6. CROSSING THE BOUNDARIES

I've had it up to here, you know your end is near.

You had to have it all,
Well have you had enough?
You greedy little bastard,
You will get what you deserve.
When all is said and done,
I will be the one to leave you in the misery and hate what you've become.

Intoxicated eyes, no longer live that life.
You should have learned by now, I'll burn this whole world down.
I need some peace of mind, no fear of what's behind.
You think you've won this fight, you've only lost your mind.

Heaven help you.

- Had Enough, by Breaking Benjamin

One word best described the future that Sailor Pluto and the former Queen Serenity manipulated into being— disturbing. Six-story tall, clear crystal pieces jutted from the cityscape and was scattered around buildings while a crystal palace had formed in the very center of Tokyo, destroying a once beautiful and bustling metropolis and the city was silent as an ancient graveyard.

When Neo-Queen Serenity and Neo-King Endymion first appeared before the subjugated people of all continents but Africa, they both claimed that the world was now an utopia where there would be no pain or suffering from war and that everyone would live in peace. Such a lie. The army became executioners and silenced any that dared to speak out, the police were corrupt and only adhered to keeping people loyal. This all took place before the arrival of the Black Moon family, before the planet of Nemesis eclipsed the Earth's Moon, and was but a continuation of the suffering because the rulers did not attempt to do the best for those they ruled. All the people heard were sweet words from the rulers and their guardians, but they passed nothing to help the people pull themselves up from the previous strife. After the first attack of the Black Moon family, thing went to hell rather quickly because the army was faced by an enemy that did not fear them.

Than, from the Black Moon's revolution, the seeds of the Resistance Movement blossomed in Crystal Tokyo. This movement was eventually funded by a kingdom that sat to the far West of Crystal Tokyo, sprawling across the Sahara Desert to the Mediterranean Sea and based around the Nile River, called Thebes.

Presently a figure shrouded in darkness and mystery was lurking in an alley that within sight of the Crystal Palace gates, waiting for something to happen. This person was wearing a worn black leather overcoat with a hood that was buttoned from the high collar to mid-thigh and showed worn black pants and combat boots held together by duct tape and equally worn leather gloves. The lone feature that drew the attention of both ally and enemy was the pristine white mask, painted red lips curled into a permanent smile. The silence was than broken by a shriek of fear, or pain, as the figure tilted it's head to the side when the struggle came into the figure's line of sight.

A floating woman in a scandalous black dress with three large green gems forming a simple necklace around her throat, who the figure easily identified as Emerald of the Dark Moon family, had a child suspended five feet above the ground and was strangling the annoying brat, the figure identified as Princess Usagiko, with… "Stretch Armstrong hands? That's screwier than the usual." The figure muttered in a dark, gravelly voice.

"Chibi-Usa!" the figure heard a blonde in an blue, red, and white Sailor Scout uniform shriek.

"Venus Love Chain Encircle!" the semi-familiar voice of Sailor Venus shouted as the chain of hearts came from no where and distracted Emerald enough to let Princess Usagiko go as a younger Sailor Jupiter moved and caught the annoying princess while a younger Tuxedo Mask moved between the two and Emerald, arms out to protect them from any incoming attack.

"They are messing with forces that no one can control without consequences." He figure muttered, crossing it's arms while leaning back against the cold brick wall. As things were getting boring and the figure turned to head down the alley a spark of familiar power made it stop. The familiar power far outstripped the figure's own and this caused the figure to stiffen and whip around to continue watching the struggle that was still taking place since the spark of power was forming there. Sailor Moon was on the ground in shock and near tears while the other younger Sailor Venus was struggling to keep control of the heart-whip that was around a cackling Emerald.

"Tuxedo: The Smoking Bomber!" she heard the past self of the King bellow as he darted between Venus and Emerald, his attack blowing Emerald up in a blaze of fire.

"I doubt that was the power." The figure dryly told itself in disgust, the building of that attack was a candle against the spark of power that now felt like a bonfire to the figure. The figure noted two others arrived on the scene— one was a tall man with gray-white hair that was cut below his ears wearing a white ornate jacket and matching pants with a white cape pinned to the shoulders of the jacket but the other was floating a foot off the ground in a black hooded rob and was hunched over a crystal ball like a crone or ancient shaman. The figure did not mind Diamond, who had a mind and wit that made him feared among the army ranks and earned him the grudging respect of the Resistance, but the other everyone knew as Wiseman, who was hated by everyone for his merciless tactics and lack of care for anyone or anything in his command.

Neither were the source of the power that had piqued the figure's curiousity, which was slowly starting to annoy the figure.

