Slight change to this and chapter 55 :) Spot them?


Eventually, Mamoru and Usagi moved apart and Usagi began to peel away her filthy clothes. Mamoru clenched his fists as more and more of her bruised, scarred skin was exposed. It looked as though more than one of her ribs was broken, and she was leaning heavily upon her right leg. She sank into the warm water and took a deep breath, her body shaking slightly.

Mamoru moved to the side of the tub and began to rinse her hair. As he ran his fingers across her scalp, golden sparks flew from his fingers and were absorbed into her skin, travelling through her body and warming her from her fingers to her toes. She ran her hands across her bruises as they faded, but the half healed scars were left untouched by the healing magic, and always would. Usagi sank further into to the warm water, but still she did not smile.


"The point, Setsuna, is that we still need Usagi's wand. She can't transform without it remember!" Minako was more than a little exasperated.

"I know that, but had we gone back we would have come back with fewer comrades than we have now."

"I thought the future was hazy," Rei snapped.

"Had we gone in, Hotaru would not have come out." Setsuna's eyes were stern as she turned on Rei.

"You should have said," Hotaru's voice was quiet. "You should have said that was what would happen. It is my job to die for the silver millennium and I am more than prepared to do my duty."

"Hotaru don't say that," Rei stood up from the table, "I didn't mean… ok so maybe we were right not to go back."

"No, you were right. Princess Serenity's henshin is the most important of them all – it is well worth the sacrifice."

"Hotaru," Hermione's eyes were shining and her voice shook as she looked between the resolute senshi of silence and the others, who were looking between each other, uncertain.

"Tell me honestly, Setsuna, do you know that if I went back to Malfoy Manor now, I would be unsuccessful in retrieving Usagi's wand."

Setsuna blinked, her mind skimming all the possible outcomes of this moment. "I cannot see it," she said eventually. Hotaru nodded and moved out of the room.

"Why did you tell her that?" Minako rounded upon Setsuna, "you should have lied to her - she'll just go and get herself killed now."

"I did lie to her," Setsuna said shortly, "come and see." Without another word, she lead them all up the stairs from the kitchen. She stopped them at the edge of the hall, just in time to see Hotaru transform, the silence glaive held proudly in a hand that did not shake at all.

Or did it?

"Hotaru?" Usagi's voice wafted down the stairs, quieter than any of them were used to and hesitant, "Hotaru, what are you doing?"

"I am doing my duty, highness Serenity," Hotaru bowed, "I am no longer Hotaru, but Sailor Saturn, Messiah of Silence."

"Very well, Saturn. Can I ask you a question?" Usagi was descending the stairs in a white dressing gown, Mamoru at her side.

"It is your prerogative, highness," Saturn nodded.

"Very well. How does Hotaru feel about you fulfilling your duty?"

"I do not understand what you mean."

"How does Hotaru feel about ending her life?" Usagi said bluntly, lowering herself gently to sit on a step about halfway down the flight, leaning on Mamoru to lever herself into a comfortable position.

"I am prepared to die for the future of Crystal Tokyo."

"I did not ask if you were prepared to die. I asked if you were ready to end your life. Hotaru has so much to live for. You have so much to live for." Saturn's hand tightened visibly on the silence glaive. "You have a family here, Hotaru," Usagi said, tears in her eyes, "people who love you. One day you'll have Chibiusa to care for as well, and I bet she'll love you just like a sister."

Saturn's eyes filled with tears as Usagi spoke. "I… I want that…" Hotaru said her voice thick with tears, "I want to live."

There was a blinding flash of purple light, and when it faded, Princess Saturn stood before them. Her fuku had been replaced by a black dress shimmering with purple spots of light that almost looked like the stars of a distant galaxy. Her white gloves now extended well beyond her elbows, and her purple boots past her knees. The bust of the dress was dark purple with golden edgings, and the crystal of her original fuku was placed in the centre of a thin bow. Unusually, her dress had no sailor collar. Still she held the silence glaive, but now she was master of her power, rather than her power being master over her. She swayed a little on the spot and Setsuna ran forward to steady her.

"It's alright," Hotaru smiled as she straightened herself, her dress fading into the black she had been wearing before transforming, "I'll be fine." She looked up to where Usagi sat, leaning against Mamoru's shoulder. "Thank you," she nodded hr head.

"Usagi you should really get to bed," Ami said, squeezing past the others, "you look shattered."

"I'll take her," Mamoru said, "I told her the same but she insisted that she had to talk to Hotaru first." Ami blinked surprised – could Usagi have known what was going to happen?

"Setsuna," Usagi called as Mamoru lead her up the stairs, "can I have a word with you before I go to bed?"

"Of course," Setsuna nodded, heading up the stairs behind them. When Usagi had settled down under the covers, she looked up at Mamoru, communicating without words. Silently, he headed out of the room and shut the door.

"He's sat outside the door," Usagi said, "but he won't listen."

"Your bond is strengthening then?" Setsuna asked.

"Yes. I think the time apart made it stronger when we found each other. I think… I think I would find it hard if he were much further away."

"I think you would both find it hard."

"Probably," Usagi brushed a hand through her hair, hanging roughly at her shoulders.

"It will get easier."

"I hope so… but then, I know that you've seen it. You lied to me Setsuna, to all of us. The future is far clearer than you have made it out to be." Setsuna did not speak. "I don't blame you for what happened, or anything that will happen. I know why you did it. Crystal Tokyo. I saw it, in my dreams. It kept me going."

"You saw it?"

"Briefly," Usagi nodded, "it was beautiful. I keep seeing glimpses of the future in my dreams," she gazed into Setsuna's red eyes, "is that normal?"

Setsuna looked thoughtful for a moment. "Normal, no. Unexpected… also no."

"Did you see this coming?"

"There is a lot about you that I cannot see. In fact, all of the senshi are merely blurred images in the timeline at the moment. I had assumed that it was because we are working to shape the future, but now I am not so sure."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I wish I knew."


Hotaru's heels clicked a little as she approached the door, silence glaive held loosely in her hands. Her black dress swirled in a non-existent wind as she watched the midnight gate creak slowly open. Two figures were standing there, as though they had always known this would happen.

"What happened to the taboos?" a voice, like chimes over a vast sea, asked.

"I am Princess Saturn. I set the taboos."

"You are stronger than I remember," the other, taller figure asked.

"And more in control,"Hotaru nodded. "My power is my own to control and I am not its puppet."

"So we can move through?" Hotaru shook her head.

"So why are we here?"

"Because I can bring you through." Hotaru reached through the gate and grasped a cold hand, gloved in white, pulling with all her magical strength against the natural boundary of the midnight gate.

"Welcome back," she smiled, as Michiru dragged Haruka across the boundary with her.


Well people die and come back in sailor moon canon all the time :L I wouldn't want to go against that x

And there'll be more Potter in the next chapter… I hope, lols

Cai-ann - There's that Saturn moment that I wasn't expecting for ages yet :D

Thanks to: amaramichelle, wonderbee31 and isadorakaystone for reveiwing the last chapter x