Author's Note: This is the last chapter. There will be an epilogue and soon I will release the prologue and chapter one of the next in the series... I am very excited about it.

Trigger Warning: The last scene is about teen dating violence.

Makaiju
The Promise of the Rose
Chapter Seventeen
Destiny

February 26
Continued

Rubeus was distracted. He couldn't figure out what was bothering him. It almost felt like he was in danger, but that made no sense. He stared at the clock on the wall, trying to hurry it with his mind. It was only his second day of school, and mostly he enjoyed it, but at the moment he couldn't concentrate on anything except the slowly passing time.

He and the others had an extra class in the afternoons, to make up for things they were missing. Right now he wished he didn't. He didn't know what was wrong, or how to fix it. The feeling of danger grew worse and worse. His leg bounced up and down so fast his knee was hitting the bottom of the desk.

Dimande reached out and put a hand on his arm. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"I don't know. I feel like I'm in danger, but there's nothing here. What is wrong with me?"

"It's not you," Haruki said, leaning forward. "It's your soulmate. The moment class ends, follow the feeling."

The bell rang only moments later. Rubeus grabbed his things and nearly ran from the classroom. He rushed past the other students and made it to the hallway, going straight for the door, not stopping to talk to anyone. The feeling was pulling him and he couldn't focus on anything but getting wherever it was leading him. He had to get to her. Whoever she was.

Esmeraude tried to wave to him, but he raced right past her and out the door. As soon as he was down the front steps of the school he started running. His feet flew over the pavement. He barely watched where he was going, nearly running in front of a car. He turned the corner instead and put on more speed. The need drew him on and on. His chest heaved with the panting breaths he was taking. But Rubeus didn't stop no matter how his legs ached or his lungs burned.

He suddenly stopped in the middle of a residential street. He didn't know which house the feeling was coming from, but he thought he was close. He turned in a circle, undecided about what he should do.

Then he heard a girl screaming.

Sitting on the couch with one child to either side of her, Usagi felt blissfully content. There were so many things she could worry about, if she let herself, but she and Mamoru both had decided that for the short visit they had, neither of them would borrow trouble. Chibi-Usa, who had woken up finally, seemed endlessly fascinated with Usagi's stomach, which was very different already from what it had been when they'd left for their own time weeks before, and kept moving as the unborn version of the twins stretched.

It hadn't even been a full month, but Usagi had missed them terribly. She loved cuddling with them and wished they were able to stay longer, but Chibi-Usa had told her that they couldn't stay long.

"Auntie Puu said she would be back soon," Chibi-Usa said, smiling up at her.

She was talking about future Setsuna, Usagi knew, but there were times it was hard for her to distinguish between the two.

"Did she say why she was coming to our time?" Ami asked, trying to untangle the hose for Usagi's IV line. She'd arrived shortly after Naru and Umino.

"No. She said she had sumpthin' to do," Chibi-Usa explained, as though it answered everything. Usagi shook her head, not bothered in the slightest by the vague answer. Whatever Setsuna was doing, there would be a good reason for it.

"She should have been back already," Chibi-Mamo muttered.

"Have patience," Mamoru said. "I'm sure she's just busy."

Chibi-Mamo climbed off the couch and paced to the window. "I don't know," he said. "I'm worried."

Suddenly a flurry of noise hit the apartment as their communicators began going off. Usagi flipped hers open to see a panicking Fiore. "I need help. Mother is calling to me, but I can't find her! I'm in front of a building. Something is attacking the others and she's terrified for them, but I can't find her."

"Close the blinds!" Usagi ordered immediately, pulling the IV out of her hand. She felt it start to heal as she touched her brooch. A moment later Sailor Moon stood in the middle of the Livingroom. "Stay with the kids," she said to Naru and Umino, who both nodded. Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Mercury hurried to her and Sailor Moon pushed her mind toward Fiore.

"We're coming," she heard Tuxedo Kamen say, and then they disappeared from the apartment.

Ail was trying to get to An, trying to protect Mother, but he was trapped by the vines, which had wrapped around his arms and legs, and his throat. He could see An was struggling for air too. The flower women were laughing, thinking it was funny to watch them suffocate. But Ail was not about to let them hurt An or Mother. He had to do something.

He lifted one of his hands and prayed for help as he let out a burst of pure energy. He knew Mother was sending him everything she had. The flower holding him was hit and she instantly dissolved into dust and floated to the floor. Ail turned to An, and raced toward her, but he was caught again before he could take a second step. This time the vines started moving to his face and he felt a sting of pain as one of them pushed into his ear. He let out a cry of pain, and heard An screaming for him, but then he knew no more.

Her children were dying. Never had she felt so helpless. She could feel the light of the Bright One close, and sent her thoughts out, but was shocked when she felt another of her children even closer. She telegraphed her need for help, telling him of Ail and An, who were dying before her eyes. There was nothing she could do to fight the flower creatures.