"Do you like the renovations to the thirtieth century, Sailor Moon? How about you Venus, Jupiter, and Tuxedo Mask?" the husky tones of Prince Diamond, the leader of the Black Moon Family, asked as Sailor Moon glanced up from her useless scepter.

"Watch out below!" a voice shouted as three teenagers crashed down on top of Sailor Moon, causing everyone to freeze in place.

Ryou, Yugi, and Malik had held on to their things for dear life as they felt like they were being drug underwater by something. The three had no chance to scream, to protest, to ask the possibilities of surviving this unofficial suicide mission but that was probably for the best because it gave them no chance to talk themselves out of going to the future to deal with the stolen Millennium object. When the feeling of being underwater faded they felt the chilled air and heard voices, which meant their journey was over. "Watch out below!" Ryou shouted, probably out of reflex and amusement, and all three fell on top of someone in a classic dog-pile.

"I wonder if this is how clothes feel when they are in the rinse cycle." Malik muttered as he crawled form the pile and got to his feet as Ryou sat on the ground and shook his head a few times. The blonde glanced over his shoulder and watched as Yugi got off of their cushion, now identified as a whining Sailor Moon, and brushed some dust from her attire while adjusting her bag.

"I think we interrupted something." Yugi pointed out as the two boys turned and seen all the eyes on them. It was a little unnerving, seeing how they only recognized the three from their time period and the ghost of an older Tuxedo Mask in a lavender color…

"That color is very unbecoming on you, reminds me too much of Pegasus." Ryou commented as he pointed at the still shocked spirit of the older Tuxedo Mask, yet no one moved or even said something.

"What are you three doing here?" Sailor Venus demanded with her hands on her hips as Prince Diamond and Wiseman watched the events unfolding.

"Finishing up some unfinished business." Yugi snapped as she stalked forward a few steps so that she stood toe-to-toe with the blonde scout. "Plus that little brat you rescued from being strangled stole something from us and we are here to ensure that the situation is taken care of."

"I stole nothing!" Chibi-Usa shouted as she huffed, glaring at the three Domino City teens from the protective arms of an equally annoyed Sailor Jupiter. "I took what was rightfully mine."

"I say we make her into a voodoo doll." Malik muttered as Yugi snorted and Ryou was thoughtfully looking down at his hands. "That is doubtful, since Pluto was in on the deal and we did chase you down with good reason. Hand it back over and we will leave this pathetic future to our content present."

"Or you could be taken care of now." The spirit stated with a venomous glare, eyes drifting down to stare at the Millennium Puzzle around Yugi's neck and then over at the Millennium Ring around Ryou's which meant that he obviously recognizing the importance of the items. "Guards!" he bellowed as Diamond and Wiseman decided to fade into the background, since the attention was no longer on them and the appearance of the three teens required a little bit more observation, and several soldiers came running from the palace with their guns drawn. "They are a part of the movement to destroy Crystal Tokyo…"

"In our defense, you can't destroy something that technically doesn't really exist." Yugi sarcastically stated as she let a hand drift to where her dueling deck was on her belt, lifting the top and pulling the cards out as Ryou did the same. Malik drew the Millennium Rod and took a deep breath to ready himself for the fight, hoping that he had an ace up his sleeve like his sister and friend.

"What are you doing?" Sailor Venus asked the spirit of the older Tuxedo Mask, obviously shocked at the reaction to the three teens appearance, as the soldiers took aim as Yugi and Ryou each drew a card from the top of her deck and carefully glanced down at it.

"Trap Hole." Yugi whispered as the soldiers fell into the hole that appeared beneath them, than it closed up as none dared moved. The Sailor Scouts, Tuxedo Mask, Chibi-Usa, and the spirit of the older Tuxedo Mask all looked shocked by the oddly violent move and the fact that Yugi indirectly killed several soldiers, but also the lack of any emotion on the teenage girl's face.

"Hand over what that pink haired brat stole from us and we will leave peacefully." Malik growled out as he brought the Millennium Rod up, close to using its power to bend the Sailor Scouts to his will.

"You call the death of seven soldiers peaceful?" the spirit spat as the scouts and Tuxedo Mask did not move, a bit shaken by the display of power and hostility that not even Beryl had dared to show.

"You called them with the intent to kill us for just being here, therefore we claim self-defense." Yugi stated as she tucked the card at the bottom of her deck and Ryou eyed the remaining guards, who were now trembling in fear due to what they had just witnessed.

"Man-eater Bug." Ryou stated calmly as the vicious green bug appeared and attacked the shocked soldiers, eventually going after the younger Sailor Scouts, as the three Domino teens made their escape.

