside her, then grabbed it. The power flowing through this…it's just like that glaive. Twirling it in her hand, she pointed the blade end towards the Burmecian as she began her descent to the ground again, at the mercy of gravity and whatever decided to attack her at the moment. Freya watched in horror as her own spear began to crackle with menacing black energy. Mikoto's eyes flashed red, "Death Rib-oof!"

She dropped the spear as a ball of energy hit her in the stomach. It wasn't too terribly strong, but it was enough to catch her by surprise. Turning towards the culprit, she found herself facing off with the queen of Alexandria, her Tiger Racket in hand and the eyes of a seasoned warrior staring down the dark scout. "You don't have the power to stand up against me," Mikoto warned.

"Even if I don't, I will still fight you," Dagger replied, tightening her grip on her weapon, "If not there's no telling what will happen to Gaia, including my kingdom!"

She narrowed her eyes, dark energy sparking at her fingertips, "Back down, Your Highness."

"No."

"Firaga!" Mikoto threw a bolt of dark energy behind her, deflecting Vivi's black magic. "Garnet, listen to me, you do not want to fight me!"

The Alexandrian queen's eyes narrowed. "You're right, I don't want to fight you; you were my friend, but if you are going to be a danger to the world, fighting along side those Kisenian blossoms, then I have no choice but to stop you!"

Mikoto sighed, You already sound like one… "Suit yourself," she opened her palm releasing an energy blast in Dagger's direction.

"Princess!" Steiner shouted in terror, his sword glowing. "SHOCK!" A powerful attack flew at Mikoto. She winced as the attack hit her, but shook it off, retaliating with another attack, sending the knight flying into Amarant and Freya behind him.

Time seemed to stop for the queen as the power came towards her. Before it even left Mikoto's hand, she knew she couldn't survive the power about to make contact with her body. Was she really going to be defeated this quickly? This easily? What would happen to her friends if they were to lose one of their two white mages? Could Eiko support the party on her own? What would happen if not? Would they all die? What would happen to Alexandria? To Gaia? No, she couldn't let the world down, people were counting on her! Something inside of her began to stir at that thought. If felt almost like a trance coming on but…not. Before she could think on it more, reality came back to her as a solid mass collided with her, knocking the air out of her and throwing her off her feet. From her spot on the ground, she saw the energy blast sail over her and a mess full of blond hair that belonged to her savior.

"You ok Dagger?" Zidane asked, his blue eyes radiating concern. She nodded numbly as he helped her to her feet. Turning to Mikoto, he narrowed his eyes, "Guys, hang back and deal with any curious mist monsters…" He drew his Ultima Weapon, "I'll deal with Mikoto."

"Are you crazy? She has to be more powerful than even Necron! You can't fight her alone!" Eiko exclaimed.

"Your friends have a point," Mikoto commented.

Zidane's eyes narrowed, "You leave my friends out of this. I'm going alone, Mikoto." For everyone's sake…

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