::I don't know where you are,:: her son Fiore said into her mind.

::I am here!::

::Where is here?:: Fiore asked.

::A pocket dimension folded into the space of the apartment.::

::Help is coming.::

Private Akiyama of the Team had stood by doing nothing for far too long. He'd been forced not to interfere when he'd seen the Tsukino girl being attacked, had stood helplessly by and watched as she was violated, and the boy with her. He had stayed still when Mercury had been taken. But he couldn't stand idle now.

When he came into the room and saw General Inoue and the Senshi of Time, he didn't even think, just reacted. Unfortunately not in time. The general grabbed an ancient sword that had been sitting on his desk and stabbed Sailor Pluto. He didn't even think, simply aimed and shot him in the chest. But he thought it was too late for the Senshi. There was too much blood.

General Inoue stared at him for a long minute before he fell. Akiyama didn't care about him. He walked closer to the man. "Will you give up your quest for the Senshi?" he asked.

The General shook his head and Akiyama lifted his gun and shot him again, this time in the head. He turned away, knowing the man couldn't survive that. His attention went to Sailor Pluto. "What can I do?" he asked, kneeling at her side.

She tried to lift her wrist, but was too weak. He reached out and gently took her hand, helping her to see it. "What do I press?" he asked.

"Hourglass," she whispered.

He pressed the button. A girl answered almost immediately. "Hey mom, are you almost - mom?" she started to sound panicked. Akiyama turned the watch so that he could look at her. "She's been stabbed. Can you heal?"

"Hie."

"Can you find her?"

"Anywhere, anywhen."

She disappeared from the screen and Akiyama glanced down at Pluto. She looked so pale. "It will be okay," he promised. "Help is coming."

"Mother!" a girl cried out. She threw herself to the ground next to Sailor Pluto. "Mother, oh mother." Suddenly she began to glow orange and everything felt warm. "Pull the sword out," she ordered. He did as he was told, hating that it caused Pluto pain. "I've got you mom."

There were bright red, orange, and yellow sparks coming from her palms, which she pressed against the wounds. He watched in awe as the deep stab wound began to close. The blood was still everywhere and the fuku still torn, but the skin knit itself back together. He didn't know this newest Senshi who wore a skirt of mixed red, orange, and yellow. But she had called Pluto mother. Which meant this Pluto was from the future.

Finally, after what seemed like a year, the girl let the sparks fade away and put an arm under Pluto, whose eyes were closed, though she was still breathing. "I have to take her away," she said. "She needs my father. Will you be alright with all of... this?" She waved to the pool of blood and the dead general.

"I'll be fine," he promised. "My mission was sanctioned. Go. Get her some help. And tell her I'm sorry."

Fiore was in a panic. He had released his disguise and now stood in the middle of a nearly empty apartment, turning in circles, searching for the pocket dimension.

"We're here," he heard Tuxedo Kamen say.

He turned, grateful for the help. "I don't know how to find her."

Mercury pressed one of her earrings and a light blue visor came down over her eyes. "This way," she said, running towards the far wall. Fiore and the others followed her into the pocket dimension. It twisted and turned and then they were in the middle of what looked like a great spaceship. In the very center, a massive tree was bending and writhing, reaching out with branches to try and reach the two crumpled heaps on the floor.

Ail and An.

::Help them!:: he heard Mother calling. ::My children!::

There were two Kisenian blossoms!

Sailor Moon, who looked furiously determined, stepped forward and lifted the Moon Wand. "Moon Healing Escalation!" she screamed.

Tuxedo Kamen moved next to her. "Tuxedo la Smoking Bomber!" he yelled.

"Mercury Ice Field!" Mercury called.

Fiore raced towards the two figures who lay far too still. As he approached he saw blood coming from their noses and ears and cried out in shock and pain. They were the last two of his kind.

::Get them to the pods,:: Mother called.

He looked up and saw two pods near the base of the tree. He lifted the girl first, as she looked worse than the boy, and raced to the pod, placing her gently inside. As soon as he released her a hatch came down to cover it. He turned to grab the boy, but Mamoru was there already, lifting him and carrying him to the second pod.

::I don't know if it will be enough,:: Mother said sadly.

"Let us help you," Sailor Moon said. "With our energy it should be enough."

"They are beyond our healing," Tuxedo Kamen said, "but we can give you the strength."

::Thank you!:: Mother wept as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Kamen walked to the base of her trunk and placed their hands on her. Fiore moved forward too, and knelt beside them. He sent his energy and his love to Mother. Bowing his head, he prayed the others would be well.