The figure remembered stories of the first Thebes rulers before they sacrificed themselves to protect the continent of Africa and its inhabitants from the magical cleansing and later the armies of Crystal Tokyo. The myth of the dark power that they sacrificed themselves to for those that accepted their rule, the martyrs to why the world should not be a perfect utopia. Pushing those fantastical stories and chest-tightening memories to the side the figure decided to focus on the growing curiosity concerning the three teens that were now present. Subconsciously the figure knew that this was the event that they had been waiting for and that their goal of defeating the Neo-King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity was closer than ever. When the three ran from the fight, leaving a insect looking creature behind to distract those present, the figure noted with a chuckled that they were running right towards it's position in the alley. "This way!" the figure hissed out, turning on it's heel and running down the alley as all three came to a stop and darted into the alley without pausing to think about the possible ramifications of their split-second decision.

The figure led them through a maze of back alleys and buildings and then things around them rippled and they were no longer surrounded by the brick and crystal buildings of Crystal Tokyo but a place that looked much like a ghost town— forgotten by time. It was eeriely silent, not even a breeze to rattle anything loose. "What the hell was that?" Malik asked as Ryou bit his lip and glanced around.

"Warping, it is a method of magical travel that my uncle developed after the world thawed and the Sailor Scouts set up show as monarchs." The figure stated in a bitter tone, setting off down the street at a more sedate pace as the three fell into step behind the figure. "Don't worry, they rarely enter this place because it is a blot on their perfect record. After they destroyed all life here, for being evil, it was removed from the map and declared an official No-Man's Land."

The landmarks were rather familiar to Ryou, who grabbed Yugi and forced her to come to a stop, and Malik froze in his tracks after a few steps. Yugi was silent, biting her lip, as she tried to steady the fact that she knew why Ryou was gripping her wrist hard enough to leave marks. "We are in Domino City!" Ryou whispered in shock as the figure whirled around, frozen in surprise.

"The Scouts didn't fair well in Domino either, in the our time." Malik wryly stated as Yugi snorted.

"He decked Pluto and they were insulted every other time we met, minus Mars and Mercury." Yugi answered as the figure was silent. "Such an egotisical group… it makes sense, in a warped way."

"The original Mars and Mercury formed the Resistance cells here before I arrived, they told me stories of my parents and relatives. They refused to leave this hellish place because they wanted to right the mistake they were too blind to stop in the beginning, with that determination they died fighting." The figure stated as the three teens were silent, since there is nothing a person can say to do justice to such determination. "We better continue on before night falls." With that the figure turned on its heel and set off as they followed.

"If this is the future, I say we murder them to prevent it from happening." Malik muttered as Ryou nodded.

"I will make dolls of them and let's see them try." The white haired teen agreed with a sage nod and both glanced at the unofficial leader of their group for any chiding or such. Instead, they realized that Yugi was nodding in agreement with their statements, which meant that the scouts were truly proving to be more trouble then they were worth. Turning their attention back to the matter at hand, the walk was tense and silent and there was nothing to say about the dead landscape. On that note, they also found it a bit awkward to be following a figure that the three did not know.

"The game shop!" Yugi suddenly stated as she came to a stop and pointed to the small, weathered place that she called home. "It seems that everything comes back to Domino for us." She added and detoured towards the shop, Malik following and pulling Ryou along with him as the figure paused.

"What the hell?" it muttered and stormed after them, cursing their short attention spans. The figure entered the shop and seen that the three did not disturb the shelves or the counter at the back, but made their way upstairs, so it followed them up. The living room looked was covered in dust and the furniture was moth eaten but what really irked the figure out was the fact that the three were no where to be seen, until something crashed. With a sigh the figure stalked towards the hallway and seen that the first door was open and the three were poking around the room.

Ryou blushed as he backed away from the bookshelf he had touched, causing the hold relic to crumble into dust, and causing Malik to hit him upside the head. "Sorry." The white haired teen muttered as the blonde sighed. Yugi ignored them in favor of approaching the ornate gold box, the one that the Millennium Puzzle pieces had been in when she first received it, that was sitting on the table at the foot of the bed and not touched by any dust.

"What is so important about this place?" the figure demanded as Malik and Ryou both glanced at the figure. Before they could answers Yugi had picked up the golden box and moved away from the table to sit on the floor with it.

"Everything, to us at least. This is our home city, this is where Malik and I live and I think Ryou adopted it as home since he is around a lot." She answered as Malik sat by her and Ryou followed, curious about the box. The figure just sighed and crossed it's arms in annoyance while Yugi removed the lid of the box to show a collections of folded papers still in pristine condition. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Yugi picked up the first piece and carefully unfolded it, weary of what it may hold. She then took a deep breath and proceeded to read the letter out loud.