::It is done,:: Mother said, far sooner than he would have believed. ::But they have been twisted and warped by fear and loss. Sailor Moon, please heal their minds.::

::Hai,:: Sailor Moon said, then went to An, whose pod opened first, and laid a hand on her forehead. She sent streamers of silver light into her, working quickly, then moved to Ail.

Fiore panted, sitting back and staring up at Mother. Only a few minutes had passed since he had heard her call. Only a few precious minutes and he might have been too late if Sailor Moon and the others hadn't come to help him. Tears streaked his cheeks as he considered all he could have lost, and it was because he had brought Xenian to the Earth.

::The must sleep for a time. Would you stay with me Fiore? I have missed you my son.::

"Yes Mother," he whispered. "I will stay with you."

"You'll be alright?" Sailor Moon asked. "We have to get back to the kids. I don't want to miss saying goodbye to them."

"Go. I'll come and see you after they wake up."

Sailor Moon hugged him, then stepped back and grabbed Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Mercury by the hand.

He couldn't breathe. It hurt. There was something burning through his chest. He tried to suck in a breath and if he could have, he would have screamed. He hit his knees, staring in shock at the man who he'd thought was a biddable aide. Sailor Pluto had fallen however. He wasn't about to give up. No, General Inoue would never fail.

A memory played through his mind. A memory from his youth. The day he decided he would never be powerless again. The day he had first heard the voice. He remembered, in excruciating detail, the beating his father had given him. He remembered lying on the floor of his bedroom and staring out the window at the stars. A wish had been made that night. A wish for absolute power. Power enough to save him from his father, and then to destroy the man. Power enough to change the world and destroy the school bullies and the man who had murdered his mother, and everyone else who had ever slighted him.

He'd heard the voice then, promising him power. All he'd had to do was give up part of his soul. He had never regretted it. And now... now when it looked hopeless, he was grateful he had made that choice. Because no matter what happened from that moment, he would gain even more power. Even as he gasped for air, he smiled.

Akiyama walked forward, the gun still trained on him. "Will you give up your quest for the Senshi?" he asked.

Unable to speak, he only shook his head. He would never give up, not even under the threat of death. Death wouldn't hold him. Not General Inoue Shiro. Death would never keep him. He merely smiled as the shot rang out.

Death didn't hurt.

It was rather pleasant, really. General Inoue smiled again, though he wasn't sure he had an actual mouth anymore. But he had prepared. Yes. He was a wise man. He knew death might come for him. But it couldn't keep him. The voice had promised. The voice that whispered into his dreams. Nemesis.

Time stretched out. A minute, a day. He didn't know how long he stayed in the black void. Then everything changed and he lay on a rocky surface. He knew the feel of this place. He could feel the power of the Dark Crystals reviving him, making him strong.

He had a body. But it was different. Strangely bent, but strong. He could feel it, and when his full strength came to him, he would be invincible. Nemesis had promised. The planet was strong enough to keep him alive. The planet could strengthen him.

::We have much to do.:: The voice spoke into his mind. ::You were wise to join with me.::

"I am a wise man," General Inoue said.

::Then that shall be your new name. You are Wiseman.::

He lay there on the surface of the green planet and laughed. He had plans for the Senshi. Plans to take them all and make them do his bidding. And he would start with Sailor Moon.

Very Far in the Future

"Father!" Heliodor screamed as soon as they reached the palace on Pluto. "Father!"

"What's wrong?" Haruki asked. "Sets? What happened?"

"I don't know. There was a man with her. He called me. Said she had been stabbed. And there was another man who had been shot. I don't know who either of them were. The twins weren't with her!"

"Calm down. She's fine now, just sleeping. You did a good job healing her Heliodor."

"I've never been so scared," she sobbed. "Not even in the Dark Kingdom. I can't lose either of you."

Trigger Warning for Severe Teen Dating Violence

Ronnie screamed in terror until James smacked her across the face with the back of his hand. It hurt so much she lost her breath, staring up at him almost silently, pleading with her eyes for him to stop. He reached under his bed and dragged a wooden crate out. When he pulled out what looked like a canister of gas and a small torch, Ronnie began to scream again.

"Don't!" she pleaded. "I wasn't planning to leave you. James please!" No matter what she said, or how she begged, James didn't look at her. He turned the torch on and a flame came out the end of the nozzle, heating up the brand at the end of the small iron. "Don't do this!" she screamed, trying to back away as the metal heated to red hot. "No!"

He came toward her then, putting the torch down, and held the red end of the brand in front of her. "You belong to me," he said in a deadly quiet voice. "You are mine. I own you. No one else will ever want you after this." He knelt down, straddling her legs and pushing her until she was lying on her back. Then he moved the brand to the left side of her face. She screamed, trying to get away, but it was no use. She could feel the heat on her skin, and she saw in his eyes that he wasn't planning to stop.