To who ever finds this box:

All you need to know about me is that my name is Yugi and I have lived in Domino City, I first encountered the Sailor Scouts of Juuban district because of an unfortunate accident that utterly destroyed all chances of a future. Years later the Shadow Realms, specifically the Gods that reside in it, suddenly pulled myself and several others into the safety of its power and darkness as the world was frozen over because of a power unknown to us. After this we began to carefully watch the unknown magic change the world into a twisted parody of its former life and glory, I assume you have seen the world around you and will not bore you with details you already know.

Eventually we began to observe the world a bit more when Sailor Moon suddenly awakened and brought about what their history now calls the 'Great Reawakening.' Since that point, the Sailor Scouts willingly threw their innocent façade of dealing justice in favor of taking control over the planet through any means possible, going as far as to implicating methods that would have made even the hardened dictator of our time squeamish. It was then that we have decided to step in and try to save all that we could, using our abilities to take those willing back to where life began. Back to where our power will always be the strongest. We did this because it was dangerous for us to remain in the stronghold of our enemy without aide or permanent protection, but we had more to think about then just ourselves and it is for the better that we abandon Domino City for them.

This decision was made for us by the original Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars, Ami and Rei respectively, told us to leave with those they were trying to protect. We did as they asked since their hearts weighted true. That is how we came to be back in the heart of Egypt, actually living in the resurrected ancient city of Thebes thanks to a gamble on Time Wizard. The kingdom has been thriving ever since it was established, we are forever thankful for the aide of the Gods in the Shadow Realms since they helped smooth out the transitions. It was by luck that we had developed and setup a permanent shield over Africa and the Sinai Peninsula by time the false ruling order of Neo-Queen Serenity began her 'Great Purification.' The people were grateful for it when they found out what happened after a scouting report, that those that did not fall to Serenity's Poison were automatically killed and those that fell to the power became drones to the 'perfect Utopia.'

As I write this letter, my life is rapidly fading. History has, ironically, repeated itself and it seems that Silent Magician Heba's fate has become my own. Lucky for me my daughter is almost ready to be born and I have been fighting off the effects of Neo-Queen Serenity's poison for close to two months now, a disgusting gift from a traitor that wanted to ensure that the Thebes Royal line never continued. I really don't want to leave my darling daughter alone in this world, but it is out of my hands since I am so tired. The only comfort I have right now is that I am leaving my child in the capable hands of my beloved brother, Malik, and his husband. I wish my husband had survived to see her birth, but only if the circumstances were better. It would be cruel for him to see his wife die, again, by another's venom.

To Motou Benefrit: Yugi went into labor before she could finish her letter to place in this box and after midnight she gave birth to a healthy and beautiful baby girl. She said that this child would have been the best birthday gift to her husband, had he survived, and in honor of him she named the child after her husband's mother— who was the first to fall as a hero in the first war between Thebes and Crystal Tokyo. It was the first time in years that Yugi actually smiled and broke down in tears, and it was because of you Benefrit. She was so happy to know you were healthy and alive, so happy that she got to hold you and knew you would be safe. As I write this Malik is already making sure she is buried with her husband in the tomb that Shadi has always guarded. We are sorry we did not prevent this bleak future and maybe one day you can forgive us, but there hasn't been a day that we do not regret being passive.

The only regret we have is not being able to tell you about what is hidden within the darkness, since we do not know if you will have a chance to return to your parents roots. Never forget the game we taught you and always remember that if you give up freedom for perfection you deserve to suffer. Do not forget your inner strength and do not forget that they will always be watching you and always be proud of you no matter what happens.

A/N:The Shrouded Figure belongs to a friend of mine, Itooshi, during a joking session a couple months back. In reality The Shrouded Figure came from a glitch in a Facebook App. called "Mousehunt." Anyways, I have hit a rut with Trio... and about everything else in my life, but it has been a year (April, I believe) since I started rewriting the WMHH universe to be better (in my opinion, at least). Due to this rut I will now try and update once a month, which is the most I can offer since I haven't touched Trio in close to a month and half now... I think.

The other bad news is I have been trying to figure out the draw to Stephanie Meyers "Twilight" series. Upon reading the first book (titled "Twilight") my brain went on strike and then on vacation. I hope to return to the dark future that is Crystal Tokyo soon, or else S2Teennovelist will hunt me down and make sure I work on it.

Heh... hopefully this chapter wasn't too confusing. If it was I will go abck and try adn clear up several things. Other then that I hope the Sailor Moon crossover is working out better (and original) since it is a filler arc in place just to introduce Yami Marik and also to ensure the death of Nepha. Just thought I'd hammer that point in.