Ronnie Hartman had never been more terrified in her life. And that terror woke something inside her. Something that had lain dormant since her rebirth. Something more powerful than a person like James could ever understand. A blazing heat erupted in her chest and as she stared at the branding iron it began to bend, slowly at first, and then faster and faster until it reached the back of his hand.

James let out a cry of pain and rage, but Ronnie was bucking under him, trying to knock him away. She heard the clank of metal and pulled on her arms. The cuffs had come free from the metal rails of the bed. She didn't stop to question how that had happened. Instead she pushed James away and scrambled onto her hands and knees, trying to get to the door.

Something caught her by the hair and she looked up to see James, a horrible scowl on his face, rearing back his fist to punch her in the face. Then the little metal chair in front of his desk flew across the room and hit him in the back. Taking the chance to escape, Ronnie got to her feet and raced for the bedroom door. She ran down the stairs as fast as she could, not stopping for her shoes or her bag. She just ran, right out of the house and into the street, screaming for help.

Feet away from the door was a man with red hair, who looked up at her in shock. She slammed into him, knocking them both to the ground. She could hear James now, stomping down the stairs inside the house. He was coming for her!

Ronnie screamed when he made it through the door, but suddenly everything went dark and she couldn't catch her breath. Only half a second passed before she was in what looked like a huge apartment, surrounded by people, most of whom were staring at her. A tiny blonde girl smiled as soon as they appeared. There was a girl with blue hair kneeling in front of her putting an IV into the back of her hand.

She blinked, clinging to the one she had landed on, and heard him murmuring something. "Lost in darkness and tears, a girl searches for her heart. Find the one with the pain and you will never part. Beware the flaming man who cuts and burns. Reach for the girl who metal's blade turns."

"What?" She stared down at him. "What did you say? How did you know he tried to burn me?"

"It's her isn't it?" the blonde girl asked. "She's the one."

"She is," the red-haired man said, and he was suddenly smiling. Then he seemed to remember what had just happened. "He was chasing her."

"Based on those handcuffs we didn't think she was in a good situation when you found her," said a woman with bright green hair. She bent down and reached a hand for Ronnie. "My name is Esmeraude. This is a safe place. We've been looking for you for days."

"H-how?" Ronnie wasn't even certain she knew what she was asking.

"We were told you needed help," the woman said. "Sorry. I know this is all a bit overwhelming. Um, the one who saved you is Rubeus. That," she pointed to the blonde with the IV, "is Usagi, and her husband Mamoru. They're our leaders."

"Leaders?" Ronnie asked, more confused than ever.

"You're one of us."

"And who are you?" Ronnie asked, frustrated now.

It was the blonde who spoke. Usagi. "We are the Senshi, and you are one of us."

Secondary Author's Note: So... do you like my surprise twist for General Inoue becoming Wiseman? I came up with that last week and have been just bursting with it ever since. Please, please, please review!

Reader Response: I've had a few responses, but just in case you didn't notice, or you didn't have a chance to respond, I'm putting this up again.

A) Apocalypse
B) Search for the Holy Grail
C) The Messiah of Silence
D) ... write your own title in a review or private message...

I am going to take all of your opinions into account, tally any votes, and let you know in the Epilogue

Author's Soapbox Rant:

I need to put this out so people can see it. There is a HUGE difference between slight passiveness between a couple (who both feel the same way) and the type of possessiveness James shows in this chapter. There is never any call whatsoever for violence in a relationship. Ever. I am not talking about a little BDSM... I'm talking violence. If there is someone who is hitting you or hurting you, there is something wrong. There are ways to get help.

Here are some red flags to watch for: Teen Dating Violence
Checking your cell phone without your permission; Putting you down; Extreme jealousy or possessiveness and insecurity; Explosive temper; Trying to isolate you from family and friends; Making false accusations (usually about cheating or leaving them); Putting you in dangerous situations; Intimidating or Threatening you; Treating you like property; and Making all the decisions for you.

Here are some red flags to watch for: Domestic Abuse
Using jealousy as a sign of love; Intimidating or threatening you; Domination and setting all the rules; Constantly Criticizing you; Treating you like property; Disrespecting your gender or anyone like you; Controlling where you go and who you can see; Acting Entitled; Hypocritic, different standards for themselves than for you; Isolation, separating you from family and friends.

You may notice these lists are incredibly similar. That's because teen dating violence often leads to domestic violence as the abuser ages. Having lived through Domestic Violence during my first marriage, I can tell you they don't just suddenly wake up and change. There is a cycle of abuse. Hurt, Honeymoon phase, build-up, then it starts all over. They cannot change without help, and even with it, they aren't very likely to.

There are ways to get out of these relationships, but it must be done carefully. If you, or someone you know is in one of these relationships DO NOT confront the abuser. It will only make things worse. Get help. Reach out to a hotline if possible. You can search for one using a private browser on you phone or computer. They can give you help and advice.